Running Faster — You've Got to Earn It
Running faster is not simply about trying harder. It is about developing the systems that allow you to produce more speed, hold better form, recover properly — and then repeat it.
If you want to run faster over any distance, you will need to train the systems that allow faster running to happen.
Not just once. Not just in a heroic one-off session. But safely, repeatedly, with enough control that the body actually adapts rather than breaks.
Speed training develops far more than just your heart. Every quality faster session challenges the lungs, muscles, tendons, nervous system, coordination, lactate buffering, running economy and mental resilience.
Every fast session is teaching your body to become a better runner.
What Speed Training Really Challenges
When runners hear “speed work”, they often think pain, lungs bursting, legs full of acid, and that metallic taste in the back of the mouth.
That is not what I am pitching here.
I am talking about controlled faster running — repeatable, measurable efforts that expose the body to a pace quicker than race pace without tearing the roof off the system.
- cardiovascular capacity
- lung function and breathing efficiency
- muscle strength and elasticity
- tendon stiffness and energy return
- neural recruitment — teaching muscles to fire together
- lactate buffering and clearance
- running economy
- mental resilience and confidence
But...
Speed is also the session most likely to break runners.
Not because intervals are evil.
Because runners usually introduce them before their body has earned the right.
Before you roar out and hammer a set of Yasso 800s, 10 × 100 metre sprints, or some random session pulled from the internet, there are a few boxes worth ticking.
The session should make you better — not place your body at unnecessary risk.
Have You Earned the Right?
Before introducing structured faster running, I like runners to answer “yes” to most of these.
- I have been running consistently for 2–3 years.
- I am largely injury free.
- My body weight is reasonably stable.
- I recover well between runs.
- My running technique is sound.
- I sleep reasonably well.
- I am generally healthy.
- I already complete easy aerobic running every week.
- I can comfortably complete a long run.
If not, do not panic. Keep building your aerobic engine. Speed will still be there in six months. Injury might not be so forgiving.
Controlled Faster Running
The goal is not to look like you are escaping a lion. The goal is rhythm, form, control and repeatable speed.
Why I Like Repeats
Repeats allow runners to experience speeds they could never sustain continuously.
That teaches movement, rhythm, confidence and coordination — without completely exhausting the body.
Let’s not get too excited calling them intervals, fartleks or track sessions. For many runners, those words already smell like lactic acid and poor decisions.
I prefer repeats.
Simple. Controlled. Measurable.
Example: 10 × 1 km repeats with a short rest phase.
Why Rest Matters
Rest is rarely explained properly.
Rest is not there because you are weak. Rest is there because it allows you to produce another quality repetition.
- partially clear lactate
- regain breathing control
- restore coordination
- maintain good technique
- reduce body temperature
- minimise immune suppression
- produce another quality repetition
The goal is not surviving one brutal interval.
The goal is producing ten excellent ones.
A Simple 1 km Repeat Example
Let’s say your marathon goal pace is 5:00/km. That is 3 hours 30 minutes, or roughly 12 kph.
Instead of trying to run one massive effort, I would start by teaching your body to feel relaxed running slightly faster than race pace.
You are teaching your body that 5:00/km feels comfortable because it has repeatedly experienced 4:30/km in a controlled setting.
Finish Feeling Strong
Never finish a speed session wondering whether you will make it back to the car.
Finish thinking...
“I probably had another couple left.”
That is where adaptation occurs.
Not destruction.
When the final repeat looks completely different from the first repeat, the session has probably drifted from training into survival.
Speed Is a Skill
Most runners think speed is fitness.
It is not.
Speed is also coordination.
The nervous system learning to recruit muscles at precisely the right moment.
That is why relaxed, controlled repetitions can make runners dramatically quicker, even when their VO₂ max has not changed much.
Every repetition is teaching your brain a movement pattern.
Best Places
- grass oval
- athletics track
- flat bike path
- firm park
Avoid
- steep hills
- cambered roads
- technical trails
- traffic interruptions
What You Need
- GPS watch
- heart-rate monitor
- accurate pace
- lightweight shoes
- proper warm-up
Good Mechanics Matter
The less you have to think about the surface, traffic or dodging dogs, the more you can focus on good running.
Good posture. Good cadence. Relaxed shoulders. Quiet hands. Controlled breathing. Landing under the body rather than reaching out in front.
And perhaps most importantly...
Good running mechanics.
Read my BPRUNS technique piece here: BPRUNS v.11 — Running Mechanics
The Autobahn Effect
Expose the brain to faster speed often enough, and race pace starts to feel far less threatening.
The Brain Learns Speed Too
Most runners think they are training their heart.
Or their lungs.
Or their muscles.
They forget perhaps the most important organ of all...
The brain.
Your brain is constantly judging effort. It is asking:
“Is this sustainable?”
“Are we safe?”
“Should I slow things down?”
The Autobahn Effect
Anyone who has driven on Germany’s Autobahn knows the feeling.
Travel at 200 km/h for a while, then return to a normal Australian motorway at 100 km/h.
It feels ridiculously slow.
Nothing about the car has changed. Nothing about the road has changed. Only your perception of speed has changed.
Running works remarkably similarly.
If your marathon pace is 5:00/km, but you have spent weeks comfortably running controlled 1 km repetitions at 4:30/km, suddenly 5:00 pace does not feel intimidating.
It feels relaxed. Comfortable. Controlled.
The stopwatch has not changed. Your brain has.
Confidence Is Trained Too
This is one of the biggest but least discussed benefits of faster running.
On race morning, you are no longer wondering...
“Can I actually hold 5:00 pace?”
You have already experienced something harder.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The brain simply says, “We have done faster than this dozens of times.”
That is an enormous psychological advantage.
The Simple Speed Progression
This is the principle I want runners to understand.
The Pampy Take
I pitch runners to become more comfortable running slightly faster than race pace — safely, repeatedly and with excellent technique.
The goal is not to destroy yourself in a session so you can brag about it later.
The goal is to expose the body and brain to controlled speed often enough that your goal pace becomes less threatening.
The greatest benefit of speed work is not just learning to run faster.
It is teaching your brain that your goal pace is no longer fast.
Contact Brad Pamp for more information on bespoke programming.
brad@bp40plus.com.au