big or little steps in a marathon?

[Rick]

I see that when I run intervals or tempo runs, I run at about 180 steps per minute. When I run at marathon pace, then, I have to either take fewer steps per minute, or take shorter steps. Is there a general wisdom about which of these is best, and easiest to maintain for the 26.2 miles?

[Jon Allen]

I would say just do what comes natural, as long as you make sure you aren't overstriding.  I'm guessing you will have slightly fewer steps per minutes, but not a huge difference.  For me, my slow training runs are 180-185 steps per minute.  Marathon pace is 190-195.  Tempo is 190-200.  But I don't try to restrict myself and artificially change my stride rate- just run normal.  But if you err, err on the side of slightly more steps per minute (again, to avoid overstriding).  But I wouldn't purposely take shorter steps.

[Chris M]

There is an interesting set of articles about Paige Higgins here
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19948

[Rick]

There is an interesting set of articles about Paige Higgins here
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19948

Yes, that's exactly the sort of thing I was wondering about.
In my running, I don't actually use a metronome, but basically the same thing, because I often listen to music where I know the exact BPM, and I tend to run in time to the beat. If it's a 180 bpm tune, I end up running faster than marathon pace without really thinking about it. So I have to concentrate to slow down and maintain that cadence. Now I'm thinking I should not try to maintain 180 if my BQ marathon pace would not benefit from it.

[Jeff Linger]

The problem with counting strides/minute is often a forced effort, as suggested above. When I count my touches during a given minute I find I'm anywhere between 160 and 190, although I don't really count when I'm doing tempo runs, so perhaps my foot strikes/minute might also be up in the 200 range for tempo runs. I've simply found that foot strikes, when form is correct, increase as pace increases. I think that as long as you're using correct form, you don't need to worry about the foot strikes/minute. For more drills on improving your form you can check out Brain Training for Runners. There are so many form drills you can do, some of which are mentioned in the Paige video, but can be found with simple google searches. In addition, running uphill during drill work will not only allow you to work on form, but will build strength simultaneously. Although I wouldn't recommend doing this until your form is improved.