160 spm = 160 bpm = 12 minutes per mile?

This morning I tried something different. I took along a portable metronome, a Seiko DM-50 like the one pictured above, and figured out how many steps per minute I'm doing at my "normal" 12 per mile pace. It took the first half mile to get the foot falls in sync with the metronome and it came out to 160 steps per minute. Checking the heart rate monitor near the end of the walk it was reading just under 160 beats per minute. I missed marking the second mile accuratly but the overall workout did average out to 12 minutes per mile so now I've got a rough formula:

160 Steps Per Minute = about 160 Heart Beats Per Minute = 12 Minutes Per Mile Average Pace

Now for the interesting part. According to the chart from Curt Sheller's article, at 160 spm and 12 min/mile I don't even have a 3 foot stride! Here's how it calculates out:

12 min X 160 spm = 1,920 steps per mile

5,280 feet per mile / 1,920 steps = 2.75 feet per step

I guess that before trying to increase my steps per minute I should look at extending my stride. I'm 5 foot 10 inches tall so I should be able to step out more than 2 feet 9 inches!