Running at 180 - running efficiency

*sigh*  I'm going to regret this.....

First, there is no "magic" number.  Not every elite runner runs at 180.  Some run lower, some run higher.  John Kagwe runs at about 170.  And he wins marathons.

Second, the vast majority of MOP runners are usually within 10% of the elites in terms of cadence.  Messing with your cadence in an "unnatural" way may make you less efficient.  My opinion:  The best cadence for you is the one that you naturally run at.  If you want to become a better runner, run more often.  Your cadence will naturally go up on its own.

A bigger determinant is stride length, and force applied to the ground. 

When I first counted I was about 172 or so.  I worked on increasing my cadence.  I've no idea what it is, I just try to run where it "feels" right.

The one thing I can say is that since increasing my cadence I have almost completely eliminated shin splints from my vocabulary. 

I saw the same RW article about the magical 180 and have worried, just a little, that I'd be messing with my natural pattern if I measured and started targeting that number.

I honestly don't know my cadence, and I wonder if caring about it should make any difference.  The article didn't convince me either way really.

Micawber, exactly.

Here, I found this while looking at other information:
http://home.hia.no/~stephens/effiperf.htm

Excerpt:

One factor that impacts gross efficiency is movement frequency.  That can be cycling cadence, or rowing stroke rate, or stride frequency in XC skiing.  Higher cadences tend to cost more energy in general.  And heavier limbs have been shown to be less efficient to move. However, there is a balance such that trained athletes tend to zero in on an optimal cadence for their body type and anatomy.  When they are pushed away from that cadence, they use more energy to do the same work.   Therefore, it is important to realize that the ideal movement frequency is not a universal, but varies from individual to individual.  So, you should not try automatically to mimic your training partner’s cadence if they are much taller or shorter, or more or less muscular than you.