Running faster isn’t about taking longer strides: it’s about taking quicker steps.
- Overstriding—taking steps that are too long—causes your foot to land well in front of your center of gravity, hitting the brakes with every footstrike.
- Ground reaction force pushes back when your foot lands ahead of your body. Your muscles must overcome this braking force before pushing forward.
- Increasing your cadence (steps per minute) naturally shortens your stride at the same speed, bringing your footstrike closer to your center of gravity.
- The result? Less impact on your knees, better running economy, and a much smoother ride.
The most intuitive way to run faster is to lengthen your stride. It makes sense: cover more ground with each step, gain more speed. However, your body pays for that perceived gain with a braking force that repeats on every single step, for the entire duration of your run.
What Is Overstriding?
Overstriding is a running form flaw where your foot strikes the ground well ahead of your center of gravity (where your body weight concentrates) instead of directly underneath it. From the outside, it looks like a harmless, almost aesthetic detail. But it completely changes the direction of the force the ground sends back at you on impact.
When your foot lands in front of your body, the ground reaction force includes a backward-pointing component. It literally brakes the momentum you just built with your previous stride. Before you can push forward, your muscles have to overcome that braking force. It’s wasted mechanical work, repeated thousands of times during a single run.
There’s a second cost, which is much more real for anyone dealing with joint pain. With a long stride, your knee hits the ground almost fully extended, drastically reducing its ability to flex and absorb the shock. Instead of distributing the impact load along the ankle-knee-hip chain, the force focuses on a joint that isn’t ready for it. A shoe with the right cushioning for your mechanics dampens some of that load, but it doesn’t replace fixing the issue at its source: proper running form is your first line of defense.
How to Increase Your Running Cadence
Running speed is the product of two variables: cadence (steps per minute) and stride length. Increase your cadence while maintaining the same speed, and your stride naturally shortens. You don’t need to consciously think about taking shorter steps. Just increase your step frequency, and the stride length adapts automatically without manually forcing the motion.
A shorter stride lands closer to your center of gravity. Your foot strikes the ground almost directly under your hips instead of out in front. This reduces the braking force, and your knee lands with a greater flexion angle—ready to absorb the shock rather than just taking the hit. It’s the exact same principle as shifting to an easier gear on a bike: your RPMs go up, each pedal stroke requires less force, and you maintain the same speed without frying your legs.
How to Calculate Your Cadence on the Run
The easiest method requires only a stopwatch. While running at your normal pace, count every time one foot (e.g., your right foot) hits the ground for 30 seconds. Multiply that number by four. The result is your total cadence in steps per minute (SPM) for both feet.
Most GPS watches and running apps display this metric in real-time on the screen, usually listed as cadence or SPM. If your device supports it, this is the most convenient way to monitor your turnover without stopping to do math.
There is no universal “perfect” number. Height, leg length, and running pace all dictate how much one runner’s natural cadence differs from another’s. Coaches often use 170 to 180 SPM as a general benchmark, but treat it as a starting point to adapt, not a rigid goal to chase at all costs.
The Visual Rule for Proper Foot Strike
If you don’t have a cadence-tracking watch, use visual feedback. Have someone record you from the side for a few dozen yards, or watch your shadow cast by a low morning or evening sun. Your foot should land roughly vertically beneath your hips, not sticking out past the knee of your stance leg. If your foot hits the ground well past that line on video, your stride is still too long. Slightly increase your turnover and re-evaluate.
The transition isn’t instant. Your body has cemented its stride pattern over years of running. Changing it abruptly will throw off your balance and efficiency during the first few runs. Increase your cadence gradually—just a few steps per minute at a time. This gives your muscles time to adapt without sacrificing comfort or immediate speed. If you want a structured progression to permanently fix this metric, try a dedicated metronome routine to automate the new rhythm. This benefit stacks perfectly with building running economy through consistent easy miles: technique and endurance work on the same efficiency, just from different angles.