Running: Why You Are Not Getting Faster

As runners, we often get stuck in a rut. We've been running for years (or decades!) but see only slight improvement beyond the newbie gains we enjoyed initially. 

What gives? You put in the work and run the miles, race the races, and even do some speed work here and there, but you seem to have plateaued indefinitely. You aren't getting faster. Running may feel easier than initially and more enjoyable, but you haven't seen tangible improvements in a long time. Many runners ask, “Why am I not getting faster?”

The answer lies in training and understanding the difference between exercising and training. 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXERCISING AND TRAINING

First, what is exercise? Exercise is moving your body for health, enjoyment, or social/community interaction. It can be a jog, walk, cardio class, lifting weights, bike riding, pickleball, dancing, or any other intentional physical activity. Exercise is excellent for physical and mental health. It benefits us and has many positive health outcomes (preaching to the choir here: you should definitely exercise!), but exercising is not the same as training.

What is training? Training is practice—deliberate practice towards a specific goal. Running 10-20 miles a week for several years (or decades) without short-term goals for individual workouts and long-term outcomes is exercise, not training. 

Striving outside of your comfort zone to reach a stretch goal that is just beyond your capabilities is training. Identifying weaknesses and working to improve is training. Reviewing trends in your results and applying feedback and new knowledge with outcome-based decision-making is training. 

Training is hard; exercise can feel challenging, but it only qualifies as training (or deliberate practice) if it is actively working towards building a new skill that leads to a specific overarching goal.

My point is not that exercising is terrible; training is good. They both have their place. There is nothing wrong with exercising and moving to feel good and be healthy. But many people make the mistake of exercising, thinking they are training, and then wondering why they aren't seeing improvements. If you aren't analyzing and just doing, you are exercising. 

Pursue Mastery of Skills:

Running is a skill. Sure, anyone can strap on shoes and start running (and I encourage that—start!). However, to run faster, specific skills may need improvement. The skills outlined here are not an exhaustive list, but some things that come immediately to mind that, when improved, can affect your running performance. 

10 Skills to DEVELOP TO Improve Running Performance

1. Pacing (be able to feel, control, and increase/decrease speed)

2. Running form (body position for efficient running)

3. Technique (foot strike, cadence, stride length)

4. Heart-rate training (training to run faster at a lower heart rate)

5. Breathing for efficiency 

6. Nutrition for performance and recovery

7. Mindset for performance, resilience, and self-talk

8. Strength training for running performance and injury prevention (programming, technique, form, applying progressive overload)

9. Effective warmups, cooldowns, and stretching to enhance mobility and injury prevention

10. Recovery, sleep, and stress management for performance and recovery (understanding and applying the principles of rest and recovery on performance improvements)

As you can see, getting faster is about more than speed work or pacing. Many factors affect performance outcomes. You could have other underdeveloped skills holding you back from your potential. Most runners dabble in some of these skills for a short time but quickly move on when they get bored or frustrated.

WORK TO IMPROVE ONE NARROW ASPECT OF TRAINING

It is inefficient to work on everything at once. How could you? Many runners make the mistake of vaguely trying to improve everything at once with no real focus or intention, or they quickly move from one skill to another when things get hard. 

The best strategy is to focus on one or two narrow aspects of training to enhance and stretch outside of what feels physically or mentally comfortable. Deliberate practice should feel messy, uncomfortable, and slightly strained. Embrace this idea: Does it feel uncomfortable? Good. That feeling is how you know you are on the right track. And then you don't give up when it gets hard, you fail, or you feel frustrated. 

When the challenge equals the skill level, it feels easy; we feel good (which is great), but we don't grow or improve from this place. This place is called exercising.

If the challenge slightly exceeds the current skill, and we don't give up, this is where the magic happens.

STEPS FOR DELIBERATE PRACTICE

1. DETERMINE WHERE YOU LACK THE NECESSARY SKILLS

No matter where you start, skill development is critical to achieving your running goals. We all have varying degrees of natural talent, which can take us far, but you must employ deliberate practice to continue improving. If you have been running for many years and not seeing the desired improvement, the first step is determining where you lack the necessary skills and choosing a place to begin.

I know what you might be thinking. That's a lot of different skills. Now I'm overwhelmed. I always assumed that if I wanted to get faster, I needed to do more speed work. How do I know where to start? 

As I mentioned, simultaneously dabbling in all the skills will produce less dramatic results than honing in one skill and working on it for a long time. The time will pass anyway. If you have been running for years with slight improvement, imagine what progress you can make with deliberate skill development over the next few years. 

WHAT SOUNDS FUN OR INTERESTING?

One way to choose where to start is to consider what sounds exciting or fun. It will get physically or mentally hard, so if you start with a challenge you think you might enjoy, you'll likely stick to it. Hill sprints or track intervals could be a great place to start if they sound weirdly fun (even if scary fun). What interests you? 

WHAT IS THE LOW-HANGING FRUIT?

Another way to choose is to look for the low-hanging fruit. What sounds like the easiest skill to learn or change at first? After all, small wins and building confidence can snowball into more significant accomplishments. For example, if you already have experience with weights and are comfortable in the gym, fine-tuning your training for running-specific strength training could be an effective way to start. I saw my most significant improvements in running performance when I started lifting heavy weights. It can be a game-changer for some runners.

WHAT WILL MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT?

You can also choose a skill that will have the most significant impact, even if it is the hardest or will take the longest. Remember, stretching beyond what feels comfortable is vital. Identify a weakness and work to improve it. For example, runners often struggle with heart-rate training because it is a long and slow process to train your heart to run faster at a lower heart rate, but it can be rewarding and performance-enhancing over time. 

2. SET A SMART GOAL

Set short-term goals specific to the skill you want to develop using the SMART goal format: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

Ineffective: I will eat better to improve my running.

Effective: I will track my nutrition in an app and aim for 120 grams of protein and 300 grams of carbs to support my training five days per week for the next four weeks. I will journal before and after my workouts and make weekly adjustments based on how these nutrition changes affect how I feel and perform. (For example, actual nutrition goals may vary according to individual needs.)

3. ANALYZE RESULTS

Look at your training as an experiment and enter into problem-solving mode:

• Log and track results over time.

• Seek feedback (what can you improve instead of seeking cheer and praise).

• Adjust strategy with outcome-based decision-making by applying new knowledge to training.

You can do this independently with a training journal (I highly suggest journalling outside your Garmin) or with a coach. I may be biased, but working with a coach on your goals and skill development can fast-track the process. 

HELPFUL TIPS FOR DELIBERATE PRACTICE

1. The point is failing (and then learning). If you always achieve the goal you set for yourself, then you are not reaching enough.

2. Try to approach practice without self-judgment. You are not a failure, stupid, incapable, weak, or slow (or whatever else your unhelpful brain comes up with) because you didn’t hit a goal. You are doing work that most people won’t do.

3. Deliberate practice does not mean beating yourself into the ground. It is not a hard effort for hard effort’s sake. See skill #10 (applying the principles of recovery).

You can improve almost anything with an applied effort at the far edge of your current skills. Often, the difficulty is in the mental work as much as the physical practice, which makes the deliberate practice so strenuous (and why so many runners skip over it). 

Run because you love it; then, you can take that love to new levels when you practice and apply new skills for continuous improvement. Does it mean you will make the next Olympic team or qualify for Boston within six months? Probably not, but you can improve beyond what you ever thought possible with focused training and dogged determination. 

The payoff is not just in the results but in the person you become in the process.

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5 Reasons for Experienced Runners to Race 5Ks

There's this idea I'd observed among recreational runners that a 5K is only for new runners, holiday fun runs, or runners who don't have the endurance to go farther. Sometimes once runners advance to 10Ks, half marathons, and marathons, they think they have outgrown 5Ks and no longer see the value in competing at this distance. 

It couldn't be further from the truth. Experienced runners can benefit from 5Ks to improve their fitness, speed, and mental training, which will carry over to longer-distance racing.

If your pace is essentially the same for all your training runs and race distances, you might be leaving performance on the table. Your race times should be faster than your everyday training runs (except for workouts explicitly done at race pace, which should not be multiple times per week). 

If your race and daily training paces are the same, you are either running too fast for most of your training runs or not pushing yourself enough at your races (assuming getting faster in races is a goal). 

Of course, running for general fitness, fun, mental health, or community involvement is always okay (even great!); not everyone wants (or needs) to get faster. 

However, a 5K race is a great way to improve fitness if you want to improve your pace at all distances. A 5K is an opportunity to practice running faster at shorter distances, increasing stamina and improving mental toughness. Training to increase your 5K time can help you improve your fitness, translating to better performances at other distances. 

Getting comfortable running fast(er) 5Ks can make your half marathon or marathon pace feel downright easy! 

TO ASSESS CURRENT FITNESS 

If for no other reason, running 5Ks a few times a year can help you establish a fitness baseline to compare future improvements. A race provides an atmosphere that fosters competition and giving your all! You could measure out a 5K on the streets of your neighborhood, but a race experience can elevate your motivation.

I can exert myself when running alone, but the push of a runner coming up behind me or spotting someone to pass ahead gives me a boost to hang on and push a little more. Hearing the footsteps of my competitors, the crowds, the music, and the support help me push up against my perceived limits.

Then, subsequent races can help you determine if you are improving, if your training plan is effective, and help track the progress. Just make sure you are comparing races appropriately. A hilly summer race may not be an accurate assessment against a flat race in the winter. We expect to be slower in humid or warm weather with elevation, which does not mean we lost fitness.

PLAN PACES FOR SPEED INTERVALS

Besides measuring current fitness, a recent 5K time can help you plan paces for speed work. Often runners make the mistake of running speed intervals at the pace they wish they could run (or simply as fast as possible) instead of the pace their current fitness level dictates, which can lead to injuries or burnout. 

Remember, the goal is to do the minimum to elicit change. Not the bare minimum; simply the minimum to produce change. Which means you only need to do what you need to do. More is not always better, and faster is not always better. More volume and faster paces are good until it is too much; then, it could have diminishing returns, leading to injury and overtraining. Finding the balance and knowing your limits is vital. 

You can plug your current 5K time into a pace chart (I like Ambry Burfoot's) to get appropriate paces for easy & long runs, tempo workouts, and long and short intervals. It gives you a framework to know what paces are proper using your current fitness level as a guide. If you always run at the same speed, there is room for improvement! Having this recent 5K time is an important data point to plan the rest of your training. 

Every time your 5K pace improves, you can update your paces for other workouts. I recommend reassessing twice a year. 

The critical point here is that you are using your 5K time to determine the speed of workouts, not deciding how fast you want to run and plan paces around that goal. Getting faster is a long, non-linear process. You put in the work, and those improvements come gradually with consistency, proper fueling, and rest. You can't rush progress.

SETTING AND ACHIEVING GOALS

Any race can give you a goal to work towards, which is great for motivation, and planning a training schedule. However, it takes longer to train for and recover from a half-marathon or marathon, so if you miss your goal (it happens to the best of us!) for long distances, it takes longer to ramp back up to try again. 

A 5K training cycle can be much shorter and the recovery time faster, so you can experiment with goals and pacing. It's less pressure because if it isn't your day, you can try again in a week or two. 

TO PRACTICE SPEED

Shorter distances give you room to experiment with pushing your absolute limits. For example, you might not want to go for a hard effort on a half or full marathon until the very end for fear of blowing up and being unable to finish, but with a 5K, you can practice pushing your limits over a shorter distance. Once you get comfortable pushing yourself for a 5K, you can take the skill and apply to it the last 5K of a longer race.

A 5K can also be a part of speed training for a longer distance race, as long as you don't ramp up speed (intensity) and milage (volume) in the same week. In other words, to reduce injury risk, don't race a 5K in the same week as you add three miles to your long run in marathon training.

MENTAL TRAINING

Skills such as mental focus, perseverance, and mental toughness are necessary to race any distance. The 5K is a great distance to push your limits, practice cognitive techniques, and hone your skills. If you can get comfortable with being uncomfortable in a 5K, that will translate to longer distances.

A meditation technique that works well with running is to notice your thoughts without reacting to them. Imagine those thoughts floating away (or any visual that makes sense) to bring yourself back to the present. 

Embracing the suck: 

This is a way to say that you recognize it's challenging or uncomfortable and learn to accept it without trying to change or freak out. As a side note, this doesn't mean ignoring physical pain or injuries; we are talking about feeling uncomfortable. It's about keeping the end goal in mind and not getting distracted negatively.

Be present: 

Run the mile you're in by practicing staying in the present rather than thinking about the past (how far I've come) or the future (how far I have to go). Acknowledge and release distracting thoughts.

REFRAME NEGATIVE THOUGHTS:

When those thoughts are negative, try to reframe them. 

"Yes, this is hard, but I am strong and tough and can do hard things."

"I am tired but privileged to be here today."

"My legs feel tired, but breathing feels easy!"

Focus on the positive.

Tacos Y Cerveza 5K Fort Worth, TX

I ran a 5K in Fort Worth this past weekend with friends who signed up for the 10K. It's been heating up in Texas lately, and I haven't been running much over thirty minutes in the last couple of months. I didn't want to suffer through an undertrained 10K, so I chose to sign up for the 5K and use it as an opportunity to test my speed and plan my summer training. 

Do you run 5Ks regularly? Do you see the value in racing 5Ks to improve fitness, plan training, and practice racing skills? 

When's your next race? 

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Coach Lea

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