If you've been running for a few months and your pace has stopped budging, you're in the most common spot in all of running. Learning how to run faster isn't about gritting your teeth and pushing harder on every run. It's about adding a few specific ingredients to your week, in the right doses, and then letting your body adapt. That's it. No talent required, no age limit, and no need to already be "a runner."
This guide gives you 12 concrete methods, each with exactly how to try it this week. And because most of the women I coach are beginners in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, I'll be honest about the part most speed articles skip: at our age, speed work absolutely works, but recovery is where the magic happens, and you need more of it than a 25 year old does.
Can you become a faster runner at any age?
Yes, and the research is genuinely encouraging on this. Runners who start later in life often improve for years, because a beginner's ceiling is nowhere near her potential. Your heart gets stronger, your muscles learn to use oxygen more efficiently, your tendons stiffen in the good, springy way, and your nervous system gets better at recruiting muscle fibers. None of those adaptations checks your birth certificate.
What does change with age is the recovery timeline. After 40, and especially after menopause, your body repairs muscle a little more slowly and tolerates back-to-back hard days less gracefully. That means the plan changes, not the goal. A 28 year old might handle two or three hard sessions a week. You'll make the same relative progress on one, maybe two, with genuinely easy days in between.
So when you read the methods below, keep this frame: everything applies to you. Only the dosage is different. If you're brand new to running entirely, start with a base first. Our guide on how to start running as a beginner is the right first step, and the speed work here will be waiting when you're ready.
Should you work on speed or distance first?
Distance first, almost always. Speed is built on top of an aerobic base, not instead of one. If you can't yet run comfortably for 30 minutes (walk breaks count), adding sprints is like putting a spoiler on a car with no engine. You'll get sore, maybe injured, and not much faster.
Here's a simple readiness check before you add structured speed work:
- You've been running consistently for at least 8 to 12 weeks
- You can cover 30 minutes at an easy, conversational effort
- You're running 3 or more days per week without lingering aches
If you pass the check, wonderful. Let's get to work.
How to run fast: 6 workouts that build real speed
These are the sessions that directly train your body to move quicker. You do not do all six every week. Pick one, do it once a week for three or four weeks, then rotate. One quality session per week is plenty for most women over 45; two is the absolute ceiling, and only once the first one feels routine.
1. Strides: the gentlest introduction to speed
Strides are short, smooth accelerations of 20 to 30 seconds where you build up to a fast but controlled effort, hold it briefly, then glide back down. They aren't sprints. Think "quick and light," about 85 percent of your top speed, with tall posture and relaxed shoulders.
Why they work: strides teach your legs a faster movement pattern without the fatigue of a real workout. They wake up your nervous system, improve your turnover, and make faster paces feel less foreign. For an older beginner, they're the single safest way to touch speed, because each effort is short enough that your form never falls apart.
Do it this week: at the end of one easy run, walk for two minutes, then do 4 strides of 20 seconds each with a full 60 to 90 seconds of walking between them. Build in, float, ease out. If your calves or Achilles feel tender the next day (common when speed is new, especially post menopause), that's your signal to stay at 4 strides for a few weeks before adding more.2. Interval training: the classic speed builder
Intervals alternate hard efforts with recovery periods: for example, 1 minute strong, 2 minutes easy walking or jogging, repeated 5 or 6 times. The hard bits push your heart and legs beyond what steady running asks of them, and the recoveries let you repeat that quality effort several times in one session.
This is the workout with the biggest payoff per minute, and a large meta-analysis found interval training improves aerobic fitness measurably faster than steady running alone. It is also the workout that demands the most respect. Hard interval days should be followed by at least one, and for many of us two, fully easy days. We've written a complete beginner-friendly guide to interval training for runners with sessions scaled by experience level.
Do it this week: after a 10 minute easy warm up, run 5 rounds of 1 minute at an effort where you could only speak in short phrases, with 2 minutes of easy walking between rounds. Cool down 10 minutes easy. Total session: about 35 minutes. If you finish feeling like you could have done one more round, you paced it perfectly.Progress this slowly over the following month: first add a sixth round, then a seventh, and only then stretch the hard efforts to 90 seconds. One variable at a time, never two. The recoveries stay walking recoveries for as long as you like; there are no bonus points for jogging them, and walking keeps the quality of the hard efforts high.
3. Fartlek runs: speed play without the pressure
Fartlek is Swedish for "speed play," and it's exactly that: bursts of faster running sprinkled into a normal run whenever you feel like it. Surge to the next lamppost, ease off until the mailbox, pick it up again on the flat stretch. No watch staring, no rigid structure.
Fartleks are wonderful for women who find track-style intervals intimidating, because there's no "failing" a fartlek. They build the same speed and strength as formal intervals while teaching you to read your own effort, which is a skill that pays off in every race you'll ever run. Here's our full guide to fartlek running if you want ready-made sessions.
Do it this week: on one of your normal easy runs, after the first 10 minutes, add 6 to 8 playful surges of 15 to 45 seconds whenever the mood strikes, with as much easy running or walking between them as you want. Finish the run feeling pleasantly worked, not wrecked.4. Tempo runs: raise your cruising speed
A tempo run is a sustained stretch, usually 10 to 20 minutes, at a "comfortably hard" effort. You could speak a sentence, but you wouldn't want to hold a conversation. This effort sits right around your lactate threshold, the point where fatigue starts accumulating faster than your body can clear it.
Training at threshold pushes that threshold upward, which means your current paces start to feel easier and your sustainable race pace gets faster. If intervals build your top gear, tempos build the gear you actually cruise in. For anyone targeting a 5k or 10k time, this is the workhorse workout.
Do it this week: warm up 10 minutes easy, then run 10 minutes at comfortably hard effort, then cool down 10 minutes easy. If 10 minutes continuous feels like too much, break it into 2 rounds of 5 minutes with a 2 minute walk between. Effort matters here, not pace, so ignore what your watch says on hills and windy days.A good gut check for tempo effort: you should finish thinking "I could have held that another 5 minutes, but I'm glad I didn't have to." If you finish gasping, it was an interval session in disguise, and you'll pay for it in recovery time without getting extra benefit.
5. Hill repeats: strength training in disguise
Find a moderate hill, run up it hard for 30 to 60 seconds, walk back down, repeat. Hills force your glutes, hamstrings, and calves to produce more power with every step, and they do it with less impact than flat sprinting, because the slope shortens the distance you fall onto each foot.
That lower impact makes hills one of the most joint-friendly speed workouts available, which is precisely why I love them for heavier runners and anyone easing back into intensity. The hill also naturally corrects your form: it's almost impossible to overstride running uphill.
Do it this week: warm up 10 minutes, then run 4 to 6 repeats of 30 seconds up a gentle to moderate hill at a strong effort, walking down fully between each. Cool down 10 minutes. Downhill walking is part of the workout, not a waste of time, so don't jog the descents. Your knees will thank you.6. Easy runs: the secret speed work nobody brags about
Here's the counterintuitive truth: most of your speed comes from your slow running. Easy, conversational miles build capillaries, mitochondria, and heart stroke volume, the machinery that powers every faster pace you'll ever run. Elite runners do roughly 80 percent of their volume easy, and the ratio should be even higher for beginners.
The most common mistake I see in women trying to get faster is running every run at a medium-hard effort. Those runs are too hard to recover from and too easy to force adaptation, so you stay tired and stay the same speed. Slowing down your easy days is often the fastest single fix.
Do it this week: on every run that isn't your one quality session, run slow enough to speak in full sentences the entire time. If that means adding walk breaks or feeling almost embarrassed by the pace, perfect. Gradually extending one of these runs by 5 minutes a week also builds the endurance floor your speed stands on.Tip: one quality session per week, everything else genuinely easy. That single rule outperforms almost any fancy plan, especially after 45.
How to be faster at running: 6 changes outside your workouts
Speed isn't only built during workouts. These six changes cost you little time and often unlock more improvement than another hard session would.
7. Fix your running form
Better form means less energy wasted per step, and free speed is the best kind. You don't need a biomechanics lab. Three cues cover most of it: run tall as if a string lifts the crown of your head, land with your foot under your hips rather than reaching out in front, and keep your shoulders and hands relaxed. Overstriding is the biggest speed thief among beginners, because every reaching step acts as a small brake.
We've broken down each cue, with drills, in our guide to proper running form.
Do it this week: pick one cue per run, not all three at once. Spend the first 5 minutes of each run consciously practicing it, then let it go. Form changes stick through light, repeated attention, not through forcing.8. Strength train twice a week
Stronger muscles produce more force per stride, protect your joints from the added load of faster running, and preserve the muscle mass that naturally declines after 40. For women in midlife, strength work is honestly non negotiable: it's the difference between speed work making you faster and speed work making you injured. It also protects bone density, which matters enormously through and after menopause.
You don't need a gym. Squats, lunges, step ups, glute bridges, and calf raises cover the running essentials. Two sessions of 20 to 30 minutes each week is enough. Our guide to strength training for runners has a complete home routine.
Do it this week: after two easy runs, do 2 rounds of 10 squats, 8 lunges per leg, 12 glute bridges, and 15 calf raises. Bodyweight is plenty to start. Schedule strength on easy run days, never the day before your quality session.9. Quicken your cadence a touch
Cadence is how many steps you take per minute. Many beginners sit around 150 to 160, with long, loping, braking strides. Nudging your cadence up by about 5 percent shortens your stride slightly, moves your landing under your hips, and reduces impact per step. It will feel odd for two weeks and then become your new normal.
Don't chase the mythical 180. Your ideal cadence depends on your height and build; the win is a small increase from wherever you are now.
Do it this week: count your steps for 30 seconds mid run and double it to get your cadence. Then, on one easy run, spend a few 1 minute stretches taking slightly quicker, shorter steps, aiming about 5 percent higher. A metronome app or a playlist matched to your target steps per minute makes this nearly automatic.10. Fuel and hydrate like it matters
You cannot run fast on fumes. Underfueled speed work produces sluggish sessions, slow recovery, and, over time, real health costs: hormone disruption and bone loss hit underfueled women hardest. Speed work also raises your carbohydrate needs specifically, because hard efforts burn carbs.
The basics beat any supplement: a carb-containing snack 1 to 2 hours before quality sessions, protein within an hour or so afterward (aim for 25 to 30 grams, since muscle repair gets less efficient with age), and steady hydration through the day rather than a chug before you run. And if you tolerate caffeine, a cup of coffee about an hour before a quality session is one of the few performance aids with solid evidence behind it, at zero cost.
Do it this week: before your quality session, eat something simple like a banana with peanut butter or toast with honey about 90 minutes out. Afterward, get a proper meal with protein within the hour. Notice how different the workout feels compared to running on empty.11. Take recovery as seriously as training
Here's the sentence I most need my 45 plus runners to hear: workouts don't make you faster, recovering from workouts makes you faster. The hard session creates the stimulus; the adaptation happens during the easy days and, above all, during sleep. Growth hormone, muscle repair, and nervous system reset all peak while you're asleep.
After 45, plan at least two full days between hard sessions, and don't be surprised if a hard workout takes 72 hours to fully absorb. That's not weakness, it's physiology, and fighting it just delays your progress. A down week every third or fourth week, where you cut volume by about a third, keeps the gains coming.
Do it this week: protect 7 to 9 hours of sleep on the two nights after your quality session, and put nothing harder than easy running or walking in the 48 hours that follow it. If your legs still feel heavy on day three, swap the next quality session for another easy week. Nothing is lost by waiting; plenty is lost by forcing it.12. Wear shoes that work with you, not against you
Shoes won't transform your speed, but the wrong pair quietly taxes every step, and a worn-out pair (most lose their cushioning between 300 and 500 miles) increases both effort and injury risk. A shoe that fits your foot, matches your gait, and feels lively underfoot makes faster running feel noticeably more accessible.
You don't need carbon plated racing shoes as a beginner. You need comfort, a bit of structure if your ankles roll inward, and a thumb's width of space in the toe box. Our roundup of the best running shoes for beginners walks through how to choose.
Do it this week: check the mileage on your current shoes (estimate months of use times weekly miles). If they're past 400 miles, or the midsole looks creased and compressed, replace them before you add more speed work. Visit a running store for a fitting if you've never had one; it's free and worth an hour.
Your first speed week, laid out
Here's how the pieces fit together for a beginner running three to four days a week. Notice how much of the week is easy. That's the design, not a compromise.
| Day | Session | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rest or gentle walk | Recovery |
| Tuesday | Easy run 25 to 35 min + 4 strides | Base plus a touch of speed |
| Wednesday | Strength 20 to 30 min | Power and injury protection |
| Thursday | Quality session (intervals, fartlek, or hills) | The week's one hard effort |
| Friday | Rest | Absorb the workout |
| Saturday | Easy run 35 to 45 min, fully conversational | Endurance |
| Sunday | Rest, walk, or gentle strength | Recovery |
Rotate the Thursday session each week: fartlek one week, hills the next, intervals the third, then an easier week where Thursday becomes just strides. If you're over 55 or newer to running, run this same structure but make every third week an easy week from the start.
Note: if a week goes sideways with life, drop the quality session and keep the easy runs. Consistency of easy running matters more than any single workout.
Consistency will beat intensity every single time
If you remember one thing from this guide, make it this: the woman who does one modest speed session a week for six months gets dramatically faster than the woman who does three heroic weeks and then spends a month injured or burned out. Speed is a slow cook. Expect the first noticeable changes in about 3 to 4 weeks, meaningful pace improvements in 8 to 12, and keep improving for years after that.
Progress also won't be linear. You'll have breakthrough weeks and weeks where your legs feel like furniture. Both are normal, and neither means much on its own. Track something simple, like your time over a regular route at the same easy effort, and compare months, not days. If you're running in your 50s and wondering whether all this applies to you, it does, and our guide to running for women over 50 covers the age-specific details.
One more honest note about measuring progress: don't judge your speed by how a run feels on any given day. Hormonal fluctuations, sleep, stress, and heat all swing your pace by 30 seconds a mile or more without meaning anything about your fitness. Judge by the monthly trend, and by the quiet markers that show up first: your old easy pace feels easier, hills that used to stop you don't, and you recover from workouts faster than you did in the spring.
The runners who get fast are, almost boringly, the ones who kept showing up.
FAQ: your speed questions, answered
How can I run faster quickly?
The fastest legal shortcuts are strides and slowing down your easy runs. Strides sharpen your turnover within two or three weeks, and properly easy days mean you arrive at quality sessions fresh enough to actually benefit. Most beginners feel a difference inside a month. Anything promising dramatic speed in a week is selling something.
How do I run quickly without getting so tired?
Fatigue at faster paces usually means the pace is beyond your current threshold, so build the engine rather than fighting the symptom. Tempo runs raise the effort you can sustain, easy mileage builds your aerobic base, and rhythmic breathing helps you stay relaxed. Our guide to breathing tips for running covers patterns that make hard paces feel calmer.
Why can't I run faster no matter what I try?
Nine times out of ten it's one of three things: every run is at the same medium effort (no true easy, no true hard), you're underfueled or under slept, or you simply haven't given it enough weeks. Audit those three before assuming you've hit your ceiling. Genuine plateaus after months of smart training usually break with a change of stimulus, like swapping intervals for hills.
What foods help you run faster?
No single food, but a pattern: carbohydrates around your workouts for fuel, 25 to 30 grams of protein after hard sessions for repair, and overall enough calories to support training. Iron matters too, since low iron is common in women and quietly caps your speed; if you're persistently flat, ask your doctor to check ferritin.
How can I be fast at running if I'm starting in my 50s?
The same way anyone does, with a longer runway between hard days. Build a walk-run base first, add strides, then one quality session a week with two to three recovery days after it, and lift twice a week to protect muscle and bone. Women who start running in their 50s routinely set lifetime personal bests in their 60s. Your ceiling is far higher than you think.
How long does it take to become a faster runner?
Expect small changes at 3 to 4 weeks, clear pace improvement at 8 to 12 weeks, and steady gains for two to three years of consistent training. Age shifts the recovery schedule, not the destination. The timeline rewards patience, which, happily, is a strength most of us have earned by now.