Now this is a topic everyone wants the answer to, but is rife with opinions and subjective thoughts that there will likely never be a definitive answer. So why should I weigh in and give my opinion; because over the last 10 years I have learnt a lot through my running. Most of it via trial and error (predominantly error), but people say we learn more from our mistakes than our successes.
Therefore I thought I'd compile a short blog, highlighting the 5 things I think can help EVERY runner to run faster. It doesn't matter if you run 5k in 40 minutes or 20 minutes. If you aren't doing any of the 5 things, starting to do them can shave time off your running. I have run for a number of years, and initially just ran, hit a limit and thought that was my genetic ceiling (i.e. I cannot go any quicker due to leg length, lung capacity, VO2 max, aerobic threshold, muscle fibre make up etc). I was wrong.
If you have read my previous blog (My Running Journey) you will know I started running in 2013 and couldn't really break the 25 minute 5k barrier. I came back to running in 2016 and managed to get down to 24 minutes. Then in 2018, after a sustained period of running (1000 mile year) I completely crushed my perceived limit and ran a 20:57 5k on a random Thursday evening after my tea. At each of those junctures, I thought wholeheartedly that was my best. I couldn't do anymore or any better. I know there are thousands of runners out there who probably feel the same, and/or have done the same.
So here are the 5 things I think help make me a faster runner and can help EVERY runner to be a little bit faster:
Aerobic Base
Running is easier when its aerobic. That is a fact. When we run aerobically, the body is able to pump blood and oxygen to everywhere that needs it at a rate that is sufficient to continue functioning for a period of time. When we go anaerobic, we are working harder than the body can keep up with and not enough oxygen is getting to the working body and we start to create a deficit. This isn't sustainable. Why can't we run at 5k pace for the duration of a Marathon? Because its not sustainable. Your body can hold on for the 20-30 minutes (or however long) whilst you run the 5k but can't keep that up for hours. That burning feeling in your legs, that heavy, lethargic feeling maybe a day or so after, is lactic acid that was created because of the oxygen deficit and going faster than your aerobic threshold.
So how does this relate to running faster? The better your aerobic base, the faster you can run whilst still maintaining a state of aerobic exertion, the faster you can then run various distances. When untrained I can run a 5k anywhere between 28mins and 30mins (at it feels hard work!). Currently I can run a 5k in 21mins (and it feels like hard work!) but I can also run a 5k at 24mins and it will feel like a gentle jog. Why? Because my aerobic base it built sufficiently that any running slower than 4:40 per k will be aerobic and therefore sustainable for at least an hour.
Therefore the better your aerobic base, the faster you can run and still feel comfortable, and so you can run even faster and get back to feeling uncomfortable again. As above running a 21min 5k when trained, doesn't feel any easier or harder than running a 30min 5k untrained. Ask an elite athlete, they can't run a 5k in 13/14mins and it feel easy. Now everyone is different and people will naturally have varying aerobic limits, but if you improve your aerobic fitness you will improve your running times.
How do I improve my aerobic fitness, on to my next point.....
Weekly Mileage
Running more helps to run faster. This is because a higher volume of running, improves a range of things within our body all of which make us more efficient at running. They are natural adaptations that take place due to the 'stress' you place upon the body. If you read more, you become a more proficient reader. If you play an instrument more, you become better at playing it. If you study more, you become more intelligent. If you run more, you become a better and faster runner.
The aerobic base above is developed by running at a steady state. The more running we do (up to a point) the more benefit we will get. Obviously we can't go out and run 1000 miles a week and then win an Olympic Gold! But if you run 10 miles a week, and then slowly and carefully increase incrementally up to 30 miles a week or more, you will 100% be able to run any distance faster than before. Its no coincidence that all the fastest people in the world run 100+ miles a week when training. Why don't they just run 15 miles? Because they need to run more to run faster!
Now for the average runner, it comes down to time constraints and goals. Most people work, have a family, and other interests and can't/wouldn't want to run such huge mileage. But if you follow the 10% rule and only increase your mileage by a max 10% per week (i.e. if you ran 20 miles last week, don't run more than 22 miles the following week), you can slowly and safely increase your running volume and over a period of time start to see the benefits.
Speed Work
Obvious hey? If you want to run fast, you have to run fast. But it is often forgotten amongst all the information above. Run more, run at a steady sustainable pace, run longer. None of those mean run fast. Especially for the shorter distances, 5k and 10k, speed work is essential to get the legs 'turning over' faster and training them to run quickly. Speed work will generally be intervals or fartlek training; short bursts of speed for anything between 1min and 5mins. This is obviously anaerobic and flies against everything I said above, but a 5k and 10k are generally ran at anaerobic paces so in order to run those quickly, you need to be use to running anaerobically too.
Doing one speed work session per week, will help improve your top end speed, and ensure you vary your training from constant steady state, aerobic running. It will also help your body become more efficient at flushing lactic acid out of your system, similar to how running aerobically helps to push the lactate threshold higher.
Cadence
Now this is one, if I'm being honest I never paid much attention to. In my mind, everyone is different. We run differently, have different gait cycles, leg lengths, stride lengths, cadence, foot strikes etc. I am a tall runner (nearly 6ft 3in) and I always assumed my cadence is fairly low/average due to my makeup. I have longer legs therefore they swing through my stride cycle less often but cover more ground with each stride, compared to someone who has shorter legs, has a higher step rate (cadence) but covers less ground per stride. I was wrong.
Cadence is basically steps per minute. How many steps you do each minute is your running cadence. I used to run in the 155spm-165spm window, right in the average running cadence range. Research has been done which states optimal cadence is higher than that, 170spm+, preferably 180spm+. If you follow any fast athletes on Strava (they sometimes call themselves 'sub-elite') I can guarantee they all have a cadence of 180+. Why is that? Because a higher cadence aids faster running and therefore all the fast runners do it.
How does cadence make you run faster? Well speed is, at its most basic form, calculated by stride length x steps per minute (cadence). We can extend our stride length up to a point (think of bounding down the road, striding as far as you can each time), until it becomes detrimental. We naturally extend our stride slightly when we speed up, but that is due to knee lift (and covering more ground whilst leg is in the air) as opposed to consciously extending our stride. Therefore if our stride length is fairly much predetermined, and limited by our leg length and natural running style, the only other way to speed up is to increase our cadence.
How do we propel ourselves when we run? By pushing off the ground with our foot and using our muscles to drive us forward. Therefore is we have our feet on the ground an extra 5 times per minute, wont we be quicker? YES! If the formula above it your stride length x cadence = speed, and you increase your cadence, you automatically increase your speed.
Now back to me not really paying much attention to it. For years I dismissed the idea, as initially to increase your cadence, you need to consciously think of shorter, faster steps when running to get used to it. To me, that seemed like a trade off, increasing my cadence to reduce my stride length. However, over time your cadence will slowly increase from this work and your stride will naturally go back to roughly where it was. Also, shortening your stride is beneficial for injury prevention as over-striding puts additional stress on muscles and joints from larger impacts and therefore increases the likelihood of injury.
Over the course of about 6 months I have successfully increased my cadence by about 5-10 steps per minute which may not seem like much but over the longer distances really is noticeable. I find running at a certain pace slightly easier as I am taking quicker, more efficient steps and as I am pushing off the ground more frequently my times are getting quicker without feeling any harder. I still have work to do to get close to 180spm, but as always slow and steady progress is safest.
Get Used to Feeling Uncomfortable
The final point. I go back to point 1 (aerobic base), when running close to max effort i.e. PB territory, it doesn't matter if you can run at 3 minute k's or 9 minute k's it feels hard. Therefore naturally, our brains will tell us this and encourage us to find reasons to slow down (it's too hot, my legs feel sore, my heart/lungs are hurting, it looks like it might rain, I think I'm getting a blister etc), so the final key tip to running faster and knocking time off your PB is 'get comfortable feeling uncomfortable'. The more experience you get at running fast the more you realise that feeling of hurting/breathless/head pounding will dissipate when you finish. It doesn't last forever, and your brain is sending these signals just to protect you.
I have read there is a 20% rule. When your brain and your body are telling you, you are done, you're at your max, you can give no more, most people will actually be at around 80%. There is another 20% available if you just ignore your brain and push on. Like I said the brain is a safety mechanism there to protect us, and rightly so, we shouldn't be running around at 100%. But my point is, we never really get anywhere close to 100%. We can eek more out of ourselves if we want to, but we have to be prepared to work for it, and for a little while at least, be ready to suffer for it.
I tell myself I enjoy the euphoria at the end of a successful run MORE than I dislike the feeling and pain I experience whilst I'm doing the run. I also count down towards the end of the run, that seems to help me come to terms with the fact it'll all be over soon. Some people listen to music, motivational speeches, self-talk, think of a happier place. Whatever your methods, find something that helps you power through the tough times and get to the end that bit quicker.
Adam
(LARK Running UK)
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