We talked to experts and looked at data for insights into how long it takes to see running improvements.
The rate at which you improve is individual, but with consistency and speedwork, it won’t take long. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
Published October 28, 2025 10:23AM
No matter how long you’ve been logging miles, what your favorite distance is, or whether you swear by Brooks or Saucony, 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.
But when you’re doing everything right and still feel like your same slow self, it’s natural to wonder: How long does it actually take before your everyday runs start feeling quicker?
First, a disclaimer and a pep talk. You are likely faster than you think. And you’re 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—and even pulled some of the latest data from runners just like you.
How Long Does It Take to Get Faster?
The first step on the road to improving your speed is running consistently. “Consistent 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,” according to Grace Horan, MS, ACSM-EP, exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
The time it takes to see improvements in your pace once you’ve been training consistently depends on factors like your level of fitness, genetics, sex, age, and medical history, according to Horan and Erica Coviello, RRCA level 2-certified run coach, ACE-certified personal trainer, and owner of Run Fit Stoked.
That said, Horan offers a guideline: “Training 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—high-intensity intervals, tempo runs, etc.—to improve pace,” she says.
What Types of Workouts Make You Faster?
By adding speedwork—intervals, Fartleks, tempo runs—into the mix on a regular basis, Horan says you’ll improve your VO2 max. Having improved aerobic fitness will make the runs you’re not doing at max effort feel easier over time, thus improving your training speed.
“Giving 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,” Horan says.
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.
How Much Faster Will I Get?
Beginner runners, regardless of age, typically see faster speed improvements than more advanced runners who have been training far longer, according to Coviello.
For example, if you’re currently Jeffing (run-walking) 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’ve 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—about 10 to 15 seconds faster per mile, per Horan—when you add speedwork into your plan.
Improvements will slow and eventually plateau because, as Horan explains, everyone has a physiological ceiling when it comes to cardiovascular fitness, meaning we don’t all have unlimited potential. A person’s physiological ceiling is primarily determined by genetics, Horan says, but adds that it’s challenging to reach your genetic ceiling, as it takes hours of exercise per day to achieve that point.
Looking at the Data
Performance sports technology company Coros 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 8.1 miles.
According to their data, the fitness scores of 1,157 runners (58 percent) went up, meaning they increased their aerobic capacity and endurance. Fitness scores are Coros’ way of tracking endurance and strength improvements over time. The metrics that go into it include VO2 max (which is how much oxygen your body absorbs and uses while working out and a measure of how aerobically fit you are), lactate threshold, threshold pace, and resting heart rate—all of which are key indicators that determine speed.
Additionally, the majority of runners Coros surveyed saw their predicted race times improve over this six-month period:
5K: 57% saw their predicted times improve
10K: 58% saw their predicted times improve
Half marathon: 67% saw their predicted times improve
Marathon: 67% saw their predicted times improve
While the data doesn’t show users’ actual race times, mile times during their training, or other types of workouts they may have been doing to get faster, it does prove that consistent training correlates to improvements over time.
How to Evaluate Whether You’re Getting Faster
Coviello has seen countless runners get faster even if they don’t feel faster..
“Sometimes, their paces are faster. Sometimes, the pace may stay the same, but the effort to hit it is easier. Either way, every time, the data shows they’re in better physical condition than they were in before,” Coviello says. Here’s how to gauge your progress:
Choose Your Comparison Window
Look at both month-over-month and year-over-year data to spot trends.
Short-term comparisons show recent gains, while longer time frames reveal your overall growth.
Track Your Heart Rate
If your pace stays the same but your average heart rate drops, you’re running more efficiently.
Use similar routes and conditions when comparing for accuracy.
Note Your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
Record how hard each run feels on a scale of 1–10.
If your RPE decreases for the same pace or distance, your fitness is improving.
Track Distance Over Time
If you’re covering more miles per week or month at the same or faster pace, that’s a clear sign of progress.
Check Recovery and Fatigue
Feeling less sore or bouncing back faster between runs is another sign your body’s adapting.