![\"a](\"https:\/\/run.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/How-to-run-faster.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWe talked to experts and looked at data for insights into how long it takes to see running improvements. <\/p>\n
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The rate at which you improve is individual, but with consistency and speedwork, it won’t take long. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)<\/p>\n
Published October 28, 2025 10:23AM<\/p>\n
No matter how long you\u2019ve been logging miles, what your favorite distance is, or whether you swear by Brooks or Saucony<\/a>, one thing you likely have in common with other runners is the desire to get better. Translation? You want to run faster. And while better race times are the ultimate goal, improving your training pace is a part of the PR puzzle.<\/p>\n But when you\u2019re doing everything right and still feel like your same slow self, it\u2019s natural to wonder: How long does it actually take before your everyday runs start feeling quicker?<\/p>\n First, a disclaimer and a pep talk. You are likely faster than you think. And you\u2019re probably making strides without even realizing it! But you want real answers. So to find out how long it takes to get faster, we chatted with an exercise physiologist and a run coach\u2014and even pulled some of the latest data from runners just like you.<\/p>\n How Long Does It Take to Get Faster?<\/p>\n The first step on the road to improving your speed is running consistently. \u201cConsistent training is usually considered to be three to five days of running [per week] without large time gaps between workouts, incorporating a mix of easy runs, long runs, and moderate-high intensity sessions,\u201d according to Grace Horan, MS, ACSM-EP<\/a>, exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery.<\/p>\n The time it takes to see improvements in your pace once you\u2019ve been training consistently depends on factors like your level of fitness, genetics, sex, age, and medical history, according to Horan and Erica Coviello<\/a>, RRCA level 2-certified run coach, ACE-certified personal trainer, and owner of Run Fit Stoked<\/a>.<\/p>\n That said, Horan offers a guideline: \u201cTraining pace can begin to improve in as little as six to 12 weeks with a mix of training incorporating easier long runs to build endurance and speedwork\u2014high-intensity intervals, tempo runs, etc.\u2014to improve pace,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n What Types of Workouts Make You Faster?<\/p>\n By adding speedwork<\/a>\u2014intervals, Fartleks,<\/a> tempo runs\u2014into the mix on a regular basis, Horan says you\u2019ll improve your VO2 max. Having improved aerobic fitness will make the runs you\u2019re not doing at max effort feel easier over time, thus improving your training speed.<\/p>\n \u201cGiving your body a variety of different stimuli is important to give the body something to adapt to, and will promote a well-rounded runner with strong cardiovascular fitness,\u201d Horan says.<\/p>\n Horan recommends that runners looking to get faster do a high volume of lower-intensity, Zone 2 running to build endurance (three to five days per week), a small volume of high-intensity interval training to improve aerobic capacity (every 10 to 14 days), and a small to moderate volume (once weekly) of a medium-intensity tempo run to improve lactate thresholds.<\/p>\n How Much Faster Will I Get?<\/p>\n Beginner runners, regardless of age, typically see faster speed improvements than more advanced runners who have been training far longer, according to Coviello.<\/p>\n For example, if you\u2019re currently Jeffing (run-walking)<\/a> and your average pace per mile is 15 minutes, but your goal is to run a full mile without walking, then it stands to reason that when you hit that target, your training pace will likely drop by minutes. Meanwhile, if you\u2019ve been running for a year and held steady at a 10-minute-per-mile training pace for the last six months, then you might see tiny incremental improvements in your training pace\u2014about 10 to 15 seconds faster per mile, per Horan\u2014when you add speedwork into your plan.<\/p>\n Improvements will slow and eventually plateau because, as Horan explains, everyone has a physiological ceiling when it comes to cardiovascular fitness, meaning we don\u2019t all have unlimited potential. A person\u2019s physiological ceiling is primarily determined by genetics, Horan says, but adds that it\u2019s challenging to reach your genetic ceiling, as it takes hours of exercise per day to achieve that point.<\/p>\n Looking at the Data<\/p>\n Performance sports technology company Coros<\/a> surveyed 2,001 runners who trained from March through August 2025. These runners trained an average of 166 days out of 183 days with a median distance of\u00a0 8.1 miles.<\/p>\n