For runners of all levels, from those completing their first 5K to seasoned marathoners, the desire to get faster is a universal goal. Improving your running speed is not about sheer willpower but about a strategic, science-backed approach that integrates specific workouts, strength training, and smart recovery into your routine. By understanding and applying proven training principles, any runner can effectively enhance their pace, boost cardiovascular fitness, and unlock new levels of performance, making the journey toward a new personal best both achievable and rewarding.
Understanding the Pillars of Running Speed
Before diving into specific workouts, it’s essential to understand what makes a runner faster. Speed isn’t a single attribute; it’s the product of several interconnected physiological factors. At its core, running faster involves improving your body’s ability to produce energy, use oxygen efficiently, and generate powerful, sustainable muscle contractions.
The key components include your aerobic capacity (VO2 max), which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise. Another is your lactate threshold, the point at which your body produces lactic acid faster than it can clear it, leading to fatigue. Finally, running economy—how efficiently you use energy to move forward—plays a massive role. The tips that follow are designed to systematically improve each of these areas.
10 Actionable Tips to Increase Your Running Speed
Integrating these strategies into your weekly training plan will build the strength, efficiency, and endurance needed to run faster and with greater confidence. Remember to introduce new types of workouts gradually to allow your body to adapt and minimize injury risk.
1. Incorporate Interval Training
Interval training is the cornerstone of speed development. It involves alternating between short bursts of high-intensity running and periods of lower-intensity recovery, such as jogging or walking. This method is incredibly effective for boosting your VO2 max.
By pushing your body into its upper heart rate zones, you train your heart and lungs to work more efficiently under stress. The recovery periods allow you to perform more high-quality, fast running than you could in a single, continuous effort. This process forces adaptations that directly translate to a faster sustainable pace.
How to do it: After a 10-15 minute warm-up, run 400 meters (one lap of a standard track) at a hard but controlled pace. Follow this with 400 meters of slow jogging or walking to recover. Repeat this cycle 6-8 times, followed by a 10-15 minute cool-down.
2. Add Tempo Runs to Your Week
A tempo run is a sustained effort at a “comfortably hard” pace—a speed you could hold for about an hour in a race. This type of workout is specifically designed to improve your lactate threshold. By running at or near this threshold, you teach your body to become more efficient at clearing lactate from the blood.
As your body adapts, you’ll be able to hold a faster pace for longer before fatigue sets in. Tempo runs are a mental challenge as much as a physical one, building the resilience needed to push through discomfort on race day.
How to do it: After a warm-up, run for 20-25 minutes at a pace that feels like a 7 out of 10 on the effort scale. You should be able to speak a few broken words, but not hold a full conversation. Finish with a proper cool-down.
3. Prioritize Full-Body Strength Training
A faster runner is a stronger runner. Running is a full-body activity, and weaknesses in your core, glutes, or upper body can lead to poor form, wasted energy, and injuries. A dedicated strength training program is non-negotiable for serious speed gains.
Strong glutes and hamstrings generate power for propulsion, while a stable core prevents energy-wasting torso rotation. Key exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, and planks build a robust chassis that can handle the demands of faster running and improve your overall running economy.
How to do it: Dedicate two days a week to strength training. Focus on compound movements that work multiple muscle groups. Include exercises like weighted squats, Romanian deadlifts, walking lunges, push-ups, and planks.
4. Master the Hill Repeat
Hills are often called “speedwork in disguise” for good reason. Running uphill is a form of resistance training that builds immense power in your legs and glutes. It forces you to lift your knees higher and drive your arms more powerfully, improving your overall running mechanics.
Unlike flat-ground speedwork, hills develop strength with a lower risk of impact-related injuries. The benefits carry over directly to flat terrain, making your stride more powerful and efficient.
How to do it: Find a moderately steep hill that takes 45-60 seconds to run up. After a warm-up, run up the hill at a hard effort, focusing on good form. Jog slowly back down to recover. Repeat 8-10 times.
5. Refine Your Running Form and Cadence
Wasted motion is the enemy of speed. Improving your running form is about becoming more economical, ensuring that every ounce of energy contributes to forward motion. Focus on running tall with an upright posture, a slight forward lean from the ankles, and relaxed shoulders.
Pay attention to your cadence, or the number of steps you take per minute. Many runners overstride, landing with their foot far out in front of their body, which acts as a braking force. Increasing your cadence—even by 5-10%—can help you land with your feet more directly underneath your center of mass, reducing impact and improving efficiency. A common target for elite runners is around 180 steps per minute, but focus on small, personal improvements.
How to do it: To work on cadence, try using a metronome app set to a slightly faster rhythm than your natural one. Practice this for short periods during your easy runs.
6. Run Strides to Sharpen Form
Strides, or “striders,” are short, controlled accelerations that are perfect for reinforcing good running mechanics at a fast pace. They are not all-out sprints but rather gradual speed-ups over about 100 meters, focusing on staying relaxed and fluid.
Strides are excellent for warming up the neuromuscular system before a hard workout or race. They can also be done after an easy run to remind your body how to move quickly and efficiently without causing significant fatigue.
How to do it: After an easy run, find a flat, 100-meter stretch of road or grass. Perform 4-6 strides, gradually accelerating to about 90% of your maximum speed before gently decelerating. Take a full recovery walk between each one.
7. Don’t Skip Your Easy and Long Runs
It’s a common mistake to think that you must run hard all the time to get faster. In reality, easy runs are where your body builds its aerobic base, strengthens muscles and connective tissues, and recovers from harder efforts. Running truly easy allows your body to make these crucial adaptations.
Similarly, the weekly long run is vital for building endurance. It improves your body’s ability to store glycogen and burn fat for fuel, which is critical for maintaining speed over longer distances. A balanced training plan, with about 80% of running done at an easy effort, is the proven model for long-term success.
How to do it: Ensure at least two of your weekly runs are at a truly conversational pace. Your long run should also be done at an easy effort, gradually increasing the distance over time.
8. Fuel for Performance
Your body is an engine, and it needs high-quality fuel to perform at its best. Proper nutrition is fundamental to speed. Ensure you are consuming enough complex carbohydrates to fuel your workouts and sufficient protein to repair and rebuild muscle tissue after hard efforts.
Proper hydration is equally important, as even mild dehydration can significantly impair performance. Pay attention to your pre-run snack and post-run recovery meal to optimize energy levels and kickstart the recovery process.
How to do it: Eat a carbohydrate-rich snack 60-90 minutes before a hard workout. Within 30-60 minutes after finishing, consume a mix of carbohydrates and protein to replenish glycogen stores and aid muscle repair.
9. Prioritize Sleep and Recovery
You don’t get faster during your runs; you get faster during your recovery. Sleep is the single most powerful recovery tool available. It’s when your body releases growth hormone, repairs damaged muscle tissue, and consolidates the gains made during training.
Chronic sleep deprivation elevates cortisol (a stress hormone), impairs muscle repair, and diminishes cognitive function, all of which will sabotage your speed goals. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to allow your body to fully adapt and rebuild.
How to do it: Establish a consistent sleep schedule, create a dark and cool sleeping environment, and avoid screens before bed to improve sleep quality.
10. Embrace Consistency Above All Else
The most transformative training plan is the one you can stick with. Consistency is the magic ingredient that ties all other principles together. Sporadic, heroic efforts followed by long breaks are far less effective than a steady, long-term commitment to a well-structured plan.
Progress in running is not linear; there will be good days and bad days. The key is to keep showing up, trust the process, and allow the cumulative effect of consistent training to work its magic over weeks, months, and years.
How to do it: Create a realistic weekly schedule that balances running with other life commitments. Track your progress, but don’t get discouraged by a single poor workout. Focus on the long-term trend.
Conclusion: The Journey to a Faster You
Improving your running speed is a multifaceted journey that rewards patience, strategy, and consistency. By moving beyond simply logging miles and incorporating targeted workouts like intervals and tempo runs, building functional strength, and prioritizing recovery, you provide your body with the stimulus it needs to adapt and evolve. Each of these tips works in concert to build a more resilient, powerful, and efficient runner. Embrace the process, listen to your body, and you will undoubtedly find yourself crossing finish lines faster than ever before.
