Quick Answer
If your pace count feels off, reassess your stride length and step cadence to ensure accuracy. Take a few minutes to adjust your pace count and recheck your calculations. This will help you refine your navigation pace count.
Reassessing Stride Length
Reassessing your stride length is crucial to accurate pace counting. Measure your stride length by pacing off 100 meters on flat terrain. Mark the starting point with a marker or stick, then take 100 paces while counting them out loud. Divide the actual distance covered by the number of paces taken to determine your stride length. For example, if you covered 98 meters in 100 paces, your stride length is approximately 0.98 meters (or 98 centimeters). Use this measurement to adjust your pace count.
Calculating Pace Count
To calculate your pace count, divide the distance to your destination by your stride length and then by a standard step cadence of 120-130 steps per minute (spm). For instance, if the distance to your destination is 5 kilometers and your stride length is 0.98 meters, convert the distance to meters (5 kilometers x 1000 meters/kilometer = 5000 meters). Divide the distance by your stride length (5000 meters / 0.98 meters = 51.02 paces) and then by your desired step cadence (51.02 paces / 125 spm = 41 minutes). This will give you your estimated time of arrival.
Adjusting for Terrain
Remember to adjust your pace count for terrain difficulties, such as uphill or downhill walking. For every 10 meters of elevation gain or loss, increase or decrease your pace count by 1-2 minutes, depending on your physical fitness level and backpack weight. This will help you accurately estimate your time and avoid fatigue.
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