Running Cadence: How many steps per minute should you take when running?
What is the ideal cadence and how to I increase it?
When out running your running cadence is probably not something you have worried about too much. If you are lucky enough to have a method of measuring the number of steps you take then it’s maybe something you should consider analysing. In my opinion it’s more important than most people think and here is why.
Until recently I had only had my cadence measured during a study I had participated in back in my university days. At the time I remember being told it was a figure over 180, which I knew was standard for a trained runner. I actually first became interested in cadence for cycling, but that is a different topic, although it is related. I like many other runners mostly adjust my stride length at anything from recovery pace to tempo pace. I consistently run at 182-184 steps.min, but will go over 200 steps.min on steep gradients.
Why is this important? well, a really simple way of improving your running is to adjust your cadence. Most people run at a cadence of 160-170 steps.min. This means that each foot makes contact 80-85 times each minute. Compare this to elite runners who have a minimum cadence of 180 steps.min and you can see that faster runners make more ground contacts. Do they take more steps because they are running faster? The answer is no. Interestingly when the best runners in the world are studied even in the last lap or final stages of a race the number of steps taken each minute rarely increases. Instead, stride length is increased to run faster. Is there a specific cadence that works for everyone? Definitely not, so it would be wrong to just aim for 180 steps.min and assume this will make you a better runner. Most people naturally settle into a stride length and cadence that is comfortable for them. The issues comes when they want to run faster. Most people further increase stride length without a high enough cadence and this in turn increases vertical forces and energy is wasted verticaly rather than being used horizontaly. If you’ve ever ran next to someone and noticed they appear to be bouncing this is exactly what I mean. The fastest runners in the world generally have the least vertical bounce. We want to go forwards not upwards.
So this leads me to ask is less steps per minute actually an issue? Well, impact forces have been shown to be greater at lower cadences. Does this correlate to a greater injury risk? Not really, little evidence actually supports this, mostly anecdotal. There is however a measured biomechanical advantage running at higher cadences as it reduces vertical displacement which is wasted energy. Over the course of a marathon this doesn't correlate to running a few extra meters, it correlates to running extra miles! Maybe something worth considering then.
It is worth noting in studies were runners have increased their cadence, they have also changed their running style. Many runners adopt a more mid-footed strike pattern, rather than heal striking. The majority of the population run by heal-striking the ground. This isn’t necessarily wrong and there are very good examples of runners who run with this motion, there are just more example of elite runners running by striking the fore-foot or mid-foot first. Although controversial there is a large movement for fore-foot running. I think a mid-footed running style is better for most runners. Not necessarily full fore-footed landing as some would recommend. Having said that I’m a fore-foot runner and always have been. I will adjust to a more mid-footed landing when running longer distances to not overwork my calfs.
If you do want to measure you cadence and don't have a device that counts for you then try this: set a 20 second count-down timer and count the number of times your right foot makes contact with the ground. You are aiming for 60 if you want a cadence of 180 steps.min. If you easily manage this with no adjustment then you are most likely running around the 180 steps.min area. If you averaged closer to 50-55 then find a short hill and practice taking more steps than feels comfortable. Do drills of 30-60 seconds repeated 10-12 times. Re-test your stride rate a week later.
It does take some getting used to a higher cadence and there is a likelihood of you experiencing sore calfs as your legs adapt to the increased step rate. Bare with it though and you should see the speeds you maintain over differen distances increase. It should also lower heart rate for the same given speed. When making the switch, reduce your weekly milage by 10% to allow your body to get used to the new running style. Load through the hips and knees is reduced too, so I would be an avocate of cadence to reduce injury risk.
