While we all run at different paces and in different places,
many of us share a common goal — to get faster. It might be
faster than your buddy, or faster in your next race, or even
faster than yesterday…but the minute you hit “stop” on your
watch it’s running human nature to start doing the math on how
you can improve. Problem is, with so many programs promising
fast gains, the vast majority of runners don’t conceptually know
how to begin getting faster. Should you run longer? Should you
cap your heart rate? Do you need to go faster? Is it the shoes?
The answer, actually, is closer than you think: if you want to
become a faster runner, you need to focus on the pace your
running muscles can sustain. The Heart of the Problem If you are
like 80 percent of the runners on the road today, you own and
use a heart rate monitor to guide your training. If not, you
have probably seen the color-graded chart of exercise intensity
on the wall of your local YMCA or gym, encouraging you to hit a
target heart rate for specif