Question for runners

First of all, good for you for the work done so far. You may want to put some challenge in your running by adding speed sections, where you pick up the pace for 1-2 minutes, then return to regular pace until recovery, then again. Also, adding hills really worked for me. I would find a challenging hill and put it in the middle of my run and do it 2 or 3 times, then continue.

If you are already running 11 mile runs, I am not sure redoing couch to 5k will give you the speed bump you are looking for. Typically, extending distance is the first way to bring your speed up. Add overall mileage to the week. Once you are running 20-25 miles per week regularly for a while, then turn one day into a day where you focus on speedwork. But you have to get that mileage base and get your body use to that first.

The first speed type thing I would add is strides, which is where you run at a faster, racing pace for 45 seconds or so then slow back down and recover for at least a minute and then do it again. I started with 5 or so and do about 8-10 now when I do strides.

Keep doing what you're doing, and keep it consistent. Look at your progress in yearly intervals, or 6mos if you're impatient. And instead of "getting faster" try looking at it as "what's the best pace you can hold for X duration with easy/moderate/hard effort."

If you want to increase your speed in running, you first have to get out of that regular pattern that you are using and mix it up a little. First, aim to run 4 to 5 times a week, varying the length and intensity of your runs. Because if you have been doing the same run for several months, your body would have settled into a routine and you would have reached what some people would call a plateau. You have to shake things up. Some additional exercises you can try include: trying running on a treadmill. Set the treadmill at a speed slightly higher than you are used to or a speed that you have to push yourself to keep. This will train your legs to run a faster tempo and encourage a higher leg turnover. Try spinning classes as this will help to increase your cadence by encouraging your hips to rotate at higher speeds. Try skipping as they will help you improve coordination and also train your body to absorb your body better when your feet impact the ground. Not to mention it will help you develop faster feet. Add a 15 min. yoga routine as this will improve your flexibility, which always will help your running form and decrease muscle recovery time. As mentioned, look into High Intensity Interval Training (HIT or HIIT). There's also something called Tabata. Other things include: make sure your running form is efficient: do you have the correct running posture? Are you breathing correctly? Google running form and breathing for running. lots of articles on the net. As mentioned do some speedwork during your runs, look at a landmark in the distance and sprint as fast as you can. It could be a tree, one block and so on. Length is up to you and how often is up to your ability. Also do some hills. Maybe difficult when you begin but your body will get used to it. Work up to doing a sprint between 30-60 sec at maximum speed. This is hard on the body, so listen to your body. If at any time, you feel pain in your knee, rest a few days, and back down the intensity of your runs. If you're haven't started, start keeping a log of your running, so you can make adjustments as you go. You already know how to run, so no need to go back to Couch to 5K.