Easy
Aerobic running and long-run control
per km
6:40
per mile
10:44
Getting faster
How to run faster
Getting faster is mostly about building a bigger aerobic base, then adding one or two hard sessions a week in the right order. Runapt sets your paces from a recent race and adjusts the week as you train.
Updated
Recent result
Calculate your training paces
Finish time
45:00 for 10 km
VDOT estimate
45.3
from race result
Race pace
4:30/km
Marathon
Sustainable race-specific endurance
per km
5:50
per mile
9:23
Threshold
Comfortably hard tempo and cruise intervals
per km
5:15
per mile
8:27
Interval
VO2max repeats around 3-5 minutes
per km
4:50
per mile
7:47
Repetition
Fast relaxed reps and economy work
per km
4:35
per mile
7:23
Turn these paces into a full adaptive race plan.
Runapt uses your current fitness, race date, training days, readiness, and route needs to build the whole block around these targets.
Build my adaptive race planTraining notes
Make the plan fit the runner.
Easy running builds the base
Most of your weekly distance should feel conversational. Easy runs build the aerobic engine that lets you hold faster paces later without every run feeling hard.
Threshold is the main lever
Threshold pace is the effort you can hold for roughly an hour. Raising it moves the pace you can sustain in a race, and it is the work most runners skip.
Intervals and strides add top-end speed
Short, hard reps with full recovery build speed and running economy. Strides, about 15 to 20 seconds of relaxed acceleration at the end of an easy run, keep speed sharp without adding fatigue.
Why most of your running should be easy
Most structured endurance plans keep the bulk of weekly running at an easy effort and put a small share of the week into hard work. That split, often called 80/20 intensity distribution, is a common pattern in endurance training. Runapt sequences its tempo, threshold and interval sessions around your easy volume, so speed work builds on a base instead of replacing it.
Easy does not mean slow for the sake of it. It means a pace you can talk through in full sentences. If every run is a little too hard, you lose the recovery that lets the quality sessions land.
How to fit the hard sessions in
One or two quality sessions a week is enough for most runners: a threshold session that builds sustainable pace, and, if you have the time, an interval session for top-end speed. Leave easy running between hard days, and do not stack a threshold session, an interval session and a long hard run in the same week.
Strides finish easy runs cheaply. A few short accelerations keep your legs quick and your form relaxed without turning the run into a workout.
Test your pace, then let the zones move
Speed shows up in race results and time trials, so re-test every 8 to 12 weeks or after a race you ran honestly. In Runapt, a new result updates your VDOT score and every training zone with it, so your targets stay challenging without re-entering anything.
Use the VDOT calculator for a starting point, then let the training log show whether the paces are right. If the easy runs feel hard or the threshold session falls apart early, the paces are too fast and the week is adjusted.
Why you should not chase speed every day
Getting faster comes from absorbing training, not from running hard every day. Runapt tracks training load with CTL, ATL and TSB, so when load rises faster than you can recover, the plan protects easy days and delays quality work instead of forcing it.
Missed runs, poor sleep and a niggle all change what the right session is. A plan that bends around them will get you faster over a season than one that ignores them.
FAQ
How do I get faster at running?
Build a consistent base of easy running, add one or two quality sessions a week, such as threshold and intervals, and re-test your pace every 8 to 12 weeks. Consistency matters more than any single workout.
How long does it take to get faster?
It depends on your starting point and how consistently you train. An 8 to 12 week focused block is a common window to see a clear change. No plan can guarantee a time, but a new race result shows your progress.
Should I run faster on every run?
No. Most runs should be easy. Hard efforts belong in one or two planned sessions a week, so you recover enough to absorb them.
What pace should my easy runs be?
Easy enough to talk in full sentences. Use the easy-run pace calculator for the exact range based on a recent race or time trial.
Does Runapt tell me what pace to run?
Yes. Runapt sets easy, tempo, threshold, interval and repetition paces from a recent race or time trial, and adjusts your week when you miss runs or your training load rises.
Related guides
Keep building the plan.
VDOT calculator
VDOT calculator for training paces
A VDOT calculator. Enter a recent race and get Jack Daniels paces for easy, marathon, threshold, interval, and reps. Free. Minutes per km and per mile.
Open guideThreshold pace
Threshold pace calculator
Calculate lactate threshold / threshold pace from a recent race result. Distinct from a continuous tempo block. Free VDOT-based target.
Open guideInterval pace
Interval pace calculator
Calculate interval training pace from a recent race. See how interval differs from threshold and easy. Free VDOT zones.
Open guideFree calculator
Free Easy Run Pace Calculator
Easy pace from a recent race. A range, so the recovery day stays a recovery day.
Open guideFree calculator
Free Tempo Run Pace Calculator
Calculate your tempo and threshold run pace targets from a recent race or time trial result. Optimize your structured speed workouts for free!
Open guideLoad model
CTL, ATL, and TSB explained
Plain explanation of CTL, ATL, and TSB — chronic training load, acute load, and training stress balance — the three numbers Runapt uses. Link to /science.
Open guideAdaptive plan
Want this adjusted to your fitness, recovery, and schedule?
Start your Runapt plan and turn this calculator or sample structure into a race block that adapts when life changes.
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