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We Got the Beat

I love trivia. I'm not necessarily great at it but I love learning random bits of information and then regurgitating them in somewhat relevant situations.

Yesterday I got my Commit to Fit crew in on the action and asked them a little question about running just to test their skillz.
Trivia time!
Do you know what cadence is in reference to running? Your cadence is the number of times your foot hits the ground in a minute. So, what do studies say is the most efficient cadence for running? (Answers are for the number of times 1 foot hits the ground, double it for both feet)

I tend to think that everybody is exactly like me for some reason and spends their time reading about biomechanics, kinesiology and watching videos about running cadence. Apparently not. Wonder why...

Anyway, I was excited to drop a knowledge bomb since I so rarely get to do so and especially because it gave me an excuse to include a video of Meb.

And the answer is..... A! Many experts of biomechanics have determined that a cadence of 90 (per foot) or 180 strides per minute (3 strides per second) is best "to minimize overstriding, lessen impact forces on the legs, and maintain forward momentum" (via)... cadence can be hard to master so what I've done is built a playlist of songs that are all 180 beats per minute and run to the tempo. Luckily I'm an excellent dancer so finding the beat is no problem for me 

I googled 180 bpm songs yesterday before my short treadmill run and felt only a little nerdy until I realized how many people had exactly what I was looking for. Good to know I'm not alone. What's really fun is that there are hype, mellow, loud and quiet songs that all have the same tempo! Makes for a super fun and probably bi-polar run. Want to know my top ten songs? *Disclaimer...these are not entirely PG13...and I have a very broad range of musical tastes. Here you go, you're welcome.
  1. Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta - Geto Boys
  2. Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
  3. Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  4. Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts
  5. Lose Yourself - Eminem
  6. Fighter - Christina Aguilera
  7. Lighters - Bad Meets Evil, Bruno Mars
  8. F**kin' Perfect - Pink
  9. Demons - Imagine Dragons
  10. Brave - Sara Bareilles
Oh yeah, and here's that video of Meb!

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