I've heard from various sources that we ought to be running at about 180 strides per minute, which is a higher cadence than most of us achieve. The advantages apparently include less bouncing, greater efficiency and decreased likelihood of injury.
I recently came across a couple of websites (http://www.fitpod.com/ and http://www.djsteveboy.com/mixes.html) which have links to long MP3 mixes, each at specific BPMs.
Below are links two three tracks of music recorded at exactly 180 beats per minute (BPM). These should beat the heck out of listening to a metronome. Just throw this lot on your Ipod and go for a 4 hour run at 180 strides per minute!
Note - my mother wouldn't like these tunes - they're mainly trip-hop type dance music. I don't normally listen to this kind of thing, but it is fun for something different.
Right click these links and select "Save Target As":
* http://media.libsyn.com/media/fitpod/epinephrine_180bpm.mp3 (1 hr 10 mins, 64MB @ 128 Kbps)
* http://media.libsyn.com/media/steveboy/180bpm_jackhammer.mp3 (1 hr 3 mins, 58MB @ 128 Kbps)
* http://media.libsyn.com/media/steveboy/groundpounder_180bpm.mp3 (1 hr 58 mins, 81MB @ 96 Kbps)
I tried one of these on my lunch hour today and was amazed at how fast 180 beats per minute really is! It's hard to keep that kind of cadence going (not to mention in snow).
Here are a couple of other songs also recorded at exactly 180BPM:
* The Vapors -> Turning Japanese
* Shakira -> Objection (Tango)
So if you see an Ipod wearer running in the opposite direction singing "I'm Turning Japanese", now you'll know why.
