Quick Answer
To run faster, keep 80 percent of your weekly running at easy, conversational pace and dedicate the remaining 20 percent to structured speed work — intervals, tempo runs, and strides. Add two strength sessions per week, prioritise sleep and recovery, and be patient. Most runners see meaningful speed improvements within 8 to 12 weeks of consistent, structured training.Why Running Harder Every Day Makes You Slower
The biggest mistake recreational runners make is running at the same moderate effort on every run. It feels productive — you finish tired, sweaty, and satisfied. But this “grey zone” training is the fastest route to a plateau.
When every run is moderately hard, you never recover enough to go truly fast on your hard days, and you never run easy enough to build your aerobic base on your easy days. You get stuck in a no-man’s land where you are always slightly fatigued but never actually improving.
The solution is polarised training: run easy when you should be easy, and hard when you should be hard. This is the 80/20 principle — roughly 80 percent of your running should be at easy, conversational pace, and 20 percent should be at a genuinely hard effort. Research consistently shows this approach produces faster improvements than running at moderate intensity every day.
If you are unsure whether your easy runs are genuinely easy, heart rate zone training gives you an objective measure. Most easy running should sit in zone 2 — a pace where you can hold a full conversation without gasping.
The Workouts That Make You Faster
Your 20 percent of hard running should include a mix of these session types. One to two quality sessions per week is enough for most runners.
Tempo runs. A sustained effort at your lactate threshold — comfortably hard, where you can speak in short phrases but not full sentences. Twenty to forty minutes at tempo pace teaches your body to clear lactate more efficiently, which directly translates to holding a faster pace in races. Start with 15 minutes and build gradually. Read our tempo run training guide for detailed session structures.
Interval training. Repeated efforts of 200 metres to 1.6 kilometres at faster than race pace, with recovery jogs between. Intervals improve your VO2 max — the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use — which raises your aerobic ceiling and makes every pace below it feel easier. A simple starting session: six repetitions of 400 metres at your 5K pace with 90 seconds recovery jog. Our interval training workouts guide provides sessions for every level.
Strides. Four to six repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds at roughly 90 percent effort, with full recovery between each. Strides improve your neuromuscular coordination, running economy, and leg speed without adding significant fatigue. Add them to the end of two to three easy runs per week. Read our guide to running strides for proper execution.
Hill repeats. Short, hard efforts of 30 to 90 seconds running uphill, jogging back down to recover. Hills build leg strength, running power, and cardiovascular fitness simultaneously. They are one of the most time-efficient speed workouts available.
Run More (Slowly) to Run Faster
Increasing your total weekly running volume is one of the most effective ways to get faster — as long as the additional volume is easy running. More easy kilometres build a larger aerobic engine, improve running economy, and give your body a stronger foundation to support harder workouts.
Follow the 10 percent rule: increase total weekly volume by no more than 10 percent from one week to the next. And every third or fourth week, drop volume by 20 to 30 percent for recovery. This progressive approach builds fitness without breaking your body down.
If you are currently running three times per week, adding a fourth easy run will often produce more speed improvement than making your existing runs harder. Volume before intensity is a principle that works at every level of the sport.
Improve Your Running Technique
Small technique improvements can make you faster without any extra fitness. Running more efficiently means you waste less energy on each stride, which translates directly to faster times.
Increase your cadence. A higher step rate (165 to 185 steps per minute depending on your height and pace) reduces overstriding, decreases braking forces, and makes your running feel lighter. Our running technique and cadence guide covers how to measure and improve your cadence gradually.
Run tall and relaxed. Tension in your shoulders, arms, and face wastes energy. Every kilometre, do a quick body scan: drop your shoulders, unclench your hands, relax your jaw. The best runners look smooth and effortless, not strained. For a full breakdown of form, read our running form for distance guide.
Strength Training Makes You Faster
Runners who add strength training improve their running economy by up to 8 percent — meaning they can run the same pace using less energy, or run faster at the same effort. Strength training also reduces injury risk, which means more consistent training weeks, which is the real driver of long-term speed improvement.
Two sessions per week of 20 to 30 minutes is enough. Focus on squats, lunges, single-leg deadlifts, calf raises, glute bridges, and planks. Bodyweight is sufficient for most runners. Lift on easy run days or rest days, not before key sessions.
Recovery Is Where Speed Is Built
Hard workouts break your body down. Recovery is when it rebuilds stronger. If you skip recovery, you skip the adaptation.
Sleep. Seven to nine hours per night is non-negotiable for runners chasing speed. Sleep is when growth hormone is released, muscle tissue is repaired, and your nervous system recovers from training stress.
Easy days must be easy. If your recovery runs are at moderate effort, you are undermining your hard sessions. A true recovery run should feel almost embarrassingly slow.
Rest days matter. One to two complete rest days per week is normal for recreational runners. Rest does not make you slower — it makes your next hard session better.
How Long Does It Take to Get Faster?
With consistent, structured training, most runners notice meaningful speed improvements within 8 to 12 weeks. Aerobic fitness responds relatively quickly to the right stimulus. Significant, race-changing improvements typically develop over 6 to 12 months of sustained training.
If you have been running the same pace for months or years and feel stuck, our guide on why you are not getting better at running identifies the most common causes and how to fix them.
When Coaching Accelerates Your Speed
A coach ensures your easy runs are easy enough, your hard sessions are targeted correctly, and your plan progresses at the right rate for your body. Many runners who have plateaued for months or years break through within weeks of starting coached training — not because they train more, but because they train smarter.
At SportCoaching, we build every plan around your current fitness, your goal race, and your available training time. Whether you are chasing a parkrun PB or targeting a sub-3 marathon, structured coaching is the fastest path to getting faster.
Stop guessing and start training with purpose. Our running coaching gives you a personalised plan with the right mix of easy runs, speed work, and recovery — built around your life and your goals.
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FAQ: How to Run Faster
How can I run faster without getting injured?
Follow the 80/20 principle — keep most of your running easy and limit hard sessions to one or two per week. Add strength training, increase volume gradually, and prioritise sleep and recovery. Injuries come from doing too much hard running, not from running itself.
Do I need to do track workouts to get faster?
No. Track workouts are effective but not essential. Tempo runs, fartlek sessions, hill repeats, and strides can all be done on roads, trails, or a treadmill. The key is structured variation in effort, not a specific location.
Will losing weight make me run faster?
Potentially. Carrying less body weight means less energy needed to move at any given pace. However, losing weight too aggressively can lead to muscle loss, fatigue, and poor training quality. A moderate approach — combining consistent running with sensible eating — produces the best results. Our running for weight loss guide covers this in detail.
How many times a week should I do speed work?
One to two quality sessions per week is enough for most recreational runners. More than that increases injury risk without proportional speed gains. The remaining runs should be easy. Quality over quantity applies directly to speed work.
Why am I not getting faster despite training regularly?
The most common reasons are running too hard on easy days, not including structured speed work, under-recovering, and not increasing total weekly volume over time. A coach can diagnose the specific bottleneck in your training and fix it quickly.
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