What is running cadence? A plain-English guide

Cadence, in plain words

Cadence is your step rate: how many steps you take in a minute, counting both feet. It's usually written as steps per minute, or spm. If you take 160 steps in a minute — left, right, left, right — your cadence is 160.

You don't need a watch to find yours. On a flat, steady stretch, count every time a foot lands for 30 seconds and double it. Or count just your left foot for 20 seconds and multiply by six. Do it a couple of times and take an average.

Cadence is not the same as stride length. Stride length is how far each step carries you. You can run the same pace with quick, short steps or slower, longer ones — cadence just describes the first half of that equation.

• Pace: the faster you run, the more steps per minute.
• Your height and leg length: taller runners often take fewer steps.
• Terrain: hills and rough ground tend to shorten your steps.
• Fatigue: tired legs often get choppy or heavy.

Is there a right number?

No. You'll see 180 steps per minute quoted a lot as if it were a target. Treat it as a common reference point, not a rule. Plenty of experienced runners sit well below it on easy days, and taller runners often do too.

As a rough guide, many runners find their easy-run cadence sits somewhere in the 150s to 170s, rising when they pick up the pace. Those numbers move around with height, pace and the day. Your own normal is the only useful starting point.

On easy runs, don't chase cadence at all. Easy means conversational, and fiddling with step rate while you're supposed to be relaxed defeats the point. If you want to play with cadence, do it in short blocks on a normal run, then let it go. There's more on easy pace in how slow should easy runs be.

Why runners talk about it: overstriding and bounce

Two things cadence can hint at. The first is overstriding: landing with your foot well ahead of your hips, often on a fairly straight leg. It can feel like reaching, and it puts a lot of the landing load through your knee and hip rather than letting your leg spring.

The second is bounce: how much you rise and fall with each step. A little is normal; a lot wastes energy pushing up instead of forward.

Nudging your cadence up slightly — a few steps per minute, not a leap — shortens your step and tends to bring your foot closer underneath you. Many runners say it feels lighter and quieter. It should feel quick and relaxed, never tense or choppy.

Short, relaxed accelerations called strides are a good place to feel a quicker turnover without turning it into a drill. And strong hips and calves help you hold form when you're tired — strength training twice a week is plenty.

How to change it gently

Start by measuring, not correcting. Count your cadence on a few normal runs so you know your own baseline.

• Aim for a nudge, not a jump: roughly 5% higher for 30–60 seconds. If you're at 160, that's about 168.
• Think quick, light, quiet: fast feet and soft landings, not longer strides or a bigger push.
• Try it on a flat, quiet stretch, then go back to your normal rhythm.
• A metronome app set just above your usual rate can help for short blocks. Turn it off afterwards.
• Keep most of your running exactly as it was. Form changes settle in slowly.

If anything hurts — not just feels odd, but actually hurts — stop and see a GP or physio. Cadence is a coaching idea, not a treatment.