Running - how long does it take to get faster?

I found that nothing I did got me going faster until I started following an actual training program. I used Hal Higdon's plans to train for my 7-K (I used a 10-K plan), my 10-K and my first half marathon.

Just following his program I went from a close to 11 minute mile to doing my half marathon in an average of 9:32 a mile.

I did do heavy lifting on the strength days he included rather than just light strength workouts he recommended.

My half training looks like this:

Sunday - long run (started at 6 miles the first week and increased a mile almost every week [had a few half mile increases])
Monday - full body strength, heavy/to breaking - both upper and lower body
Tuesday - mid-length run (usually just under half the distance of the Sunday run)
Wednesday - alternated between speed training (fartlek style) and hill training
Thursday - same strength workout as Monday followed by a three mile run
Friday - rest day
Saturday - cross cardio (any cardio but running), between 45 min-60 min from start of the program to the end

My 10-K training was similar except the Sunday distances were shorter and Wednesdays were another cross cardio day instead of the speed/hill training.

My pace steadily increased week over week the entire time I was training using Hal's programs. Each race got successively faster.

For the 7-K, I just jumped into the 10-K program as many weeks back from the time I found it to the date of the race, which was about five weeks worth of training. I did the same for the 10-K I ran, which was about four weeks after the 7-K.

The half I did the full program, which was 12 weeks.

I agree with, run more. I've only run for 5 mos so I can feel your pain. Today I did a leisurely 45 min 5k without huffing and puffing and my HR was 3 beats down from those usual numbers 5 mos ago. You'll get there. I'm impatient too - but these are facts that I've experienced. Keep tabs on everything - you'll see tiny improvements over time!

ETA: Stupid auto correct overrode "HR" as "HOUR"

I used to be a competitive runner training 55 miles a week. As a very impatient person myself, you need to take your time. I used to have countless injuries by always pushing myself. It is motivating to improve but it isn't very enjoyable. I like the advice you've already received. The other thing that comes to mind is that your time will continue to improve just by losing weight too. I think your time might improve by 20 seconds or so for each 10 pounds you lose. Hope this helps.

Intervals add strength (because it's actually an anaerobic workout) which helps you run faster in a shorter time. Just adding more miles could cause injury and fatigue and if you're not eating enough protein, can eventually decrease muscles strength.

I'm sorry, but this is bad advice.

More injuries are caused by attempting intensity (speed work) prematurely than by working on general conditioning at easy paces.

Beginners need to become comfortable with the distances and give their bodies time to adapt before they even think about speed work.

My advice to the OP is to keep *gradually* building up one of your runs per week until you are in the 10k range, and keep working at it until 5k feels short and easy. THEN start playing with intensity and speed, but carefully, and gradually. Keep it fun, keep the intervals short, and mix it up. Your faster running should not be more than 10% of your total weekly mileage--the other 90% should be at a relaxed, easy pace. If you don't yet have an "easy" pace then you're not ready for speed work.

Just keep at it, and you will get there! Your times will improve naturally just by building consistency and giving your body time to adapt to the changes.

I used to be a competitive runner training 55 miles a week. As a very impatient person myself, you need to take your time. I used to have countless injuries by always pushing myself. It is motivating to improve but it isn't very enjoyable. I like the advice you've already received. The other thing that comes to mind is that your time will continue to improve just by losing weight too. I think your time might improve by 20 seconds or so for each 10 pounds you lose. Hope this helps.

I totally agree with this. The more weight you lose the better your time becomes. I learned this first hand

To the OP...Higdon is great, do not do too much too soon though, the slowly build part is important. If you are averaging 6-9, you should not go up more than a mile or so a week for a while and take cutback weeks. Too much too soon = injury.

Intervals add strength (because it's actually an anaerobic workout) which helps you run faster in a shorter time. Just adding more miles could cause injury and fatigue and if you're not eating enough protein, can eventually decrease muscles strength.

Instead of one of your distance days trade it for intervals. You want to have your work interval be about a minute and be closer to the speed you want to run at (ultimately faster if you can) and a recovery interval that is about 2 minutes that is not too fast to begin with. Do the 1:2 intervals for about 15-20 minutes at most! Don't overdo it.

Each time you do the speedwork, keep upping the RECOVERY speed. Ultimately you will eventually get your recovery speed up near your work speed and voila! You'll be running faster.

BEST OF LUCK!

No matter what you do, you should eat your exercise calories back and maintain your deficit on the intake side of the equation. If you are trying to lose weight, then building muscle will be difficult in any case.

I have to disagree with the comments on miles vs. intervals.

The best way for a beginner to build speed, endurance and prevent injury is to slowly increase mileage over time. Intervals and speed work for a runner that has 4 months under their belt and is running 6-9 MPW at a 12+ min/mile pace will not do much as the limiting factor is general endurance.

That said, intervals increase lactic threshold and VO2max. They do not build strength, they do help to maintain a higher effort for a longer amount of time, which will make one faster within their current endurance level (i.e. if you have endurance to run 5k, then intervals will give you a pretty good boost on your 1 mile time as it is well within your endurance level, but get to the edge of endurance and endurance will win out every time.)

The focus of an interval should be the fast part and getting HR up to that 90-95% of max for a short amount of time. The recovery between intervals should be just that, recovery. Whatever pace that gets to fully recovered in 50-100% of the actual interval distance is the right pace to recover. Actively trying to push the recovery pace will diminish the effort on the actual interval resulting in a workout that is very hard on the body and neither effectively builds cardiovascular endurance nor gives the most benefit in terms of speed work.

add distance and make sure you are running hills. hills are the quickest way to build your muscles and become speedier. granted.. they aren't fun.. but they will do the trick.