When runners think about getting faster, they generally focus on their training efforts—ways to get faster through specific workouts and a general uptick in training intensity. But there’s another, completely different path. Don’t worry about your training. In fact, keep it just the same—mostly quite easy. Simply add more races to your schedule.
I did this all through college, the years when I ran my best and fastest, from 8:45 in the 2-mile to 2:14:29 in the marathon. I performed nearly 90 percent of my training at a comfortable, relaxed pace. In this way I managed to keep my aerobic fitness and endurance at a very high level.
At the same time, my college’s regular schedule of dual meets and invitational events forced me to race often. This was my speed work. While I lost almost all my track races—outkicked at the end—the regular competition built my speed and efficiency.
During any given track season, I might improve my mile time from 4:25 to 4:20, a small difference. More important, my 10-mile race pace dropped by a similar 5 seconds per mile for a total gain of 50 seconds. Those 50 seconds brought me many road victories over runners who beat me on the track. They couldn’t match my endurance strength over longer distances. The gains wouldn’t have happened without my frequent 1- and 2-mile efforts.
After college my road performances deteriorated. At first I didn’t understand why. Before long, however, I realized that I had lost the zip that comes from track racing. To regain the lost speed, I began doing intervals, fartlek, tempo runs, and hill training.
I also started entering more road races. I used most of these as workouts, not to chase victories or personal bests. The goal was always to race myself into top shape, as I had in college. A word of caution here: Don’t combine frequent racing with regular speed work between your races. Pick one or the other.
Enter 5K races as speed work: The 5K distance is the most popular race distance in the country, meaning that you can often find one close to home. By including 5Ks in your training, you’ll not only get faster at the 3.1-mile event, but also improve your efficiency at longer distances. This could end up helping you trim minutes off your half-marathon best, and even more off your marathon PR (your personal record).
Races provide a benefit difficult to obtain through workouts. They “harden” you like tempered steel to high, sustained exertions. They teach you how to extend your limits beyond what you imagined possible.
Use 5K races as interval workouts: I often enter 5K races where my goal isn’t a fast finish time but a solid workout within the race. For example, I like to test myself by running hard for a mile, floating the middle mile to get some recovery, and then running hard the last mile.
I have developed more than one way to run these interval 5Ks. Sometimes I’ll hold back a bit for the first 2.1 miles, and then see how quickly I can cover the last mile. The goal here is to probe for my 5K redline. I stay under it for the first two-thirds of the distance and then push past it the last third. This gives me a sense of pace control that I can use in future races. It gets my body accustomed to race-pace effort.
Run longer races as tempo workouts: I enjoy entering races because they’re wonderful social occasions—chances to catch up with many friends. But I don’t always feel like making a max effort over the full race distance. I save those go-for-the-gold attempts for just one or two races per season.
Half marathons have become so popular that they are among the biggest and most enjoyable of races. Rather than going full tilt for 13.1 miles, I often break up a half marathon into several tempo runs. I might run my half-marathon goal pace (roughly tempo-run pace) for miles 3 through 6 and miles 9 through 12. The other miles, I go steady but relaxed. This approach gives me practice and confidence at my goal pace without overly fatiguing me. Also, I need only one easy day before and one after such an effort. This allows me to continue focusing on key workouts for my biggest upcoming race.