How To Increase Pace Running | Smarter Training, Faster

Most runners hit a wall eventually — that point where the pace that once came easily now demands real struggle. The immediate instinct for many is to push harder, run faster every single day. According to many running coaches, that well-intentioned impulse is precisely what keeps runners stuck and often leads to burnout or injury over time.

Increasing pace isn’t typically about maximum effort every time you lace up. A smarter training structure usually blends targeted speed workouts, strength work, and form improvements. Many runners find that slowing down on easy running days creates room for the speed work that actually helps move race times forward. This article covers the main methods many training specialists recommend for runners looking to get faster.

The Core Principle Behind Faster Running

Many coaches point to the 80/20 rule as the foundation of sustainable speed improvement. The idea is fairly simple: roughly 80 percent of your weekly running is done at an easy, conversational effort, while only 20 percent involves harder work like intervals or tempo runs designed to increase pace running. This ratio is a guideline, not a rigid formula, but many runners find it helpful.

The logic ties back to how the body adapts to training stress. Easy running builds your aerobic base, improves running economy, and helps clear metabolic waste between harder efforts. Hard running pushes your lactate threshold and neuromuscular system in ways that easy running cannot. Both matter, but the ratio is what many runners tend to get reversed.

Running too hard on easy days essentially robs your body of recovery time. It also tends to make the hard days less productive. Many training plans try to keep easy runs genuinely easy to preserve energy for the workouts that truly challenge speed.

Why Running Harder Every Day Backfires

The drive to push through discomfort is often praised in fitness culture. But when it comes to running pace, constantly training at moderate-to-high effort can create problems that work against your goal of getting faster. Many coaches refer to this as the gray zone problem, where runners get stuck in a middle effort that doesn’t stimulate meaningful adaptation.

• Poor recovery between sessions: Hard running every day leaves little room for muscles and connective tissue to repair. Over time, this can reduce the quality of your workouts and increase injury risk.
• Blunted aerobic development: When most runs are at a moderate pace, your body misses out on the adaptations that come from truly easy running — improved capillary density and mitochondrial function are hard to build in the gray zone.
• Speed ceiling from fatigue: Chronically tired legs rarely produce the explosive turnover needed for faster paces. Speed work requires fresh legs to be effective.
• Mental staleness: Pushing hard every run can make running feel like a grind. Many runners find that mixing easier days preserves their enthusiasm for the sport long-term.
• Increased injury probability: The repetitive stress of moderate-to-hard effort without adequate easy recovery is a common factor in overuse injuries among runners.

The solution isn’t to run less, but to structure training more intentionally. Easy days serve a specific purpose — they allow your body to adapt to previous hard efforts and prepare for the next one. That basic principle is what makes the 80/20 rule work for so many runners.

Structured Speed Work for Pace Gains

Adding specific speed work is typically how runners move past the plateau. Interval training and tempo runs are the two most common approaches coaches recommend for pace improvement. Both stress your cardiovascular and muscular systems in ways that easy running alone cannot, which is why they’re standard recommendations.

Interval training involves short, intense bursts of speed followed by recovery periods. The interval training for pace guide from Asics suggests starting with shorter intervals and gradually increasing their duration. Many runners find that intervals of 400 to 800 meters, with rest periods of equal or slightly longer time, are a good starting point.

Tempo runs work differently. They involve sustained running at a comfortably hard pace — a level where speaking more than a few words feels difficult. This type of effort is associated with improving lactate threshold, which many coaches consider a key factor in sustained running speed. Most tempo runs last between 20 and 40 minutes.

Both workouts serve different purposes but complement each other well. Many runners incorporate one interval session and one tempo run into their weekly schedule, alongside easier mileage. The specific ratio depends on your current fitness and race goals.

These workouts fit within the 20 percent of your training that should feel hard. The remaining 80 percent should feel significantly easier. That distribution allows you to recover properly between the sessions that actually challenge your pace.

Running Form Factors That Affect Speed

Beyond training structure, the way you move while running can influence how fast you go. Small form issues may create subtle braking forces that reduce efficiency over the course of a run. Many coaches look at several specific technical points when helping runners improve their speed. Here are some of the common areas that tend to get attention.

1. Overstriding: Landing with your foot too far in front creates a braking effect with each step. Increasing cadence toward 170–180 steps per minute is a common recommendation for shortening stride naturally.
2. Heel striking: Landing on your heel may increase ground contact time and reduce running economy. A lighter, flatter foot strike is often suggested as an alternative pattern to work toward gradually.
3. Arm swing: Arms that cross the chest can create wasteful torso rotation. Driving elbows back rather than letting them cross your body’s midline helps maintain forward momentum.
4. Pelvic drop: A hip that drops on one side during the running gait reduces stability. Glute exercises like bridges and clamshells are often recommended for this issue.
5. Forward lean: Leaning from the ankles rather than the waist helps align your center of mass. The lean should feel subtle, not dramatic, to improve running efficiency.

These form factors are connected. Adjusting one — such as cadence — often helps with multiple others. Many runners find that working on one or two points at a time leads to more consistent changes than trying to fix everything at once.

Strength Work and Cross-Training for Pace

Strength training is increasingly recognized as an important component of running speed. Stronger muscles can generate more force with each step, which potentially translates to a faster pace. Resources like strength training for runners point to exercises like squats and lunges for building runner-specific power. Many runners include two strength sessions per week during their training blocks.

Hill repeats are another method that combines strength and speed work. Running up a moderate incline forces your legs to work against gravity, which builds both power and endurance. Many runners alternate hill sessions with flat speed work throughout their training cycle. Hill repeats can be incorporated every one to two weeks depending on the training phase.

Acceleration drills — short explosive bursts of speed over roughly 50 to 100 meters — are another tool. These help develop the neuromuscular coordination needed for rapid pace changes during races or hard efforts. Many runners find that even a few weeks of strength-focused work can produce noticeable changes in how their running feels.

Plyometric exercises like jump squats or box jumps are sometimes recommended alongside strength work. These movements train the stretch-shortening cycle of muscles, which may improve running economy. As with any new training element, a gradual introduction is the typical recommendation.

The Bottom Line

Improving running pace is rarely about any single method. Most runners benefit from a combination of structured speed work, strength training, form adjustments, and proper pacing on easy days. The 80/20 rule is a useful starting point, but individual approaches vary based on current fitness and running goals.

If your pace isn’t moving despite consistent training, consider working with a running coach or a physical therapist who specializes in runners. They can assess your form, strength gaps, and session structure to identify what’s holding your specific stride back.