How to run faster

In 2015 I decided I wanted to see how fast I could run 5k rather than just plod around the streets to keep the beer belly off. I'd played football competitively when younger and had a good starting place from a fitness point of view. In 2015 was hitting around 22:30 (trying to hit 4:30 every km) but then with a bit of determination and a few attempts I got it down to 21:43. Five years later I had got this down to 17:51. The yearly improvements had been:
  • 2015 - 21:43
  • 2016 - 19:55
  • 2017 - 18:59
  • 2018 - 18:26
  • 2019 - 18:00
  • 2020 - 17:51
This blog post is a bit of a long read - but it gives some tips on how I improved my times.
From - March 2015 - 5km in 21:43 (4:21/km pace)
To - Feburary 2020 - 5km in 17:51 (3:34/km pace)
(First things first, if you haven't done exercise for a while - you need to get to a place where you can run 5km without stopping - if you are a complete beginner see the Couch to 5k initiative - then return to this blog post :) )

So, I'd suggest five tips:
  1. Join a local running club
  2. Get some decent kit (watch/trainers)
  3. Have a training plan
  4. Run a parkrun each week
  5. Enter one race a month
Going through each of these...

1. Join a local running club
England Athletics has a directory of all running clubs - use the search tool to find one near you:
Join a running club
By joining a club you'll be part of a community which means immediately running is more social and more enjoyable than just running by yourself. The club will break sessions down into groups based on ability, so you'll run with people about the same speed. You'll probably get to do a couple of sessions a week, one that does some fast running and another that does some steadier paced running over a longer distance.

You'll meet people who are a similar standard to yourself. There'll also be people faster and a lot more experienced who you can listen to and learn from and be inspired by. You'll naturally then start to enter races as you'll be part of the community.

2. Get some decent kit
Running isn't like cycling where people spend thousands on kit. But it is worth spending a few hundred pounds if you can on:

A decent running watch and a subscription to Strava
I have used the Garmin Forerunner 235 which at the time of writing was less than £200. A free option is to just use an app on your phone like Strava or Endomondo - but a watch is better.
Strava is like Facebook for runners where you can plan and record all of your runs. It's best with the subscription - but there is a free version too.

A decent pair of training with good cushioning to help prevent injuries
I've always gone for Adidas Ultraboost for training. They are a little expensive at a around £140. But you can normally get last year's model for nearer £100 and local running shops sometimes do discount for club members. You'll want to change the trainers after 800km.

3. Have a training plan
The club and the kit give you the foundations to get better, but you don't get faster without training. So you need a decent training plan that will push you, but also be enjoyable.

I'll do another blog post on this - but as a summary, you need to mix fast sessions with 'steady' sessions. The fast sessions you will be trying your hardest and pushing your body. The steady sessions you'll be holding back, running deliberately slower so you are still improving but your body can recover for the fast sessions.

The screenshot below shows a two suggested programmes, take it easy to building things up over months and months - don't jump straight to advanced.
Steady runs should be a lot slower than your fast pace. So if you do parkruns in 22:30 at a 4:30/km pace. Then deliberately hold your pace back on the steady runs - pick a nice route - enjoy it at a 5:30 to 6:00/km pace. Finish knowing you can run faster.

Equally, if you do parkruns in 18:00 at a 3:40/km pace, don't try and race around the steady runs as you'll have no energy left to ensure the fast runs are quality sessions. Maybe go for 4:40 to 5:00/km pace for the steady sessions and just enjoy them.

For the fast sessions - mix it up - do interval sessions, progression runs, hill sessions, pyramid sessions, threshold runs, tempo runs etc... 

Some people talk about the 80:20 rule where 80% of your runs are at a slower enjoyable pace.

For the advanced programme above it is 37km steady and 15km fast. Which is 70:30 by distance - you'll be doing around a few km warm up and warm down before the fast sessions too which will take it up to that magic 80:20 ratio.

The best runners in the world do this ratio - but clearly the pace is stepped up another few notches as is the distance as they run morning and evening and build up to this over years and years of training.

So, there is no magic click of the fingers to running faster - it's about putting the efforts in each week, but doing it in a sociable, interesting and enjoyable way.

4. Do a parkrun each week
Parkruns are a great way to start the weekend. 9am across England, 9.30am across Scotland - it's great to put an effort in on a Saturday morning - enjoy some fresh air and the running community - then get home for a cup of tea and biscuit mid-morning.

Find parkruns next to where you live at:
- https://www.parkrun.org.uk/events/events/

Everyone is different in terms of what they get out of parkrun, but personally speaking I like:
  • Travelling around 20-30 minutes drive away from the house to a different venue each week mixing up small vs large parkruns and flat vs hilly. With the bigger runs you can enjoy running in the field keeping up with people of the same speed. With the smaller runs, occasionally you can be in the front pack and enjoy a bit of friendly competition.
  • Giving a bit back by volunteering every now and again. If you have kids, helping run the junior parkrun on a Sunday is enjoyable. If you want to run and volunteer you can also do it as a pace runner.
  • Every couple of months or so, when the weather forecast is good - pick a flat parkrun with a nice surface and go for a PB
But generally, for improving the nations health and wellbeing - parkrun is amazing and is something to tell everyone about and support it where you can.

5. Enter one race a month
Entering once organized race a month gives you something to aim for and is fun.

Start with 5k runs, then it work it up through 5mile, 10K, 10mile etc...

https://runnation.co.uk/ do some really good organised runs in the North East of England.

In terms of running books, two good ones to buy and study are below. Along with listening to the experienced folk at my running club, these are the two books that have inspired me the most:
  • The Art of Running Faster - lots of tips on how to train hard from old-school UK Athlete Julian Goater - plenty of good stories from the 70s and 80s too.
  • 80/20 Running - a good one that looks at how training techniques have been refined through the decades.
Also check out my blog posts for some ideas on fast training sessions:
So with six different options for fast sessions, you can rotate these, two a week over a three week period.
Week one:  Tues - Interval, Thu - Hill
Week two: Tues - Tempo, Thu - Pyramid
Week three: Tues - Progression, Thu - Threshold
...and so on. ;)

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