How to run faster: a physiotherapist's guide to safer speed training
You want to run faster, but no matter how much work you’re putting in, your pace isn’t shifting. Maybe you’re struggling to keep up with your running group, or you’re not seeing the progress you expected on race day.
Running faster starts with the right foundation. Lifemark physiotherapist Karen Tyssen, shares how to build speed in your runs with structured workouts, strength training, and optimizing recovery.
What does it actually mean to “get faster”?
Speed training works by teaching your heart to pump oxygen more efficiently (cardiovascular efficiency), produce more power with each stride (muscular power), and hold faster paces without falling apart (running economy). To run faster, your body needs to:
- Learn how to use oxygen more efficiently
- Build its ability to hold a faster pace before fatigue sets in
- Build strength and power with each stride
- Recover well enough to adapt between workouts
The good news? These are all trainable qualities.
Train for consistent running before training for speed
Before adding speed work to your routine, it helps to build a consistent running base first. For new runners, that might mean running regularly at comfortable distances like 3–5 km three times a week, before gradually increasing your long run from 5 km up to 10–12 km.
Karen suggests increasing your running distance gradually and avoiding sudden jumps in weekly mileage or long-run distance. As a general guide, many runners use the 10% rule, which means increasing distance by no more than about 10% at a time.
Try to avoid “front-loading” your mileage, which means doing most of your weekly running distance in just a few days. Spreading your runs more evenly throughout the week can help your body recover and adapt between runs.
Once you’re running consistently at a comfortable, sustainable pace throughout the week, you can begin speed training.
How to start speed training without overdoing it
Once they’ve built a consistent base, most runners are ready to add 1–2 speed training sessions per week. Not all speed work looks the same.; Here are a few common options a physiotherapist or running coach may use depending on your experience goals, and injury history:
Strides: a starting point for new runners
If you’re new to speed work, strides are your best entry point. At the end of an easy run, add 4–6 strides. A stride is a short burst of faster running, usually about 30–50 metres, where you gradually build speed and then slow down. It should feel quick and controlled, not like a full sprint. If you’re running outdoors, this could look like running from lamp post to lamp post. Jog back between each one for recovery.
Tempo runs: holding a faster pace for longer
A tempo run, sometimes called a threshold run, is a run done at a “comfortably hard” pace for a set amount of time or distance. Its goal is to help your body hold a faster pace for longer before fatigue builds.
Tempo runs are often done near your lactate threshold. Lactate is produced by your muscles during harder exercise and can be reused as energy. Your lactate threshold is the point where lactate starts to build up faster than your body can clear it. When that happens, running may feel harder to sustain. Training at this effort level can help your body manage that build-up more efficiently, so you can hold a faster pace for longer before fatigue sets in. Try Karen’s sample tempo workout: 3–4 repetitions of 10 minutes at a comfortably hard pace, with 2 minutes of easy jogging between each interval.
Fartlek training: speed play that builds adaptability
The word “fartlek” is Swedish for “speed play.” It involves alternating faster efforts with easier recovery periods. This can help you improve your anaerobic capacity, which is your body’s maximum ability to handle short bursts of harder effort. It can also build pacing instincts, and overall speed adaptability by helping you practice changing pace and recovering while running.
Try Karen’s sample fartlek workout: 90 seconds hard, 3 minutes easy, and repeat 6–8 times.
Interval training: improving your ability to handle faster efforts
Intervals push your cardiovascular system to work at a higher intensity and can help improve your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise. This can help your body become more efficient at handling faster efforts.
Try Karen’s sample interval workout: 6–8 repetitions of 800 metres at your 5K race pace, with 2 minutes of rest between each.
Short repeats: developing speed and running efficiency
Short, fast repetitions with full recovery help develop top-end speed and running efficiency. The recovery matters because it allows you to keep each repeat controlled and maintain strong running form.
Try Karen’s sample repeat workout: 8–10 repetitions of 200 metres at a fast effort, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes of rest between each.
Common speed training mistakes that can slow progress
Not sticking to your training plan could increase your risk of running injuries. Karen shares common mistakes she sees runners make while training:
- 1. Doing speed work too slowly
- 2. Running the recovery portion of a workout too hard
- 3. Running easy and long runs too fast
Training this way can limit adaptation and increase your risk for injury. Blurring the line between hard and easy efforts doesn’t give your body the chance to fully recover or push when it is supposed to. A structured training plan with clear pace targets for each workout can help you get the most out of every run.
How running form affects your speed
Form and speed are directly linked because moving inefficiently can cost energy and slow you down.
Common form issues runners encounter:
- Dragging the feet (shuffling): Often a sign that the hips, glutes, or hamstrings are not helping power the stride efficiently.
- Knee collapses inwards, also called knock knees: When the muscles on the sides of the body aren’t strong enough to stabilize the knee, the joint collapses inward. This can waste energy and load the knee unevenly.
- Heavy heel striking: Landing hard on the heel can create a breaking effect, which means each step slows you down slightly instead of helping move you forward. Shortening your stride and practicing strides may help shift your foot strike forward toward your mid-foot, depending on your running form.
To help correct issues with running form, Karen recommends running drills, including A, B, and C drill progressions, along with accelerations and strides as tools to build better biomechanics, especially for newer runners.
Strength training helps improve speed
Speed comes from power in the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Karen recommends a full-body strength routine that focuses on the four quadrants: front, back, and both sides of the body.
Tips for strength training for faster runs:
- 1. Lift heavy, when appropriate. Heavier lower-rep training, such as 6–8 repetitions, builds the kind of strength runners need, not just high-rep endurance sets.
- 2. Plyometric and power exercises can develop the explosive capacity that translates to faster running.
- 3. Aim for 2–3 strength sessions per week, on non-running days if you’re newer, or after a hard run if you are a more experienced runner.
- 4. Cross-training, such as cycling, swimming, or other low-impact cardio, is also a valuable tool, particularly when you’re increasing your mileage or intensity. It keeps your cardiovascular system working without adding more stress to joints and connective tissue.
Recovery is where speed is built
It might seem counterintuitive, but rest is when your body adapts to training. While hard speed and strength sessions challenge your muscles, recovery is when your body repairs and grows stronger. Skip the recovery, and you lose the adaptation.
“If you don’t have proper rest and recovery, the muscles are in a constant state of breaking down without regenerating,” says Karen. “You’re doing all this hard work, and you don’t reap the benefits."
Karen’s recovery tips include:
- 1. Prioritizing good sleep, between 7–9 hours of sleep a night
- 2. Ensuring adequate nutrition, including enough calories as training volume increases
- 3. Staying hydrated
- 4. Scheduling easy movement days
A condition called Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) can occur when caloric intake doesn’t keep pace with training demands. This can lead to stress fractures, hormonal disruption, reduced cardiovascular output, and performance decline. Eating enough with a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats helps properly fuel your runs.
When to see a physiotherapist
Pain that persists beyond a week, keeps returning, worsens during runs, changes your form, or limits your ability to move normally may be a sign to seek professional support. You don’t have to wait until you’re fully sidelined to seek care.
A Lifemark physiotherapist can assess your movement patterns, identify muscular imbalances, and provide you with an individualized treatment plan that helps you build the strength and technique foundations that make faster running possible and sustainable.
Looking to run faster and reduce your risk of injury? A Lifemark physiotherapist can help.
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Key takeaways
- Build a consistent running base before adding speed work.
- Tempo runs, fartlek training, intervals, strides, and short repeats each train different aspects of speed.
- Easy days need to stay genuinely easy so your body has time to recover and adapt. Strength training can support running speed, especially when it includes compound movements and appropriate power exercises. Recovery habits like sleep, nutrition, hydration, and rest help to improve performance during runs.
FAQs
How many speed sessions should I do per week?
1–2 speed sessions per week may be appropriate once you have a solid base. Newer runners may want to start with strides at the end of easy runs before progressing to more structured workouts.
Is time or distance better for speed training?
Both work well. Time-based workouts are practical on a treadmill, while distance-based workouts can help you practice race pace and track progress against consistent markers like 200 metres or 400 metres.
How do I know if I’m overtraining?
Warning signs may include an elevated resting heart rate, persistent soreness, recurring minor injuries, poor sleep, lower performance, and pain that continues to worsen or starts earlier during runs. These are signals to rest, adjust your training, or seek professional guidance.
Do I need to do strength training even if I just want to run faster?
Yes. strength can help runner build power, improve running form, and better tolerate the demands of speed work. Compound movements that target the full body, particularly the glutes, hips, and legs, can help build the strength base that speed training depends on.
When should a runner see a physiotherapist?
If pain doesn’t improve with rest and self-care, keeps returning, worsens during runs, changes your form, or causes you to push through discomfort, it may be time to get assessed. Getting support early can help you understand what may be contributing to the pain and adjust your training before symptoms become more limiting.
What is the lactate threshold and why does it matter for speed?
Lactate is produced by your muscles during harder exercise and can be reused as energy. Your lactate threshold is the point where lactate starts to build up faster than your body can clear it. Training near this effort level can help your body manage that build-up more efficiently, so you can hold a faster pace for longer before fatigue sets in.
Ready to run faster with the right support? A Lifemark physiotherapist can help you build strength, improve movement, and train with a plan that supports your running goals, from your first 5K to your next race.
