When I started running, like many middle aged people, I wanted to get some exercise and cling on to the last vestiges of youthful vigour. I soon got into it, and after a few months of running I came across the idea that 180 steps per minute is the optimal running rhythm.
This originates in a study of middle distance runners at the 1984 Olympics, by coach Jack Daniels. He counted the stride rate of all the athletes running 800 metres or more, and found that all but one ran at least 180 steps per minute - and the one that didn't hit 176. Yet as a coach he had never come across a student running above 180. So the magic number of 180 steps per minute was born.
Like all research, there is further research which corroborates this and some which counters it. But what is generally agreed is that:
- Running with a faster cadence can improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury
- 180 steps per minute is a great bar to aim for, but if it is too high start by measuring your cadence and aiming to increase it by 5 to 10%
- Running with a consistent cadence is also important, and something top runners aim for. In the 2011 Boston marathon, Desiree Davila and Caroline Kilel both held a 180-190 rate as they battled to the finish, and there are countless more examples
Putting the theory to the test
I'd read enough to be convinced it was worth a try. Using Runkeeper, I found my previous runs were around 140 spm, and with the help of a metronome I started trying to increase them to 180.
The way to do this was not just to go straight out and increase the rate, but to first shorten the length of the stride in order to help achieve that. It felt strange at first, as if I was taking baby steps - but at the rate of Roadrunner from the cartoons. But it soon became a comfortable rhythm, and with shorter steps your legs gain less height and extension - and therefore you create less impact when hitting the ground, helping your calves, your hamstrings, your ankles and your knees.
Overall, here's the benefits I've enjoyed from this change of cadence:
- Not as tired or achey after runs
- Helped me go further
- Helped me go faster
- Easier to change direction and avoid puddles, ice or tourists randomly stepping out in front of you without looking
Needless to say, I heartily recommend taking a look at your cadence and aiming for either a 10% increase, the magical 180 steps per minute, or even more.
Fitter people have a little longer stride, but the rate stays the same
- Jack Daniels, coach
metronome photo by Charles B. Owen