How to Run Faster

Whether you are running for fun, racing for a PB, or pursuing a podium place, it’s always nice to see progress and improvement in running speed. So how do we do it? Here are a few tips…

Run More Miles

It is a generally accepted truth that in order to run faster, you need to run more. Increasing your weekly ‘volume’ is almost guaranteed to improve your speed over all common race distances.

Increasing your volume should be done gradually over time for your body to adapt and to reduce the risk of injury. A general rule of thumb is to add around 10% per week. In the lead-up to a race, elite athletes may cover upwards of 100 miles a week in training!

Double Days

“OK, so I need to run more hours,” you say, “But how do I fit them in?” It’s true that fitting your training into a busy life can be difficult. Finding a block of two+ hours in the day is a challenge!

Double days are great for a variety of reasons. First, rather than finding a large chunk of time to do a long run, you can split it into two shorter runs, which might be more convenient. Second, it allows you to incorporate two different sessions into your day. Perhaps an interval session in the morning and a more relaxed run in the evening.

Running twice in a day will ensure you cover more mileage and also helps your body to become accustomed to running on tired legs.

Run Slower

The two main risks with increasing your mileage are fatigue and injury. Running twice a day, 4-6 times a week can leave you feeling very tired. If you are tired you will be less likely to want to get out of bed in the morning for your next run. This can lead to a lack of motivation and loss of mojo moving forward. Furthermore, by increasing volume in this way, there is a much greater risk of picking up an injury.

The answer is to slow down. There are no prizes for beating your PR every time you step out of the house. The vast majority of your weekly running should be done at conversational pace. You should not be ‘blowing’ or struggling.

There is a tendency to think that if we are not ‘working hard’, then we are not making gains. But the truth is that the physiological adaptations we are looking for occur just as well at slower speeds, but without the fatigue or injury risk.

Intervals

While the vast majority of your running should be at a slow relaxed pace, you should not neglect hard efforts. As well as increasing volume, the other commonly accepted way to run faster is to do interval training.

There are many different forms of interval training but the fundamental principle is that you run fast for a set time or distance and then recover by resting, walking, or jogging slowly for a set time or distance. For example, 10×1 minute on and 1 minute off. Or 8x400m with 200m recovery.

Do these sessions at max or near max effort at least once a week. But be sure that workouts such as this only account for between 10 and 20% of your weekly volume.

Learn more about intervals by reading “Why Do Interval Training?”

Consistency

Combine increased volume with interval sessions and you have a winning combination. However, it is nothing without consistency. Improvements in speed will not happen overnight.

Building volume can take months. Once you have reached your goal weekly mileage, whether that is 30, 50, 70 miles a week or more, you need to be disciplined and consistent. Get out there for every session with the end goal in the forefront of your mind.

If you can maintain, you should start to see real improvements in around 3 months. From 5k right up to marathon distance, you should see your overall speed improve, and you’ll be able to maintain that speed longer.

Other Factors

Of course, there are plenty of other factors which can help you along the way. Sleep and diet are the most obvious additional areas where you can help yourself become a faster runner.

Having the standard 8+ hours of sleep will allow your body to rest, recover, and rebuild. And eating a healthy balanced diet will aid the recovery and rebuilding process while supplying the fuel needed to help you run faster.

Summary

No matter what distance you are training for, these principles hold true: increased volume, speed intervals, sleep, diet, and consistency. And don’t forget that running slower will help you increase your volume safely and effectively while maximizing physiological gains.

So what are you waiting for? Head out the door or log onto Zwift and watch those PRs tumble!