Run fast

Ran through Holladay to mouth of Big Cottonwood and back.  Averaged around 6:45.  I tested out my new running toy, a metronome.  Here is an article that explains the concept but it really isn't any different than how cyclist's monitor their cadence.  At a ~6:30 pace my cadence was a 82 and at a 5:30 pace my cadence was 90 (180 steps) which is about what I expected. 

As this article describes, around 90 sounds optimal.  Running efficiently at that speed will take some work, however.

• If you are below ninety (180 steps per minute), you are likely overstriding and should work on increasing your leg turnover rate and shortening your stride (see below).
• If you are above ninety (180 steps per minute), you are better off working on increasing your stride length while maintaining your cadence (see below).

I will have to test is out a little more but I think this will be best used on a flat course or track because it is a difficult to stay on cadence when you are running up or down hills.  Or I think it will just be helpful as added motivation, similar to a treadmill, to maintain a pace during a tempo run.

In total I visited the gym (downloaded from their site) 253 times last year.   As you can see below, there is a direct correlation between injuries, cold weather and my visit frequency.  Unlike many goals which aim to increase frequency, I hope to cut my visits down to 120 or less (of course yoga and/or strength training visits should be excluded).  Staying on top of my physical therapy and wearing my warm tights should make this achievable.

Despite the months of injuries I still managed to set PRs at every distance this year; so the gym isn't such a bad place after all.

Happy New Year!