It’s a question we hear all the time: How do I run faster? It can be easier to focus on building endurance since you can just tack on a few minutes to your long-distance runs and watch your miles build up. But to build speed and run faster, you have to take a different approach. One that requires spending some time pushing the limits of comfort.
Fortunately, with the right know-how, you can pick up the pace at your next 5K, half-marathon, or ultra. Below, we’ll show you how to get faster at running using a blend of exercises, workouts, training regimens, and techniques.
How to Run Faster
In order to run faster, you need to work faster! That might mean running at faster speeds, but you can also simulate the demands of speedwork through other means, such as explosive strength movements. Building some strong habits outside the gym will also help you pick up your pace. You’ll get a taste of those today.
We’ve got 11 strategies lined up to help you put on the speed—3 workouts to make you faster and 8 tips (and some bonus tips, too). This training goes above and beyond tempo runs and longer runs—it incorporates cross-training, techniques to running faster, speed workouts, recovery, and more.
The workouts don’t require any equipment, so you can do them anywhere in just a few minutes each. The running tips to run faster take a holistic approach to your training, helping you keep the big picture in mind even when you’re not working out.
With that said, let’s get to it!
8 Running Tips on How to Become a Faster Runner
Training to run faster is intentional. Not many athletes will pick up the pace with a nonchalant workout schedule—at least, not a speed they can maintain.
How you get faster at running depends on your training, workouts, exercises, and technique. Focus on these elements, and you’ll start to run faster over longer distances.
1. Lose Weight
This is a tricky one to include on this list. We know that runners come in all shapes and sizes. But there’s no denying that when you have less weight to move, the more easily you can move it. Maybe that means losing just a couple of pounds, or maybe you set your goal to losing five to ten pounds. Whatever amount you choose, it will have an effect on your running speed.
The most common rule of thumb is that for every pound you lose, you could gain about 1% in speed. Which doesn’t sound like much, does it? But if you’re chasing personal records or just want to see what your body and training are capable of, then swapping out a couple of snacks for more fruits and veggies just might
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is it so difficult to run fast?
When you push your body to its limit, it reacts physiologically in defense response to the discomfort of running fast. These reactions can come in the form of oxygen deficit, inefficient muscle-fiber recruitment, a build-up of lactic acid, a feeling that your legs are on fire (!!!) and effort overload for your brain.
Though these are natural reactions for your body, there are ways to train the body and mind to handle the discomfort of reaching new speeds and adapting to harder efforts.
So, what can you do to run faster?
Improving your speed is not as simple as just running faster. There are many small changes that can be implemented into your training to run faster. Follow these workouts and exercises designed to make you a faster, stronger runner—and stick to the 8 tips we mentioned above to learn how to run fast consistently.
How to run longer?
Most athletes don’t want to just know how to run faster—they want to know how to run faster longer. First, avoid injury. Injuries will set back your speed and distance. Next, follow the training workouts, exercises, and techniques above—they’ll help you build up consistent, reliable strength and form that’ll help you run faster throughout a 5K or an ultramarathon.
What muscles make you run faster?
Great question. Running fast incorporates a range of muscles, and these are the same muscles responsible for slow running, hiking, and even walking:
- Calves
- Quads
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Feet
- Core
You will feel the different emphasis on certain muscles when you push the pace. For example, when you do sprints or tempo runs, you’ll likely feel increased tension on your hamstrings. Training these muscles to endure heavier loads will prepare you for faster efforts.