Quick answer: cadence = steps / seconds x 60. 85 steps in 30 seconds is 170 steps per minute (spm). 5% more is about 179 spm and 10% more is 187 spm.
How to count your cadence
Run at your normal easy pace on flat ground. Start a stopwatch and count every time either foot lands for 30 seconds (or count one foot and double it). Type the count and the seconds. If you would rather work from numbers you already know, leave the count empty and fill in pace and step length: cadence is then speed divided by step length.
Worked example from pace
9:00 per mile is 1,609.344 m in 9 minutes, or 178.8 m per minute. With a 41-inch step (1.041 m), 178.8 / 1.041 = 171.7, so about 172 steps per minute. Run the same pace with a shorter step and the cadence has to go up; there is no other way to cover the ground.
What research says about step rate
Heiderscheit and colleagues (2011) had 45 recreational runners run at their preferred step rate and at 5% and 10% above and below it. At plus 5% and plus 10% the knee absorbed less energy, and at plus 10% the hip did too; the authors concluded that subtle increases in step rate can substantially reduce loading at the hip and knee. That is why this calculator shows those two figures.
In a study of high school runners, Luedke and colleagues (2016) split runners into thirds by step rate: at 3.3 m/s the lowest third ran at 164 spm or fewer and the highest at 174 or more, and the lowest group had higher odds of shin injury. Kliethermes and colleagues (2021) reported that the risk of bone stress injury fell by 5% for each extra step per minute.
What about 180?
You will often read that 180 steps per minute is the ideal. Treat it as a popular rule of thumb, not a target backed by the studies above: cadence rises naturally with speed and differs between runners. If you want to change yours, the tested steps were small ones of 5 to 10%.
These are estimates, not injury advice. If you are injured, see a physio or sports doctor before changing your form.
Find your step length on the stride length calculator, or count steps per mile with the steps per mile calculator. To practise a target cadence, use the Metronome for cadence drills.
Sources: Heiderscheit et al. (2011), Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running, Med Sci Sports Exerc; Luedke et al. (2016), Influence of step rate on shin injury and anterior knee pain in high school runners, Med Sci Sports Exerc; Kliethermes et al. (2021), Lower step rate is associated with a higher risk of bone stress injury, Br J Sports Med. Rules checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
What is a good running cadence?
There is no single right number. It rises with speed and varies between runners. Studies of step rate looked at small changes from each runner's own preferred rate, such as 5 or 10% higher.
How do I measure my running cadence?
Count the times your feet land in 30 seconds and multiply by two, or count for 60 seconds. Many running watches also show it.
Is 180 steps per minute the right cadence?
It is a well-known rule of thumb, not a proven target for everyone. Cadence depends on pace, height and running style.
How do I increase my cadence?
Small steps work best: aim for about 5% above your current rate, for example from 160 to 168 spm. A metronome app set to that beat helps.