How can I run faster?

Runners always want to improve their performance and gain speed. Perhaps to improve your race times, burn more calories, or beat your personal best. There are many techniques and exercises that we can use to gain strength and run faster.

It is recommended to introduce as many of these tricks into the routine as possible. As we start to push ourselves a little harder, setting new performance goals for your races can help keep us motivated as we discover how fast it can get there.

General recommendations

There are tips that are valid for all types of runners who want to run faster. Whether we are beginners or experienced, we can increase the speed with these tricks.

hold a beat

One of the first steps to running faster is learning to pick up the pace. We’ll start with short bursts of speed work and get back to the usual pace. Keep in mind that increasing speed can leave you breathless more than usual at first, so it is important to regulate your breathing.

Running outside of your comfort zone may feel uncomfortable at first, but as you build mental energy and physical stamina, you’ll get used to the sensations that come with picking up the pace.

run more often

In many cases, increasing your weekly miles will help you run faster. If we normally run once a week but participate in training classes most other days of the week, we may notice improvements in pace if we swap some of those training days with race days.

Some runners run every day, although at least one rest day per week is recommended. If we choose to follow that route, we will only take into account that we must vary the distance and intensity of the training sessions to avoid injuries. If the goal is to increase the pace of the race, we should run at least two or three days a week.

count the steps

Counting your strides can help increase your stride turnover, which is the number of steps you take each minute you run. By doing so, we will probably run faster as a result. To determine the rotation of the stride, we will run for about 30 seconds at a pace that we can maintain for 5 kilometers and count each time the right foot touches the ground. We’ll double the number to get our overall step rotation rate.

Many brokers aim for a turnover rate of around 180 . This number is highly variable, but in general, new runners tend to have a stride rate on the low end. Therefore, we are likely to be faster simply by improving the rate of rotation.

breathe properly

Running pace affects breathing rates, so make sure you’re breathing properly and getting enough oxygen. This may require us to breathe through our mouths when we want to run faster.

It is recommended to take a deep abdominal breath and coordinate the inhalations and exhalations with the steps. For example, we can inhale for two steps and exhale for two more. Or inhale for three steps and exhale for two steps.

improve nutrition

Science shows that improving your diet can also help you run faster. It is necessary to check that we are consuming enough protein to build stronger muscles, as well as taking the correct amount of complex carbohydrates to provide adequate fuel.

It is recommended to check caloric intake and macronutrient balance. We will eliminate foods that do not provide good nutrition.

Use running gear

Some running materials add excessive bulk and weight, which could slow your pace and hamper performance. We can invest in running clothes made of lightweight fabrics and materials. We’ll also think about getting a lighter, faster pair of running shoes.

Of course, there are some materials that we won’t want to race without, especially on long races. For example, it may be interesting to carry a mobile phone to ask for help and water to keep us hydrated.

consejos para correr mas rapido

Tricks for expert runners

When the runners are more experienced in this sport, it is advisable to carry out certain habits in the training routine. Not only will this add variety to the races, but it will also make us run faster.

do cross training

Although running drills are specifically designed to improve pace, sometimes the best way to learn to run faster is to take a short break from the sport and do some cross training with other activities.

Cross training can include spinning, CrossFit, swimming, or yoga, all of which can help us build cardiovascular endurance. Additionally, cross training can help increase flexibility and range of motion in your joints.

Fartlek

If we don’t have access to a track to run specific intervals, we can use fartlek training. Fartleks are simple, fast bursts of speed that vary in distance. There are simple ways to incorporate these workouts into races to help us run faster.

If we are running on the road, we can use light poles to mark intervals. After warming up, we’ll try to run two light poles, then recover for two and keep repeating the pattern until we’ve covered a kilometer.

longest runs

We can increase motivation by planning to run a race that is longer than the last one we dominated, especially if we have done that distance several times.

If we have already done a 5 kilometer race, we can aim for a 10 kilometer. We will adjust our training routine accordingly. If we want to challenge ourselves in different ways, we will sign up for a triathlon.

control the tempo

Tempo runs can help develop your anaerobic threshold, which is critical to running faster. Many fast runners schedule at least one pace run each week.

The anaerobic threshold is the effort at which your body switches from aerobic metabolism to anaerobic metabolism. If we improve fitness with pace runs, we won’t get to this point that easily.

do speed work

Not surprisingly, speed work is one of the smartest ways to run faster. This is because speed exercises are designed to help us move faster. One way to do speed training is to practice structured intervals.

It is recommended to try to do speed training once a week. They can even be done on a track or treadmill so we can accurately track distance.

running on slope

Running hills helps improve running efficiency, which will result in a faster run. Incline repetitions (running uphill repeatedly and jogging or walking downhill) are a great way to help us pick up the pace.

We will try to include a repeat slope session once a week. We will start with a warm-up of 10 to 15 minutes of easy running. We will look for a moderate slope that is between 100 and 200 meters long. We will run uphill with great effort and keep it constant.