What Is a Good Running Economy Number?

What does "running economy" actually mean?

Running economy (RE) is the amount of oxygen your body uses to sustain a given submaximal pace. It's usually reported as VO2 in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min) at a fixed speed, or as an oxygen cost per distance (mL O2/kg/km). Better economy means your body uses less oxygen — and therefore less energy — to hold the same pace as someone else, or the same pace you used to run last year. It is not the same as VO2 max, which measures your aerobic ceiling; economy measures how efficiently you use whatever aerobic capacity you have.

How is running economy measured?

The standard method is a treadmill test with expired-gas analysis: you wear a mask connected to a metabolic cart while running at one or more fixed, submaximal speeds (well below race pace, often in the 10-14 km/h range for recreational and trained runners). The cart measures oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide output, and a technician converts that into a VO2 value at each speed. Because the test has to be submaximal and steady-state, it usually takes several 4-6 minute stages at increasing speeds, with the runner staying in an aerobic, non-fatiguing zone throughout.

This is a lab-grade measurement. It requires calibrated gas-analysis equipment and controlled treadmill conditions — nothing you can approximate from a phone camera, a watch, or a heart-rate strap alone. Anything claiming to give you a true VO2-based economy number outside an exercise-physiology lab or sports-science department should be treated with skepticism.

What counts as a good running economy number?

There's no single universal "good" number, because economy is speed-dependent and varies by body size, but exercise-physiology reviews give useful reference ranges. A commonly cited range for oxygen cost is roughly 180-200 mL O2 per kg per km for trained recreational and sub-elite runners, with some elite distance runners reporting values below 170. Individual variation is large — runners with similar race times can differ in economy by 10-20%, made up for by differences in VO2 max or lactate threshold.

These are approximate ranges drawn from exercise-physiology literature, not diagnostic cutoffs. The more useful comparison for most runners isn't "where do I rank against elites" but "is my number improving relative to my own baseline at the same pace."

What form factors actually move the needle on economy?

A handful of biomechanical variables show a consistent, if modest, relationship with running economy in the research:

• Vertical oscillation — the up-and-down movement of your center of mass. Runners who bounce less per stride tend to waste less energy fighting gravity, though the relationship isn't perfectly linear across individuals.
• Ground contact time and leg stiffness — a stiffer, more elastic push-off (think of a pogo stick rather than a sponge) generally correlates with better economy. You can read more about how contact and flight time relate to efficiency in what is a good flight time in running.
• Cadence (step rate) — very low cadence often pairs with overstriding (landing with the foot well ahead of the hip), which can increase braking forces and cost more energy per stride. Moderate cadence increases (5-10% above your natural rate) have been shown in some studies to improve economy for runners who were previously overstriding, though results aren't universal.
• Arm carriage and trunk lean — excessive arm swing or a collapsed trunk posture adds metabolic cost without adding propulsion.

None of these factors work in isolation, and none guarantees a faster race time on their own — economy is one input among several (VO2 max, lactate threshold, fueling, pacing) that determine performance.

How much can you realistically improve your running economy?

Training studies suggest running economy responds to specific interventions, though the size of the effect varies. Plyometric training and heavy resistance training have been associated with running economy improvements in the range of roughly 2-8% over 6-12 week blocks, according to systematic reviews in the sports-medicine literature. Improvements from a form change alone tend to sit at the lower end of that range and take weeks, not days, to show up reliably — see how fast can you change your running form for a realistic timeline on motor-pattern adaptation.

It's worth being honest that some studies find no measurable economy benefit from cadence or form retraining in already-efficient runners. Economy gains are more consistent in runners who start with a clear inefficiency (heavy overstriding, poor push-off stiffness) than in runners who are already close to their individual optimum.

How do you estimate improvement without a lab?

Most runners will never sit in a metabolic-cart lab, so the practical question is how to track progress with proxies:

1. Pace at a fixed heart rate. If you can run faster at the same heart-rate zone over several months, that's a reasonable (though imperfect) sign your economy or aerobic fitness has improved.
2. Perceived effort at a benchmark pace. A pace that used to feel like a 7/10 effort feeling like a 5/10 six weeks later is a useful, if subjective, signal.
3. Cadence and stride consistency over time. Tracking whether your cadence has moved out of an overstriding pattern, and whether it stays stable as you fatigue, is something a phone video can reasonably capture — see how to film your running form correctly for camera placement and distance that keep the measurement usable. StrideIQ, for example, scores cadence and basic form patterns from a single side-view video, which is useful for spotting a drift toward overstriding or a cadence that's crept low — but it estimates, it doesn't measure oxygen cost, and it isn't a substitute for lab-based VO2 testing.
4. Time-trial repeats. A monthly repeat of the same short time trial on the same route or track is one of the more honest, low-tech ways to see whether your overall running efficiency — economy plus fitness — is trending in the right direction. Runners rebuilding cadence after time off may also want to see cadence guidance for comeback runners for a conservative reintroduction pace.

What can running economy analysis NOT tell you?

A phone video, a running watch, or a cadence app cannot measure oxygen cost directly — VO2 requires gas-exchange equipment, full stop. Any number an app gives you related to "efficiency" or "economy" from video or wearable sensors alone is an estimate built on proxies like cadence and vertical motion, not a lab measurement, and should be read as directional rather than precise.

Economy also isn't the whole performance picture. Two runners with identical economy numbers can have very different race times because of differences in VO2 max, lactate threshold, and pacing strategy. And form changes that look good in theory don't automatically translate into a faster or safer stride for every runner — individual anatomy, injury history, and training history all matter.

If you want an actual measured economy number, that requires an exercise-physiology lab or sports-science department with metabolic-cart testing. If you're changing your form to try to improve economy and you develop new pain, or you're returning from an injury, that's a reason to talk to a physical therapist, sports medicine physician, or a coach experienced in gait retraining before pushing further — form and training changes are not a substitute for individualized clinical assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good running economy VO2 value?

There's no universal cutoff, but exercise-physiology reviews report roughly 180-200 mL O2/kg/km as typical for trained recreational and sub-elite runners, with some elite runners below 170. The more useful benchmark for most people is their own trend over time at a fixed pace, not a comparison to elite norms.

Can you improve running economy without changing VO2 max?

Yes. Running economy and VO2 max are separate variables — economy is about oxygen cost at a given pace, not your aerobic ceiling. Strength training, plyometrics, and some form adjustments (like reducing overstriding) have been associated with economy improvements in the roughly 2-8% range in some studies, independent of VO2 max changes.

Does cadence affect running economy?

Cadence can affect economy mainly through its relationship with overstriding — landing with the foot well ahead of the hip, which increases braking forces. Moderately increasing a low cadence has helped economy in some studies, especially for overstriders, but results aren't consistent across all runners, and very high cadence isn't automatically better.

Can a phone app measure my running economy?

No. Running economy requires measuring oxygen consumption with gas-analysis equipment, which a phone camera cannot do. Phone-based tools can reasonably estimate cadence and flag visible form patterns like overstriding, but any claim to measure oxygen cost or true economy from video alone should be treated as an estimate, not a lab result.

Sources

• Sports Medicine – Open — "Running Economy: Measurement, Norms, and Determining Factors"
• Sports Medicine — "Factors Affecting Running Economy in Trained Distance Runners"
• Sports Medicine — "Effects of Strength Training on the Physiological Determinants of Middle- and Long-Distance Running Performance: A Systematic Review"
• American College of Sports Medicine — "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"