To run a faster marathon you need to introduce interval training to your program. To understand the various workout your training program should consist of check out this article: Types of running training.

Incorporating 1-speed work session a week in the form of interval training can take you from tortoise to hare in no time. The interval session that will be best suited to you depends on the distance you’re training for and the Goal time you’ve set for yourself. All intervals are designed to improve the rate at which your muscles can use oxygen, whilst performing at their peak or your VO2 max.

Although intervals sound scary, they can be a lot of fun. Keep them varied by introducing different Types of Interval Training and you will continue to be challenged and reap the speed rewards on the day of your marathon.

Hill repeats make you faster by strengthening your leg muscles. To overcome gravity and get you up the hill the muscles in your legs need to contract faster and more intensely. This gives you more power which, you guessed it, makes you faster.

Caroline’s Top Tip: Drink a teaspoon of L-Glutamine dissolved in half a glass of water after your hill repeat session. Glutamine is an amino acid (the building block of protein). L-Glutamine assists the muscle cells to regenerate after a hard session. Always check nutritional supplements with your Dr first to make sure they will work for you as an individual.

Mo Farah’s double gold at the London 2012 Olympics can be ascribed to weight training. He went from being a skinny guy to being a strong wiry guy because he spent a lot of time in the weight room. The philosophy that runners should only do lightweight strength training is outdated, with many new studies pushing runners towards weight training to develop their neuromuscular system.

If you have your sights set on a faster marathon or half-marathon, adding weight training to your regime in the form of plyometrics, resistance training, and core strengthening, is the way to go.

Caroline’s Top Tip: If you have never done plyometrics but you are keen to give it a go this is a great beginner session you might want to try: Plyometrics For Beginners. The key is to start gradually and increase the amount that you are doing slowly. That way you build your strength up with the minimal risk of injury.

That concludes the physical elements to faster running, but what about being a faster mental runner?

Many beginner runners suffer from imposter syndrome. Beliefs around not being a “real runner” or labeling yourself a “slow runner” can be detrimental to your performance. Many professional runners began their running careers later in life. Some of the best long-distance endurance runners were the last to be chosen for teams at school or the kid who always got touched first in the game of tag. Not every high-performing athlete comes from a sporty household or has supernatural genes.

When you believe you are the tortoise your body lives up to that belief. Yet when you believe you are the hare your body follows suit. Running and especially running fast is both physical and mental. The physical you can improve through the hard work we describe in this article, but the mental needs just as much attention.

Challenge your beliefs about your “running self” from time to time and learn to question your internal voice. It is also a good idea to run with faster runners every now and then to prove to yourself that you are actually psychically capable of running quicker.

Caroline’s Top Tip: Leave your GPS watch at home for some sessions and just have fun. When you feel great after a workout, that workout has been successful. You don’t need a GPS watch or quick splits to know you feel great.

Do not allow imposter syndrome to sabotage a willing, able, and strong body. We were all born to run. If you don’t believe it, watch this TED Talk by Christopher McDougall for inspiration: Are We Born To Run?

Good luck, you’ve got this!

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF RUNNERS in our FACEBOOK GROUP.