How to Get Better at Running, According to an Ultrarunner

Runners are ambitious people. Anyone who voluntarily laces up for miles of strides has to have serious drive. And whether they’re new to the sport or have been at it for years, just about every runner is on a quest to learn how to get better at running—whatever that means to them. It might involve setting a personal record for their fastest 5K. Maybe they want to gain more endurance to run longer distances. Or maybe they simply want to one day be able to hop on the track without cursing the universe, or sparking shin splints (again). 

Whatever your goals may be, there are several things you can do to improve as a runner in a number of different ways. Here, Peloton instructor Susie Chan, an ultrarunner who once set a world record for a 12-hour treadmill run (talk about endurance!), shares all kinds of tips on how to get better at running and, at the end of the day, truly get more out of your miles. 

Set a Goal

One of the most effective ways to get better at running is to set a concrete goal. “Look at where you are, and give yourself a goal destination,” Susie says. Maybe you want to complete a 60-minute Peloton class, or maybe you want to run a 10K race within a particular finish time. Either way, that real-life incentive can be a major motivation to put in the hard work week after week—you’re giving yourself a solid reason not to quit even when things get tough. 

Warm-Up

Going from sitting or standing around to running is a major transition for your body to make. Give yourself a chance to ease into it with a warmup. That could include dedicated running warm-up drills like leg swings and high knees. Or, some runners like Susie simply jog slowly until their bodies feel ready to pick things up. Either way, “the essence really is to give your body a bit of time to get those muscles warmed through and moving,” she says, adding that if you do this, “you'll be a lot more free when you start running.” Warming up also helps you avoid injury because you won’t be straining too hard before your body is prepared for it. However, Susie recommends not overthinking or stressing too much about your warmup: “It doesn't have to be that deep. Just get moving.” And it doesn’t need to take forever, either: Science shows a short warmup can be just as effective as a longer one.

Don’t Discount Shorter Runs

There are inevitably days when you don’t have as much time to run as you wish you did. Run anyway. “I think sometimes people think if it's too short, it's not worth it, but that's not true,” Susie says. “If you've only got 30 minutes in your day, that is still training.” Some running is better than no running, and every run you do adds up to make you a better runner. 

To Run Farther, Slow Down 

When you’re trying to hit new distances, you’ll want to ease up on the gas. “Whatever your normal comfortable pace, try running a little bit slower and then see if you can make it a bit longer,” Susie says. “Pace is normally slower the longer you want to go.” By pulling back on the intensity, you’ll be able to push the duration. Don’t think of this as wimping out: A slower effort can be super beneficial. It can make running feel a whole lot more doable, and help reduce injury risk and improve your endurance, as previously reported in The Output. 

Pick Up the Pace Once or Twice a Week to Run Faster

If you want to increase your speed, you need to practice ramping things up sometimes. “The only way to be a faster runner, unfortunately, is to run faster,” Susie says. “It's not going to come any other way.” That’s not to say you should always head out and try to run as hard as you can. But once or twice a week, practice giving a harder effort. “If you're very focused on getting that speed up, what really helps is speed work,” Susie says. “That could be a HIIT class or tempo run—anything that is pushing yourself out of your comfortable run pace for sustained periods of time.” If you’re consistent with it week over week, she says you can start to see results quite quickly, particularly when you’re new to speed work.

Build Up Your Mileage Gradually

If you’ve only ever run three or four miles at a time before, signing up to run a half marathon tomorrow is a recipe for injury—and misery. “You have to build up slowly,” Susie says. Most experts recommend following the 10 percent rule, which means you only increase mileage by about 10 percent week to week. So if you ran 10 miles total last week, for example, you can shoot for 11 this week. Remember: It will be hard to become a better runner if you’re sidelined on the couch after doing too much too soon.

Take (Disciplined) Walk Breaks When You Need

There’s nothing wrong with walking during a run. In fact, Susie says it’s a great way to build up time on your feet. “Maybe you go, ‘Rather than 40 minutes, I'm going to do an hour today,’ but the extra time you're doing, you're actually having little walk breaks,” she says. Over time, you might decrease the length of your walk breaks, or how often you take one. The tricky part is that you have to be very disciplined, since it can be a struggle to start running again once you let yourself walk. “Be strict,” Susie says. Whether you give yourself a minute to walk, or just keep at it until the next lamppost, don’t give in to the little voice in your head telling you to keep strolling—the walk break is just a means to be able to start running strong again.  

Take Recovery Runs

When your legs feel kicked from a few hard days of training, a smart way to feel better is to go for a low-key, slower-paced recovery run. These runs aren’t about building speed or racking up high mileage. They’re about increasing blood flow to loosen you up and reduce stiffness. “They’re just flushing your body out and getting those muscles moving in a much more gentle way,” Susie says. “And if you do those correctly, you will be able to push more in the next run.” She says these can be particularly useful if you’ve been focusing on speedwork but feel like you’re plateauing. Just keep them very easy.

Give Yourself Complete Rest Days 

Sometimes, the secret of how to get better at running is to stop running. “It's totally okay to have a day off if you're tired,” Susie says. “Put your feet up, relax, maybe do some stretching, do some yoga, do some other sort of movement, and just make sure you're balancing out those hard efforts with something which is a lot kinder to your body.” A proper rest day gives your body time to repair and grow stronger on a cellular level. You’ll feel it in your rejuvenated muscles and energy levels when you return to running the next day. 

Remember to Strength Train

If your goal is to become a stronger runner, you’re going to want to lift some weights (or at least your bodyweight). In particular, Susie recommends focusing on core work, and lower body exercises like squats and deadlifts. “Your glutes are going to get stronger, and then it's going to propel you faster,” she says. Evidence shows that resistance training can effectively improve running economy, and may also potentially reduce your risk of injury. Susie says single-leg exercises can be particularly beneficial for runners. “Essentially, running is a single-leg exercise: You're on one leg or the other,” she points out. “Single leg strength work is going to make you a more stable, stronger runner.”

Do Your Mobility Work

Running mile after mile can turn you into the Tin Man if you don’t do anything to counteract all that stiffness. That’s not only an uncomfortable way to live, but can also affect your stride and increase your risk of injury. “Simple mobility movements help keep your joints and your muscles moving in a fluid way, giving your body a nice free range of motion,” says Susie, who adds that she regularly works yoga into her own weekly routine.  

Cross Train With Other Kinds of Cardio

Your heart and lungs don’t know the difference between running and other forms of cardio that get it pumping similarly hard. “If you want to bike and you want to swim, all your heart knows is that you've given it a workout,” Susie says. Mixing things up can give your running muscles a rest while still working on your aerobic fitness. 

Find Something (or Someone) that Keeps You Accountable

Real talk: It’s hard to maintain the motivation to run consistently enough to actually get better at running. But Susie says it helps to set up some form of accountability. That could be through a structured training program that lets you check off runs as you complete them. Or, “you can get an accountability partner, or as I call it, drag a friend along with you,” she says. If you pair up with somebody else, you’ll be less likely to bail because you won’t want to let them down. 

The Peloton App gives you access to Running Programs, run classes, race training programs, and more.

Believe In Yourself

Susie says the number-one thing that holds runners back from getting better is their own self-doubt. “Sometimes people talk themselves down,” she says. “In a world where we see a lot of people achieving lots of amazing things on social media, that comparison is the thief of joy.” Just because you don’t run marathons doesn’t mean you’re not a hardcore runner. Just because your paces are slower than a friend’s doesn’t mean they’re not legit. “If you've gone and you've run 20 meters up the road, then you can run,” she says. And as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you can get better at running. 

The Takeaway

There are many different ways to get better at running. To be strategic about what your personal training plan might need, take a close look at what it’s currently missing, and consider what ingredients you might be able to work in to get closer to your goals. 

Also, don’t forget how far you’ve already come. “Take a little moment to remember that first run that you did,” Susie says. “I do this a lot. That first run was awful, and now I'm running a bit better.” (If by “a bit better” she means setting world records, sure. But we digress…) By seeing how much you’ve already improved, you’ll remember that yes, it is possible to get better at running. You already have. 

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.