Cadence isn't about running faster — it's about landing softer
Step rate — how many times your feet hit the ground per minute — is one of the quieter levers in running form. The headline finding: nudging cadence up a few steps per minute at the same pace tends to shorten your stride, which lowers the impact each footfall sends up the chain.
The trap is treating it as a number to chase. Forcing a big jump usually just makes you bounce. Small, gradual change is what sticks.
So the practical version: on an easy run, try lifting your steps per minute slightly and let pace stay exactly where it was. Repeat occasionally. Let the trend line do the work.
Once this lands in the coaching brain, RunNerd watches your cadence trend across runs and only raises it when easy-day effort says there's room — never as a target you have to hit. The science updates; the coaching updates with it.