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Whether you recently started chasing miles and want to RW+ Membership Benefits or you have your sights set on a Drills to Improve Your Form and Speed, there are plenty of reasons to train to run faster—and plenty of ways to actually see results. But a few key strategies are musts when it comes to improving speed.
“You need to do a mix of speedwork and slower endurance training to develop both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems,” says Greg Grosicki, Ph.D., former professor and director of the exercise physiology laboratory at Georgia Southern University and current senior research scientist at Whoop.
This holds true whether you’re prepping for your first 5K or 50th marathon, but you’ll notice the biggest changes during your first two to three months of training, Grosicki says. “Gradual and consistent training will continue to enhance your performance potential from there,” he adds.
For more specifics on how to get faster at running, follow these four key training tips backed by experts.
4 Tips on How to Run Fast
1. Keep Challenging Yourself
Take a quick look at the structure of a few training plans (even if you’re Why Am I Not Getting Any Faster just yet). They’re designed to gradually increase your distance and push your speed—without overdoing it. This usually translates to a few short weekday runs, then one weekend long run that gets progressively longer each week.
“To see progress, you need to keep subjecting your body to a stimulus it isn’t used to, in this case longer distances and faster speeds,” says This idea of continuously adding a new challenge to your workouts, known as., certified exercise physiologist and a professor of exercise physiology at San Francisco State University. “You gradually overload the body, let it adapt, then overload it a little more, let it adapt, and so on.” Before you know it, your one-mile run will lead to a 5K, 10K, half marathon, Take a quick look at the structure of a few.
Does Running Longer Make You Faster progressive overload, aerobic and anaerobic plateau in your fitness and will allow you to run faster over time.
No experience necessary! Anyone can accomplish this training plan weightlifting to your plan, as this will not only help you build the strength your body needs to withstand more miles and higher speeds with lower risk of injury, but also provide the power you need to hit faster paces.
Start with bodyweight exercises if you’re new to strength work, then add in weights as you get stronger. Focus on total-body routines, including single-leg exercises, core work, and posture-improving moves.
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2. Listen to Your Body When Adding Volume
Common running wisdom says you shouldn’t increase your total mileage by more than 10 percent a week, but there’s no reason to limit yourself that much if you’re feeling good, says Grosicki. According to research, simply exceeding the 10-percent rule isn’t associated with injury, but doing so in an extreme way would increase your risk (for instance, if your weekly training volume is much higher than your average monthly training volume).
Pay attention to how you’re feeling and adjust your mileage accordingly. Of course you shouldn’t double your mileage over the course of seven days—that’s a one-way ticket to shin splints. “The best rule of thumb is to use common sense and listen to your body,” Grosicki says. “Most hard training sessions should be followed by at least one—and probably two—easier recovery days.”
Some signs you need a rest day? “Besides any obvious aches and pains, feeling like you’re getting sick, irritability, loss of appetite, and poor sleep all signal that you’re overdoing it,” Grosicki says.
3. Practice Faster Paces
Of course, to run faster, you have to actually practice running fast. And while you might think that speedwork alone is the key, it doesn’t exactly replicate a real-life race.
“I’m a big proponent of throwing speedwork into long runs to prepare your body to push through the inevitable fatigue you’ll experience in a race,” Grosicki says.
To prepare your legs for running fast when they’re tired, try picking up the pace for the last minute of every mile on your long run. Or, if you’re doing a total of 12 to 14 miles, do 10 miles at an easy pace, then push the last two to four miles to a tempo speed.
4. Repeat Your Speed Workouts
Common running wisdom speed workout that builds on itself every week, like four half-mile repeats with two minutes of easy jogging or walking in between. “Do the same workout the following week and try to beat your time,” he suggests. If you beat your record without a problem, add another half-mile interval or extend the distance to 1200-meter or one-mile repeats.
On the flip side, if speedwork feels totally miserable right now, only focus on your endurance for a bit. “Running for 20 consecutive minutes can be daunting when you’re a beginner,” Grosicki says. And that’s okay—you’re still progressing every time you hit the pavement. “Build an ‘endurance base,’ then slowly add in some simple speed intervals from there,” he says.
Just remember: The best way to boost your speed and endurance as a beginner is to make running fun—not miserable—so you keep at it, one step at a time. There’s no need to stress about how to run faster on every run.
Find the Perfect Training Plan for You
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Recommended Experience: No experience necessary! Anyone can accomplish this training plan.
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Recommended Experience: This plan is for a new runner who is just getting back into exercise.
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Recommended Experience: For a new runner who has been exercising regularly for at least a year, or someone who has completed a few 5Ks or 10Ks and can complete 6 miles in one workout. This plan peaks at 28 miles in a week with a 12-mile long run.
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Recommended Experience: For runners comfortable exercising for at least an hour at a moderate effort. This plan peaks at 32 miles in a week with a 14-mile long run.
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Recommended Experience: For a consistent runner used to regularly working out four to five times a week. The plan starts with a 10-mile long run and peaks at 44 to 47 miles a week with a 22-mile long run, helping you average under a 9:10 per mile come race day.
A running veteran for more than a decade, Movold is a licensed strength and running coach for Runner’s World+ members and at the Mile High Run Club in New York City. When she’s not motivating class-goers through grueling treadmill workouts, you’ll likely find her zig-zagging boroughs on bridges throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan or training for her next marathon . She’s ready to push you to your next running goal as she chases her own—running a marathon in under 3 hours.
