Cadence — could it be the key to improving your running performance?

A few years ago, ABC Sport produced a digital breakdown of the science of running.

By comparing an Olympic runner with an amateur, we broke down the biomechanics of running and discovered how the position of the whole body contributes to our running style and efficiency.

The idea was to help amateur runners become more efficient during their weekly 5-kilometre parkrun.

The advice from the experts boiled down to this:

That last one was the counter-intuitive message from podiatrist Richard Windybank.

For a foot guy, he wasn't worried about whether runners landed on their heel, midfoot or forefoot. He was more concerned about the body's overall position.

But there was another tip which couldn't be entirely removed from the «don't think about your feet» mantra, which was to shorten your strides by increasing your stride frequency. Or, as runners say, increasing your cadence.

Slightly increasing the number of steps taken per minute is something that many running coaches say recreational athletes could do to improve their running efficiency. With practice, it can help them run faster.

There is also some evidence that runners who improve their cadence can reduce injuries by decreasing the pressure on joints.

Let's go back to look at what we do when we run. Once again our guide will be Dr Aaron Beach, a lecturer in exercise and sport science at Macquarie University.

Each time we touch the ground, there's a brief moment of braking when that foot suddenly stops.

Dr Beach explains it's a bit like slamming on the brakes of your bike. Do it hard enough and your momentum will send you flying over the handlebars.

Each time we land, our centre of gravity shifts over that leg on the ground. But the further forward the leg lands, the heavier the