If you like to go running, what would you measure to find out if you are improving?

  • Time trial over a particular distance: 1km, 5km, 10km, etc
  • Measure speed (distance/time) during a set of interval sprints, and measure recovery time between sets: find a hill to run up, 8 intervals of 400m, 4 intervals of 1km in length
  • Measure consistency – how many runs per week? Runs per month?
  • Measure cadence – optimal running cadence is around 180 steps per minute. Most beginners have slower cadences

What are other appropriate metrics?