How to Run Faster

If you’ve got the need for speed, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re looking to shave a couple of minutes off your marathon time or absolutely embarrass your run club nemesis (we don’t judge), there are tried and true ways to pick up your pace—and not just by a little bit.

By introducing some speed training into your routine and generally becoming more intentional about the kinds of runs you’re doing during the week, you can pick up significantly snappier splits across the board. And if you’ve got a couple of bucks burning a hole in your pocket, a pair of supershoes can help get you there even faster.

“If you are consistent with your training, and you’re not facing any setbacks with getting sick or injured, every single time you show up you should be making improvements,” says Noelle McKenzie, CPT, a former D1 track athlete and co-founder of Leading Edge Personal Trainers in New York City.

It’s not just about pace, either. Speed training comes with a range of additional benefits to improve your running holistically—everything from better form to steadier performance as you age.

Why every runner can benefit from speed training

The obvious reason to incorporate speed training into your runs is to get faster. Doing the same moderate run every week is good for maintaining fitness, but it’s not getting you any closer to catching Noah Lyles.

“Oftentimes I’ll get a runner that’ll come to me and be like, ‘I don’t understand why I’m not getting faster,’ and then when I ask them what they’re doing, they’re usually doing the same run over and over,” says Frankie Ruiz, chief running officer at Life Time. “The key to all adaptation is variety. If you add enough variety, you’re going to get adaptation.”

While speed training will make you a faster runner, an increase in pace is ultimately the product of improvements in other aspects of your running performance. “Speed training isn’t just about that time on the clock,” says Knox Robinson, iFIT trainer and co-founder of run club Black Roses NYC. “It’s going to improve running efficiency and running economy. Greater cardiovascular efficiency. Your body’s gonna tone up in a different way. And all those things will make you faster.”

According to Ruiz, speed training is also a low-key strategy to extend your longevity as a runner. “A lot of people, as they go over that hump into their 30s, they tend to accept that they’re just not that fast anymore. But there are ways to combat that natural diminished performance. It’s going to happen eventually, of course, but there are ways that we can offset it a little bit,” he says. “Through speed work, you’re protecting the development and maintenance of those fast-twitch muscles; you’re sort of holding back on that aging process.”

Fast things first

If you’re serious about speed, you’d be remiss to ignore the pace-boosting benefits of a supershoe. “Supershoes are running shoes made for racing and speed work, usually constructed with a rigid plate of carbon fiber,” says Jason Loebig, CSCS, Chicago-based trainer and running coach. “Imagine the feeling of a spring or lever on top of a very reactive foam sole to help propel you forward while running.”