How to Run Quicker
10 practical, beginner-friendly ways to run quicker that you can start this week. No complicated training theory. Just actionable changes that produce real results, plus a 4-week plan to measure your progress.
The Truth About Getting Quicker
Running quicker is not just about sprinting harder or suffering more. Most runners (especially beginners) can get significantly quicker by making small, practical changes to how they train, how they run, and how they recover. The 10 methods below are ranked by how quickly they produce results and how easy they are to implement.
Some of these changes produce results within a single run (fixing your form, warming up properly). Others take 2 to 4 weeks to show measurable improvement (adding speed sessions, increasing cadence). All of them stack together. Implementing even 3 or 4 of these methods will make a noticeable difference within a month.
If you are looking for advanced speed training methods (threshold intervals, VO2max sessions, periodization), check out our how to run faster guide. This page focuses on practical, accessible changes that anyone can make regardless of experience level.
Quick Test: Find Your Baseline
Before you start working on getting quicker, you need to know where you are right now. This simple test takes 15 minutes and gives you a number to improve on.
The 1-Mile Time Trial
Warm up with 10 minutes of easy jogging and 2 minutes of dynamic stretches
Find a flat route or track where you can measure exactly 1 mile (1.6 km)
Run the mile as fast as you can sustain for the full distance
Start at a pace you think you can hold. It is better to start slightly too slow than too fast.
Record your time. This is your baseline.
Cool down with 5 minutes of easy walking
What your time means
Under 7 minutes: Strong runner. Focus on advanced speed training methods.
7 to 9 minutes: Solid base. The methods below will take you further.
9 to 11 minutes: Typical recreational runner. Huge room for improvement with simple changes.
11 to 14 minutes: Beginner. Every method below will produce noticeable gains.
Over 14 minutes: Just starting out. Focus on running more often before adding speed work.
Use our race pace calculator to see what your mile time predicts for longer distances.
10 Practical Ways to Run Quicker
Each method includes a specific action you can try this week. You do not need to implement all 10 at once. Pick 2 or 3 that resonate with you and start there. Add more over time.
Increase your cadence
Cadence is the number of steps you take per minute. Most beginner runners take 150 to 160 steps per minute, while efficient runners take 170 to 180. A higher cadence means shorter, quicker steps, which reduces the braking force each time your foot hits the ground. You cover the same distance with less energy wasted on impact.
Try This Week
Count your steps for 30 seconds on your next run and double it. If your cadence is below 165, try running to music at 170 BPM for your next easy run. Do not force it. Let your body gradually adapt over 2 to 3 weeks.
Shorten your stride
Overstriding (landing with your foot far ahead of your body) is the most common form mistake that slows runners down. When your foot lands ahead of your center of gravity, it acts as a brake with every step. A shorter stride with your foot landing beneath your hips keeps your momentum forward.
Try This Week
On your next run, focus on landing with your foot directly under your hips, not out in front. Imagine you are running on hot coals and want to spend as little time on the ground as possible. This naturally shortens your stride and quickens your turnover.
Run more often
This is the simplest and most effective way to get quicker. If you run twice a week, adding a third run will improve your fitness more than any speed workout. If you run three times, adding a fourth makes a meaningful difference. More running frequency means more aerobic stimulus, which directly translates to faster times at every distance.
Try This Week
Add one easy 20 to 25 minute run to your weekly schedule. Make it your easiest run of the week. Do not add intensity. Just add frequency. You will notice your regular runs feeling easier within 2 to 3 weeks.
Lose excess weight
Every excess pound costs you approximately 2 seconds per mile. That adds up quickly. Losing 10 pounds of excess weight is equivalent to getting roughly 20 seconds per mile faster without any fitness improvement. Over a 5K, that is about 60 seconds. This only applies to weight above your healthy range. Never sacrifice health for pace.
Try This Week
Focus on overall nutrition quality rather than restrictive dieting. Cut out one daily sugary drink or processed snack. Running itself burns calories, so the combination of moderate dietary changes and regular running produces steady, sustainable weight loss of 0.5 to 1 pound per week.
Fix your running form
Good form means running tall (slight forward lean from the ankles, not the waist), relaxed shoulders (not hunched up near your ears), arms swinging forward and back (not across your body), and eyes looking 20 to 30 meters ahead. Poor form wastes energy on unnecessary movement and slows you down.
Try This Week
Do a form check every 10 minutes during your next run. Drop your shoulders, unclench your fists, stand tall, and look ahead. Film yourself running for 30 seconds and compare to a video of an efficient runner. You will spot the differences immediately.
Warm up properly
Starting a run cold means your muscles, joints, and cardiovascular system are not ready to perform. The first 5 to 10 minutes of a run without a warm-up are essentially wasted because your body is still waking up. A proper warm-up means you hit your optimal pace sooner and maintain it more consistently.
Try This Week
Before your next run, do 5 minutes of brisk walking followed by 2 minutes of dynamic stretches: leg swings (10 each side), high knees (20 total), and ankle circles (10 each direction). Then start running. Notice how much smoother the first mile feels.
Run by effort, not pace
Many runners sabotage their progress by running every run at the same moderate effort. This means their easy runs are too fast (preventing recovery) and their hard runs are too slow (preventing adaptation). Running by perceived effort teaches you to run truly easy on easy days so you can run genuinely hard on hard days.
Try This Week
On your next easy run, slow down until you can comfortably hold a conversation without gasping. This is your correct easy pace. It might feel embarrassingly slow. That is fine. Easy runs are supposed to feel easy. Save your effort for speed sessions.
Add one speed session per week
One structured speed session per week is enough to stimulate significant fitness gains. This could be intervals (repeated hard efforts with recovery jogs), a tempo run (20 to 30 minutes at a comfortably hard pace), or hill repeats (running up a moderate hill 6 to 8 times). The key is that this one session is genuinely hard.
Try This Week
This week, replace one of your easy runs with this interval session: warm up for 10 minutes, then run 6 x 1-minute hard efforts with 90 seconds of easy jogging between each. Cool down for 10 minutes. The hard efforts should be at a pace where you cannot hold a conversation.
Strength train twice per week
Stronger muscles produce more force with each stride, which means more speed with less effort. The key exercises are squats, lunges, calf raises, hip bridges, and planks. You do not need heavy weights or a gym. Bodyweight exercises done consistently are enough to produce noticeable speed gains within 4 to 6 weeks.
Try This Week
After your next two easy runs, do this circuit: 15 bodyweight squats, 10 lunges per leg, 15 calf raises, 15 hip bridges, and a 30-second plank. Takes 5 to 7 minutes. Do it twice this week and every week going forward.
Get proper running shoes
Running in worn-out shoes or shoes that do not match your foot type and gait costs you energy and increases injury risk. Properly fitted running shoes from a specialty store can make an immediate difference to your comfort and efficiency. The difference between a bad shoe and a good shoe is more significant than most runners realize.
Try This Week
Visit a running specialty store (not a general sports shop) and ask for a gait analysis. They will watch you run on a treadmill and recommend shoes that match your foot type. Budget $100 to $150. Replace your shoes every 300 to 500 miles.
4-Week Quicker Running Plan
This plan combines several of the methods above into a structured 4-week program. It includes one speed session per week, progressive volume, strength training, and a retest at the end so you can measure your improvement. All easy runs should be at a pace where you can hold a full conversation.
Week 1: Establish Your Baseline
Easy run, 25 minutes. Focus on form: relaxed shoulders, foot landing under hips.
Speed session: 10-minute warm-up, 4 x 1-minute hard with 90 seconds easy jog between, 10-minute cool-down.
Easy run, 25 minutes. Count your cadence for 30 seconds and note it down.
Baseline test: Warm up 10 minutes, then run 1 mile as fast as you can. Record your time.
Strength Training
After Tuesday and Thursday easy runs or as standalone sessions
Notes
This week is about understanding where you are. The 1-mile time trial is your benchmark. Write it down.
Week 2: Build the Habit
Easy run, 30 minutes. Try running to music at 170 BPM for the last 10 minutes.
Speed session: 10-minute warm-up, 5 x 1-minute hard with 90 seconds easy jog between, 10-minute cool-down.
Easy run, 25 minutes. Do a form check every 10 minutes: shoulders, arms, posture.
Easy long run, 35 minutes. Slowest pace of the week. Conversational the entire time.
Strength Training
After Monday and Friday runs
Notes
You added a 4th run this week (Sunday). Keep it very easy. The extra volume alone will make you quicker over time.
Week 3: Push the Speed Session
Easy run, 30 minutes. Focus on short, quick steps. Aim for cadence 5 steps per minute higher than week 1.
Speed session: 10-minute warm-up, 6 x 1-minute hard with 90 seconds easy jog between, 10-minute cool-down.
Tempo run: 10-minute warm-up, 12 minutes at "comfortably hard" pace (can speak in short phrases but not full sentences), 10-minute cool-down.
Easy long run, 40 minutes. Slowest pace of the week.
Strength Training
After Monday and Friday runs
Notes
Two harder sessions this week (Wednesday intervals and Friday tempo). Make Monday and Sunday genuinely easy to compensate.
Week 4: Test Your Progress
Easy run, 25 minutes. Light and relaxed.
Speed session: 10-minute warm-up, 6 x 1-minute hard with 60 seconds easy jog between (shorter rest), 10-minute cool-down.
Easy run, 20 minutes. Include 4 x 20-second strides (fast but controlled accelerations with full recovery between).
Retest: Warm up 10 minutes, then run 1 mile as fast as you can. Compare to week 1.
Strength Training
After Monday run only (lighter week)
Notes
Slightly reduced volume this week so your body is fresh for the retest. Most runners see a 5 to 20 second improvement in their mile time after 4 weeks.
For personalized training paces, use our training pace calculator. Enter your baseline mile time and it will calculate your exact easy, tempo, and interval paces.
How Much Quicker Can I Realistically Get?
Improvement rates depend on your current fitness level, training consistency, and genetics. Here is what the research shows for typical improvement rates at different levels. These assume consistent training of 3 to 5 runs per week with one speed session.
Complete beginner (first 3 months of running)
Beginner runner (3 to 12 months of running)
Intermediate runner (1 to 3 years of running)
Experienced runner (3+ years of running)
The compound effect
These monthly gains compound. A beginner improving at 1.5% per month for 6 months will be roughly 9% quicker. If you started at a 10:00 mile, that is a 9:06 mile after 6 months of consistent training. Over a year, that same beginner might reach an 8:15 to 8:30 mile. These are realistic, achievable improvements.
5 Mistakes That Keep Runners Slow
Running every run at the same pace
The biggest speed killer. If all your runs are moderate, you never recover properly and never push hard enough to trigger adaptation. Make easy runs genuinely easy (conversational pace) and hard runs genuinely hard (out of breath). The contrast between the two is what produces speed.
Skipping the warm-up
Running without warming up means your first 10 minutes are wasted at a suboptimal effort while your body catches up. Those 5 minutes of brisk walking and dynamic stretches beforehand translate directly into a better, quicker run.
Never running slowly
It sounds counterintuitive, but running slowly makes you quicker. Easy runs build your aerobic base (the engine that powers everything) without fatiguing your muscles. Runners who run slow on easy days can run fast on hard days. Runners who always run medium get stuck at medium.
Ignoring strength training
Weak hips and glutes lead to poor form at the end of runs, which slows you down. Weak calves limit your push-off power. 15 minutes of bodyweight strength work twice per week prevents these issues and directly improves your speed.
Training hard when tired or sore
Running hard on a tired body does not make you tougher. It makes you slower and injured. If you are fatigued from a previous hard session, swap your planned speed workout for an easy run. You will recover faster and your next hard session will actually produce gains.
A Reason to Push Harder
Getting quicker is easier when every run has a purpose beyond pace. Motera turns your runs into a territory capture game on a real map. The faster you run, the more ground you cover, the more territory you capture. Watch your map fill up as your speed improves.
Speed sessions become quests to capture new zones. Easy runs explore uncharted streets. Every training run earns XP and moves you up the leaderboard. Free GPS tracking, territory capture, and competitive leaderboards included.
MoteraFrequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to see improvement in running speed?
Most runners notice measurable speed improvements within 3 to 4 weeks of consistent training. Beginners typically improve by 1 to 2 percent per month (roughly 5 to 15 seconds per mile). After 3 months of structured training, many runners shave 30 to 90 seconds off their mile time. The more untrained you are at the start, the faster you will see initial gains.
Can I get quicker at running without doing speed workouts?
Yes, especially if you are a beginner. Simply running more often (3 to 4 times per week instead of 1 to 2) and running more total miles will naturally make you quicker. Losing excess body weight, improving your form, and getting proper running shoes also contribute to faster times without any structured speed work.
How much quicker can I realistically get in one month?
A realistic expectation is 1 to 2 percent improvement per month for beginners. If you currently run a 10-minute mile, you might run a 9:48 to 9:54 mile after one month of focused training. Over 3 months, that could become a 9:20 to 9:40 mile. Experienced runners improve more slowly, typically 0.5 to 1 percent per month.
Is it better to run longer or faster to get quicker?
Both help, but for beginners, running longer at an easy pace is more effective and safer than running faster. About 80 percent of your running should be at an easy, conversational pace. Only 20 percent should be at a harder effort. This 80/20 approach builds your aerobic base, which is the foundation of all running speed.
What is the quickest way to improve my 5K time?
The quickest legal way to improve your 5K is to add one speed session per week (intervals or tempo runs) while keeping your other runs easy. Combine this with running 4 times per week instead of 3. Most runners who follow this approach for 6 to 8 weeks see a 1 to 3 minute improvement in their 5K time.
Should I run every day to get quicker?
No. Rest days allow your muscles to repair and adapt, which is when you actually get faster. Running every day without rest increases your injury risk significantly, especially for beginners. Three to five running days per week with rest or cross-training days between them is optimal for most runners looking to get quicker.
Does body weight affect running speed?
Yes, significantly. Research shows that for every pound of excess body weight you lose, you run approximately 2 seconds per mile faster. That means losing 10 pounds could take roughly 20 seconds off your mile time, which over a 5K translates to about a minute. This only applies to excess weight. Never try to get below a healthy body weight for running performance.
What cadence should I aim for to run quicker?
Most efficient runners take 170 to 180 steps per minute. Many beginners run at 150 to 160 steps per minute. Increasing your cadence by 5 to 10 percent (while keeping effort the same) naturally shortens your stride, reduces overstriding, and improves efficiency. Use a metronome app or music at the right BPM to practice.
