“How do I run faster?” is the golden question that nearly every runner asks. And for good reason. Luckily speed is one of the easiest metrics to track, and also one of the easiest skills to improve through speed work training.

Increasing speed is the main goal for many runners. It’s the factor that determines your pace, puts you ahead of the pack, wins you the race. But if you want to run faster, it will takes some knowledge and specific training.

So in this post, we’ll cover how to train specifically to improve your speed, what the science is behind it, and the best three running workouts specific to speed work training.

The science behind speed work: running economy and V02 Max

Running economy is a baseline measurement of how efficiently your body works while running. It is tied to how much oxygen your body requires to run at a certain effort level or pace.

To simplify: runners with good economy use less oxygen than runners with poor economy. (Hence the huffing and puffing of beginning runners.)

A female runner is seen running during a race. Conditioned runners use less energy than beginning runners while running the same speed. The best way to condition for speed is through speed work training. — A conditioned runner will use less energy than a beginner while running at the same speed. That means by conditioning your body with specific training, you’ll get more speed for your effort.

This measurement is also called your V02 Max (the maximum amount of oxygen a person can utilize during intense exercise).

Your body can only take in so much oxygen at a time. So if you want to run faster, you need to improve your Running Economy and V02 Max.

That’s the idea behind speed work training. You’ll get faster mile times and more endurance because your body is learning to use less energy (via oxygen) while running.

The three best running methods for speed work

If running faster is your primary goal, you should incorporate speed work into the majority of your run days. Here are three excellent ways to adjust your runs for speed work:

Interval Training

This is running in periods of high intensity for short durations split up by longer recovery windows. This option tends to keep the heart rate elevated throughout the entire workout.

For a quick refresher on heart rate zone tracking and training, click here.

Some interval splits to try are 30/60sec, 1/2min, and 90sec/3min. For example, in a 30/60sec split, you would work for 30 seconds and recover for 60.

Repeats

These are similar to interval training, except that they allow full recovery between working phases.

In a repeat, you would run a specific distance as hard as you could, then rest until your heart rate fully recovers. That allows you to hit it again just as hard.

A man runs along a track with a city skyline in the background. Tracks are a great spot for speed work training (especially repeat runs) because distances are already measured and easily repeatable. — It is common to do 6-8 repeats, but you can go up to 20+ depending on your level of conditioning.

Every repeat should match from the first to the last. For example, if you do your first 200m repeat in 45 seconds, your sixth should be 45 seconds.

Fartlek Runs

“Fartlek” is Swedish for “speed play.” It’s a simple running philosophy that uses long runs broken up into periods of fast and slow running.

It’s basically a perfect mix between a long run and interval training.

The beauty of this method (as well as the other two in this list) is that you can adjust it to your current conditioning level.

A Fartlek Run for a beginner may be walking for the slow periods and jogging for the fast periods. An advanced runner may jog for the slow periods and sprint for the fast periods.

Either way, you are improving your running economy and V02 max.

When should you start?

If you’re still new to running, you should push for light to medium effort runs until you’ve built a strong base. As that base grows, slowly incorporate more advanced running days into your plan.

But if you have a solid base and your goal now is to improve your speed, then get out your training plan and add one of these methods to your next run.

Also remember to adjust the workouts based on your athletic level. You’ll want to ease into higher intensity runs.

A woman sticks a post-it note that reads "don't forget" onto her open planner, which sits beside a lamp and laptop. If improving speed is your goal, it's important to budget speed work into your training plan. — It’s important to be specific with your training plan. Instead of writing “RUN DAY,” include specific goals and running methods you want to try that day. For example, RUN DAY (interval training between HR zones 2 and 4).

Also make sure to give your body appropriate time to recover. Higher intensity runs mean more stretching, icing, foam rolling, and rest days.

Additional resources:

To see other training methods, check out last weeks post on training with heart rate zones.

If you want to estimate your own V02 max levels, check out two methods using a treadmill.

And for more information on Running Economy, this study by Sports Medicine will provide anything you may want to know.

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