Understanding Running Cadence Without Obsessing Over Numbers

By How to Build a Weekly Running Routine That Sticks
Comments 35
13 Jul 2026

Understanding Running Cadence Without Obsessing Over Numbers

What We Actually Mean by Cadence

Cadence, in running terms, is simply your step rate: the number of times your feet hit the ground in a minute. Most recreational runners sit somewhere between 155 and 175 steps per minute, while faster runners often drift up towards 180 or more. You will sometimes hear that 180 is the magic number, a figure that has taken on a life of its own in running clubs up and down the country. It deserves a little gentle deflating.

The 180 figure came from observations of elite athletes racing, not from a study proving it is optimal for everyone. Taller runners tend to have naturally slower cadences, shorter runners often quicker ones. Pace matters too: jogging easily at 160 might be entirely right for you, while the same runner at 5K effort might naturally sit at 178. Cadence is an output, not an instruction.

Why a Quicker Turnover Can Help

That said, there is a genuine reason coaches talk about it. When you take fewer, longer strides, your foot tends to land further in front of your body. That creates a braking force with every step, sending impact up through the shin, knee and hip. Over many miles, that repeated loading is one of the common routes to niggles such as shin splints, runner's knee and Achilles irritation.

Increasing your step rate by a modest amount, even five to eight per cent, usually shortens your stride and brings your landing point closer beneath your centre of mass. In practice this tends to mean:

Less vertical bounce, so more of your energy goes forwards rather than upwards
Lower peak impact forces through the legs, because the load is spread over more, gentler contacts
A lighter, quieter footfall, which is often the first thing a training partner notices
Less overstriding, which many runners find reduces niggling knee and hip discomfort

For a runner plodding along at 160 steps per minute, nudging that towards 168 or 170 can be genuinely transformative. It is rarely about reaching 180.

How to Find Your Natural Rhythm

Before you change anything, measure what you already do. Most running watches and phone apps will report cadence, though it is worth checking whether the figure is per minute for both feet or just one, as some devices double or halve the number confusingly. If you run without a watch, count your right foot strikes for 30 seconds and multiply by four, then double it for total steps per minute.

Do this on a few different runs: an easy jog, a steady effort, a faster session. You will almost certainly see your cadence rise with pace, which is normal and healthy. What you are looking for is a baseline, not a target.

Making Changes Without Ruining Your Running

If you decide a slightly quicker turnover is worth exploring, do it kindly. The mistake most runners make is trying to hold a new number for every step of every run, which quickly leads to tight calves, stiff hip flexors and a gait that feels forced and joyless.

A better approach is small and specific:

Pick one short segment per week, perhaps a few minutes within an easy run, and focus on quicker, lighter steps
Use a metronome app or a playlist with a beat slightly faster than your usual turnover, and run to it briefly
Think about running tall and quiet rather than consciously placing your feet
Shorten your stride slightly by imagining your feet landing under your hips, not out in front
Let your arms set the rhythm, driving back rather than swinging across your body

Give it a few weeks of occasional practice and see whether it starts to feel natural. If it never does, that is useful information. Your body may simply prefer the rhythm it already has.

When Cadence Is Worth Investigating

Cadence data becomes genuinely useful when something is going wrong. If you are repeatedly injured, if your footfall sounds like a drum solo on the pavement, or if you can hear yourself slapping the ground from fifty metres away, a low cadence may be part of the picture. A running coach or physiotherapist can watch you run and offer something far more personal than a number on a screen.

It is also worth a look if you are returning from injury. Sometimes a small change in turnover helps redistribute load while you rebuild strength, and it can be a useful tool alongside proper strengthening work rather than instead of it.

Keeping It in Perspective

Community running clubs are wonderful places precisely because they are full of runners with wildly different gaits, shapes and paces. The person who floats past you at 190 steps per minute and the one who cruises at 162 may both be running beautifully and injury-free for decades.

Use cadence as one gentle signal among many. Notice it, play with it occasionally, and let your natural rhythm do most of the work. Consistency, sensible progression and a bit of strength work will always matter more than hitting a round number on your watch. Run tall, run light, and enjoy the miles.

Training

Essential Warm Up Drills Before a Club Session

A useful report captures conditions, standout performances and lessons learned, celebrating all members rather than only the winners.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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