Cadence, stride, vertical oscillation and ground contact time explained

Modern watches record more than distance and pace. Open a run in Runtile and, if your watch wrote them, you will see a Running form card with cadence, stride length, vertical oscillation, ground contact time and power. Here is what they mean and how much to care.

Cadence

What it is. Steps per minute, counting both feet.

Typical values. 160 to 180 for most recreational runners at easy pace, higher when fast. It rises naturally with speed.

Why it matters. Low cadence often goes with overstriding, landing far in front of the body, which sends load into the shins and knees. Nudging cadence up a few percent shortens the stride and softens the landing.

Worth changing? Only if you overstride or get injured. A metronome at five percent above your current cadence for a few minutes per run is enough. Do not chase 180.

Stride length

What it is. The distance covered by one step, in metres. Pace equals cadence times stride length, so they trade off.

Typical values. Around 1.0 to 1.3 m at easy pace, longer when fast.

Worth changing? Not directly. It follows from cadence and fitness. Stronger runners take longer strides at the same cadence.

Vertical oscillation

What it is. How much your torso bounces up and down each step, in centimetres.

Typical values. 6 to 10 cm. Lower is generally more economical, since bouncing up does not move you forward.

Worth changing? Marginally. Higher cadence reduces it on its own. Do not try to run flat on purpose; it makes people shuffle.

Ground contact time

What it is. How long each foot stays on the ground per step, in milliseconds.

Typical values. 200 to 300 ms. Faster runners are lower, and it drops as pace rises.

Worth changing? It is a result, not a lever. It improves with fitness, strength and cadence. Watch the trend over months, not the number on one run.

Running power

What it is. An estimate of the work you are doing, in watts, that accounts for hills and, on some watches, wind. Think of it as pace that does not lie on a climb.

Worth using? For pacing hilly races and for comparing efforts across terrain. As a training target it is less proven than heart rate.

How Runtile shows them

Each metric is a dot on a band that shows a typical range, with a plain label: "a little low", "typical", "high". No traffic lights, no scores. Scrub the timeline and watch cadence drop on a climb or ground contact stretch in the last kilometre. Compare with your similar runs to see whether a change stuck.