The topic of “getting faster” is compelling because there are so many options of accomplishing this goal! They’re nearly endless…
Of course, because the available strategies for increasing your speed are mostly limited by your imagination, it’s a really difficult question to answer thoroughly.
But that doesn’t mean we haven’t tried! Strength Running has 600+ blog posts, 50+ podcast episodes, and 100+ videos to help answer this big question and help you get faster.
The topics that fall under the umbrella of “running faster” are plentiful:
- General nutrition
- Race-specific fueling
- Strength training
- Plyometrics
- Injury prevention and consistency
- Aerobic workouts
- Anaerobic workouts
- Hill workouts
- Sprints, strides, and hill sprints
- Running drills
- Mileage
- Long run distance
- Long run structure
That’s a random list I wrote in about 20 seconds. And we can drill down into each topic to reach sub-topics of even greater specificity!
Man, I love the complexity (and simplicity) of running.
But usually, I need more specific information to give a more personal, nuanced answer. That’s what we’re both going to do today!
Get Faster in the Half Marathon
I want your help answering a question I received about getting faster at the half marathon:
I just ran a half marathon and achieved a Personal Best of 1:31:29. Although it went well, I felt more tight and tired than I wanted after mile 10.
I believe my speed is good, since I ran a 19:41 5k earlier this year. Do I need longer long runs? My longest leading up to the half was 11.5 miles.
So, what do you think?
What issues – based on the information we have – would you bring up in your answer?
How should this runner think about their next half marathon race?
Leave a comment on this blog post explaining what you think this particular runner should do to keep improving in the half marathon.
Ok, now that you’ve left your comment below it’s my turn! I recorded a video with my thoughts:
It will be fascinating to see how our answers differ or are similar.
And hopefully, after being a member of the SR community, you’re able to get better and better at answering these types of questions!
