The Aerobic Edge
Running Technique: Cadence, Foot Strike and What Actually Matters | Paul Mackinnon
Most runners try to fix their form by chasing numbers — 180 steps per minute, a midfoot landing, a shorter stride. Paul Mackinnon thinks that's the wrong end of the problem.Paul runs The Balanced Runner in Melbourne and has spent close to a decade coaching running technique full time, working with Olympians like Galen Rupp and Brett Robinson alongside recreational runners with sore knees. His argument: cadence and foot strike aren't settings you adjust. They're outcomes of how the rest of your body moves. So he starts at the top — the arms and torso — and lets the legs reorganise underneath.We get into where the 180 rule actually came from, why forcing a foot strike can move an injury rather than fix it, and how he uses an old way / new way comparison so runners can feel a change instead of being told about it.I did a session with Paul before recording this, so some of what you'll hear I felt myself.Paul Mackinnon* Website: https://tbrunner.com* Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebalancedrunnerJoost Dekker — Pace Buddies* Website: https://pacebuddies.com* Free 30-minute consultation: http://pacebuddies.comChapters00:00 Intro00:54 From field hockey to running technique03:04 Canberra, dirt trails, and feet that sounded different04:53 Why physics has to come first06:40 What a first session actually looks like09:11 Feel it before you change it10:33 A word from Pace Buddies11:08 Why top-down instead of chasing cadence12:28 The arm swing: where it starts14:39 How arms change your foot strike17:59 What a good arm swing feels like20:15 Elbows, not hands22:29 Letting the athlete make the choice23:22 Old way, new way26:37 One cue at a time31:11 How long before it becomes a habit34:03 Better is better37:11 Does technique make you faster?39:36 The 800m data, clarified40:51 The 180 cadence rule44:18 Stride length and cadence are two levers47:27 Why your watch data doesn't tell the whole story49:28 Heel, midfoot, forefoot — does it matter?53:49 How to spot overstriding yourself55:59 Where to find Paul1:00:39 Outro
