5 Tips to Help You Run Faster

When you’re training to run a 5K, 10K or even a marathon, you want to be able to run as fast as possible so that you can get to the finish line as quickly as possible and really impress yourself, your friends and your family. To help you run faster, check out these five tips that will have you running faster than ever in no time! Remember, the first step is always the hardest! Just take it one day at a time and soon enough you’ll be running like a seasoned pro. Good luck.

1) Learn your pace
If you’re trying to run faster, it’s important that you know your pace so that you can get a sense of whether or not your speed is improving. Find an empty stretch of road and time yourself running one lap around it. Once you have your average time per lap, try increasing it by .1 seconds each day until you start running faster than before.

2) Warm up properly
It’s tempting to jump right into a jog without a warm-up, but that can cause injuries. Before you lace up your sneakers, go for a brisk walk or jog and do some light stretching; both will loosen up your muscles and tendons and reduce your risk of pulling something. It’s also important to maintain an even stride; running with short strides increases impact on your joints.

3) Train at the right time of day
We’ve all heard that eating too much before a run can slow you down, but did you know it also makes you slower? That’s because our bodies use fat as fuel during exercise. When we eat carbs beforehand, they digest quickly and get sent directly to our muscles, making them less efficient at burning fat. To boost your performance and speed up your run in racing, try training in an empty stomach (fasted) state one or two times a week—you’ll burn more fat while running, and lose more weight overall. Remeber start at easy jog first.

4) Get it right in your head
Before you take a single step, get your body right. Slow your breathing and start by standing with both feet facing forward and hips centered over your legs. Spread your arms out straight to either side, so they’re parallel with the ground, and raise them up until they form a 90-degree angle with your shoulders. Next, do some jogging in place by taking giant steps (about 2 feet in length depends on your height) while lifting one foot off of the ground at a time.

5) Focus on moving forward, not on your speed.
A common mistake runners make is fixating on how fast they run, instead of focusing on proper form and stride. It’s important to push yourself, but if you’re constantly looking at your watch instead of focusing on just getting out there, you’ll be more prone to injury and won’t enjoy running as much. Start by finding a good steady pace that allows you to maintain good form; focus more on staying consistent than trying for time goals during every workout.