How to Run Faster: 7 Training Changes That Actually Work
Most runners stay the same speed for years. They lace up, run the same loop at the same pace, and wonder why their 5K time hasn't moved since 2022. The reason isn't fitness, motivation, or genetics. It's structure. Running every session at the same effort gives your body no reason to adapt.
If you want to actually run faster, the changes below are what move the needle. None of them require talent. All of them require commitment for 6 to 12 weeks before you'll see the difference.
1. Run Most of Your Miles Slowly
Slow runs make fast runs possible
Around 80 percent of weekly mileage should be at conversational pace. The remaining 20 percent is where the speed work happens. This is the 80/20 rule and it's the most consistent finding in endurance science.
The instinct of most amateur runners is to run hard most of the time. The problem is you end up in "no man's land," too fast to recover and too slow to build top-end speed. The fix is brutal but simple: slow down. Easy runs should feel almost embarrassingly slow. That's the point. They build the aerobic base that lets your hard sessions actually be hard.
2. Add One Interval Session a Week
Short, sharp efforts with full recovery
Once a week, run 6 to 8 efforts of 60 to 90 seconds at 5K pace or faster, with 90 seconds of jogging recovery. This is where top-end speed is built.
Intervals teach your body to run fast when it's tired. They train your VO2 max, your neuromuscular coordination, and your tolerance for discomfort. Start with 6 x 400m at 5K pace and build to 5 x 1km over 8 weeks. Most runners see meaningful 5K improvements within 4 to 6 weeks of consistent interval work.
3. Add a Tempo Run
Comfortably hard, sustained
One tempo run per week, 20 to 35 minutes at a pace that's roughly halfway between easy and 5K race pace. You should feel like you could hold the effort for an hour, but not much longer.
Tempo running raises your lactate threshold. That's the speed at which fatigue starts compounding fast. Raise the threshold and you can hold faster paces for longer. This single session is one of the most predictive workouts for race performance across every distance from 5K to marathon.
4. Lift Twice a Week
Strong runners are fast runners
Two 30-minute strength sessions per week. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, and core work. The goal is force production and injury prevention, not muscle growth.
Stronger legs produce more force per stride, which means you cover more ground per step at the same effort. Strength training also reduces injury rates by 30 to 50 percent according to most studies, which keeps you consistent. The fastest runners aren't the ones who train the hardest, they're the ones who never stop training. For a structured plan, see our complete strength training guide for runners.
5. Run Hills Once a Week
Strength training disguised as running
Once a week, find a hill that takes 45 to 90 seconds to climb hard. Run up at 5K effort, jog back down, repeat 6 to 10 times.
Hill repeats build leg strength, improve running form, and develop power output without the joint stress of flat speed work. They're also harder to mess up than track intervals because the hill itself enforces the effort. If you can only add one extra session this week, make it hills.
6. Increase Your Cadence
Aim for 170 to 180 steps per minute
Most amateur runners shuffle at 150 to 165 steps per minute. Bumping up to 170 to 180 reduces overstriding, drops impact forces, and naturally increases pace.
You can train cadence by running with a metronome app set to your target step rate, or by doing short strides where you focus on quick, light foot turnover. The change should be gradual: aim to add 5 spm at a time over a few weeks. Forcing 180 spm overnight will leave you feeling jerky and tense.
7. Track Your Progress
What gets measured gets faster
Log your sessions, paces, perceived effort, and resting heart rate. Patterns become obvious only when you have weeks of data to look back on.
Without tracking, you'll never know whether you're actually improving or just feeling like it. A simple log tells you when fatigue is creeping up, when intensity has flatlined, and when it's time to push or pull back. The Edge app handles all of this automatically alongside your structured plan.
None of these changes work in a single week. Aerobic adaptations take 6 to 12 weeks. If you're impatient and abandon the plan after 14 days because you don't feel faster yet, you'll never break through.
Putting It All Together
You don't need all seven changes at once. Start with the first three: run easy 80 percent of the time, add one interval session, and add one tempo. That alone will produce noticeable gains for most runners over 8 weeks. Add strength work in week 5 or 6 once you're comfortable with the running schedule.
The mistake is doing too much, too soon, and burning out before adaptation kicks in. Better to add one change at a time and keep it for life than overhaul everything in week one and quit by week three.
The Best Workouts in One App
Edge programmes the easy runs, intervals, tempos, hills, and strength work for you. No guesswork. Just structured workouts that get you faster.
Start your free trialFrequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to run faster?
Most runners see meaningful improvements within 6 to 12 weeks of structured training. Speed comes faster on shorter distances. Marathon improvements take longer, often 12 to 16 weeks of focused work.
Should I run every day to get faster?
No. Most runners get faster on 4 to 5 sessions per week with rest days for recovery. Daily running without proper structure leads to injury, not speed.
Do I need a coach or app to get faster?
You need structure. That can come from a coach, an app, or a well-followed plan. The mistake is "winging it" with random sessions, which is what keeps most runners stuck at the same pace for years.
What's the single biggest factor in running faster?
Consistency. The runner who trains intelligently for 12 months without injury will outperform the runner who trains hard for 8 weeks then breaks down. Avoid setbacks at all costs.
Do shoes make you run faster?
Yes, modern carbon-plated shoes can shave 1 to 4 percent off your race time. They don't replace training, but they do help on race day. Use the Edge shoe finder to find a model matched to your stride.
Keep Building Speed
For specific distance goals, see our guides on running a faster half marathon, the 2026 marathon pace chart, and best strength exercises for runners.
