There are many ways to see if you’re improving as a runner. You can watch how tired you feel, how fast you breathe, or how much you train. But most people focus on pace. Going faster is a top goal for runners, but it’s not always easy.

Research even shows that getting faster can be tricky for our bodies. A study in the journal Cell looked at about 37,000 runs recorded on fitness trackers. The researchers wanted to see how runners choose their speed for different distances and whether that speed is energy‑efficient.

They found that, like other animals, humans naturally run at a pace that saves energy. People tend to stick to this comfortable speed no matter how far they run. From an evolutionary view, it makes sense—we’re built to use as little energy as possible when moving, says Jessica Selinger, Ph.D., a biomechanics and motor control expert at Queens University in Canada.

But there are ways to trick your body a little. For example, Selinger suggests listening to faster‑paced music, which can make your steps quicker. Running with friends who are faster than you can also push you to speed up.

So what else might be keeping you from running your fastest? Here are the most common reasons and some tips to help you pick up your pace.

1. The Speed Block: Your Workouts Lack Variety

According to exercise physiologist and running coach Susan Paul, if you keep training the same way and at the same intensity, your body will eventually adapt, and your progress will hit a plateau.

Once you reach the limits of your aerobic capacity, your performance tends to level off. To keep improving, your training needs to be more targeted. In other words, to run faster, you need to run faster sometimes, which means adding speedwork.

The Path to a Quicker Pace: Add Speed Workouts to Your Training

Paul recommends starting with one day of speed training per week. She also emphasizes the importance of a proper warm-up before hitting faster paces. For example, someone looking to improve their half marathon time should first run 1–2 miles easy, then move into their speed intervals.

Examples of effective speed workouts:

Intervals: 4 × 800m at 10K race pace with 2 minutes easy jogging in between.

Tempo runs: 20–30 minutes at comfortably hard pace (you can talk but only in short phrases).

Fartlek sessions: Unstructured bursts of speed (e.g., 1 minute fast, 2 minutes easy, repeated).

A heart rate monitor, like COOSPO, is super handy for tracking your effort during intervals or tempo runs—so you know you’re training hard enough without overdoing it.

The Speed Block: Not Mentally Preparing for Faster Paces

It’s one thing to say you want to go faster; it’s another to feel comfortable running faster. Many runners struggle because they simply don’t prime their nervous system and mindset for speed.

Speed isn’t just physical — it’s psychological. Going faster triggers sensations you may unconsciously avoid: heavier breathing, heart pounding, burning legs. If your brain habitually steers you away from discomfort, your pace will plateau.

Sports psychologist Dr. Christine Smith, who works with endurance athletes, says, “Your brain forms expectations about what pace feels ‘normal.’ If you never train at faster speeds, your nervous system will resist it, even if your muscles are capable.”

This explains why some runners can push hard in short bursts (like at the end of a race), yet never build sustainable speed through training—because their bodies simply haven’t felt fast pace enough to adapt psychologically.

The Path to a Quicker Pace: Focus on Strides over Sprints

You don’t have to jump right into painful all‑out sprints to train your mind for speed. A powerful but gentle way to introduce faster running is with strides.

Strides are short (15–30 second) bursts of smooth, controlled acceleration, often done at the end of easy runs. They help your body feel faster paces without the high injury risk of massive sprint workouts.

Here’s how to do strides:

• After an easy run, find a flat stretch.
• Run 15–30 seconds, gently accelerating to about 85–90% effort.
• Focus on relaxed breathing and smooth stride mechanics.
• Walk or jog back to recover.
• Repeat 6–10 times.

Strides train the brain to recognize higher speeds as attainable. They also help improve neuromuscular coordination, teaching your muscles to fire in the sequence needed for faster running.

3. The Speed Block: Only Training on Flat Roads—or Roads Alone

Many runners live their entire training life on pavement: straight, flat, predictable surfaces. While safe and convenient, this can be another hidden limiter on speed gains.

On flat roads, your body falls into rhythm but rarely faces the mechanical challenges that unlock speed potential.

Running coach and performance specialist Mario Rossi says, “Muscles adapt to the demand you place on them. Without variation, you’re teaching your body to be good at the exact same run, not faster running.”

The Path to a Quicker Pace: Add Some Hills and Cross-training

Hill training is one of the most effective speed builders out there — not because hills are “hard,” but because they recruit muscles differently and teach your body to produce power.

Try adding:

• Hill repeats: Short uphill efforts (8–12 × 30 seconds uphill at 90% effort with easy jog back) one day a week.
• Rolling terrain runs: Routes with gentle rises and descents to challenge both strength and coordination.
• Strength training: Exercises like squats, lunges, and hip thrusts develop muscle groups that make you faster and more resilient.

Hills force your glutes and hamstrings to work harder, building force production that translates directly into speed on flat ground.

Cross‑training — such as cycling, rowing, or swimming — also plays a role by building cardiovascular capacity without the repetitive impact of running. That means you can boost total training load and recovery without injury risk, making you more consistently ready to run fast when it matters.

A meta‑analysis in Sports Medicine supports this: runners who included strength and cross‑training alongside running showed significant improvements in neuromuscular function and running economy, both key speed determinants.