I've recently discovered the benefits of chi running. One of the best things I learned there was the importance of cadence. A fast cadence (around 85-90 beats per minute) is recommended as this lessens the amount of time your feet are on the ground (minimizes injuries). It's important to maintain the same cadence throughout your run. If you want to speed up your pace, what you adjust is your stride (not your cadence). You lengthen your stride at the back (not the front).
A useful tool we used to learn to keep our stride at 85-90 was a metronome. It's actually a gadget used by musicians. But apparently has applications for runners and bikers as well. It emits a beeping sound following the beats per minute setting that you input. Then you run following the beat of the beep. I ordered the Seiko version via Amazon since it looked like the most portable and the type I could wear during a run. Unfortunately, I'll have to limit wearing this to training runs - can't use it during races since the sound will irritate other runs. Costs $18.
