How to Get Faster Without Just Running Harder

Learn how to progress threshold running workouts safely, from short intervals to sustained tempo efforts, and how to increase pace without turning every session into a race.

• running training
• threshold training
• interval workouts
• Garmin workouts
• RunBuilder

Threshold training is not just about running harder.

If you want to move from short threshold intervals towards a sustained 30-minute tempo effort, the first job is usually to spend more controlled time at the same pace. The second job is to increase pace without changing the workout so much that it becomes a race.

That distinction matters.

Most runners understand one version of progression: pick a pace, then gradually spend more time at that pace. For threshold training, that might look like this:

At the same speed, that takes you from 12 minutes of work, to 15 minutes, to 24 minutes, and then to a more sustained 24-minute threshold-style session. That is a good progression.

You are increasing the amount of time you can spend at a controlled hard effort. You are also teaching your body that the pace is repeatable, not something you can only survive once.

Eventually, the aim might be to turn those broken intervals into something more continuous:

• 2 x 12 minutes
• 1 x 20 minutes
• 1 x 25 minutes
• 1 x 30 minutes

That is the basic route towards a solid tempo or threshold block. But there is another question that matters just as much:

Once you can complete the session, how do you get faster?

The mistake: changing everything at once

The obvious answer is to run the same workout faster.

That is also where a lot of runners get into trouble.

If you have worked up to:

and your long-term goal is:

it is tempting to jump straight from 11.1 kph to 12.0 kph.

That sounds simple. It is also probably too much.

On a treadmill, 11.1 kph is around 5:24/km pace. 12.0 kph is 5:00/km pace. That is not a tiny adjustment. It is a meaningful change in effort.

The session can quickly stop being threshold work and become something closer to a race effort. Instead of building fitness, you end up hanging on.

The better rule: earn the next pace

The better approach is simple:

Prove the pace, raise the pace slightly, reset the workout structure, then rebuild the session.

For this example, a sensible progression would be:

Each step is enough to move the training forward, but not so large that the workout changes character completely.

The important point is this: when the pace goes up, the workout should temporarily get easier.

That might mean shorter reps, more recovery, or less total time at pace. You are not failing by stepping the structure back. You are creating room for the faster pace to become controlled.

Four levers of progression

There are four main ways to progress an interval workout:

• Increase the total amount of time at pace
• Increase the length of each repetition
• Reduce the recovery between repetitions
• Increase the pace

The mistake is pulling all four levers at the same time.

For example, this is a big jump:

You have increased the pace while keeping the same rep length, the same total volume, and the same recovery.

A smarter move is:

The pace has increased, but the structure has become more manageable. Then you rebuild.

This is exactly the kind of progression you can build in RunBuilder, edit as your fitness changes, and then send to Garmin when you are ready. If you are new to structured sessions, the structured workout guide explains the basic workflow, and this guide covers building workouts for Garmin.

Example progression from 11.1 kph to 12.0 kph

Here is one practical way to move from 11.1 kph towards 12.0 kph.

Instead of linking every individual workout below, the practical approach is to open the first workout for each pace step in RunBuilder, then edit the repeat length or number of reps as you rebuild that pace. That keeps the templates useful without creating a separate public template for every small variation.

Step 1: Build control at 11.1 kph

• 6 x 2 minutes at 11.1 kph
• 5 x 3 minutes at 11.1 kph
• 4 x 6 minutes at 11.1 kph
• 3 x 8 minutes at 11.1 kph

Open the 11.1 kph starter workout in RunBuilder

This phase is about making the pace feel repeatable.

You are not trying to destroy yourself. You are trying to finish each session feeling like you could maybe have done a little more.

Step 2: Move to 11.4 kph, but reset the structure

Once 3 x 8 minutes at 11.1 kph feels controlled, increase the pace slightly.

Do not immediately repeat the same session faster. Instead, try something like:

• 6 x 3 minutes at 11.4 kph
• 4 x 5 minutes at 11.4 kph
• 4 x 6 minutes at 11.4 kph
• 3 x 8 minutes at 11.4 kph

Open the 11.4 kph starter workout in RunBuilder

The pace has moved forward, but the session has been rebuilt gradually.

Step 3: Move to 11.7 kph

Repeat the same idea:

• 6 x 3 minutes at 11.7 kph
• 4 x 5 minutes at 11.7 kph
• 4 x 6 minutes at 11.7 kph
• 3 x 8 minutes at 11.7 kph

Open the 11.7 kph starter workout in RunBuilder

At this point, you are getting much closer to the final target pace.

Step 4: Move to 12.0 kph

When 11.7 kph is controlled, move to 12.0 kph.

Again, make the structure easier first:

• 6 x 2 minutes at 12.0 kph
• 6 x 3 minutes at 12.0 kph
• 5 x 4 minutes at 12.0 kph
• 4 x 6 minutes at 12.0 kph
• 3 x 8 minutes at 12.0 kph

Open the 12.0 kph starter workout in RunBuilder

Only once that feels manageable should you start moving towards continuous tempo work:

• 2 x 12 minutes at 12.0 kph
• 1 x 20 minutes at 12.0 kph
• 1 x 25 minutes at 12.0 kph
• 1 x 30 minutes at 12.0 kph

That is the point where 12.0 kph is becoming a real threshold pace, not just a speed you can survive for a few reps.

How to know when to increase the pace

A pace increase should be earned.

A good sign that you are ready to move up is when the current session feels controlled rather than desperate.

Look for these signals:

• You complete every rep without fading.
• The final rep is hard but not a race effort.
• Your breathing is strong but controlled.
• Your heart rate rises gradually rather than spiking early.
• You recover normally within 24 to 48 hours.
• Your next easy run still feels easy.

If the final rep feels like a maximum effort, stay at the same pace for another week.

That is not a setback. That is training. The goal is not to win the workout. The goal is to make the pace repeatable.

Why this works

Threshold training sits in a narrow space.

Too easy, and you may not create enough stimulus. Too hard, and the session becomes more like interval or race-pace work. That creates more fatigue and can make the rest of the training week harder to complete.

Small pace increases help you stay in the right zone.

They let you nudge fitness forward without turning every workout into a test.

This is especially useful for runners who use treadmill speeds, because the numbers make progression very clear.

• A move from 11.1 to 11.4 kph is easy to understand.
• So is 11.4 to 11.7 kph.
• So is 11.7 to 12.0 kph.

Each one is a step.

Try the starter workout in RunBuilder

If you want to try this approach, start with the first session in the progression:

You can view and edit the linked workout without logging in. Saving workouts, scheduling them, and using protected Garmin sync features still follow the normal account flow.

Final takeaway

Getting faster is not just about running the same session harder.

A better approach is:

• Build the duration.
• Consolidate the pace.
• Increase the speed slightly.
• Make the workout easier.
• Rebuild the duration.
• Repeat.

For the example above, the clean progression is:

That gives the body time to adapt. More importantly, it keeps threshold training as threshold training.

The aim is not to prove you can suffer at 12.0 kph once.

The aim is to make 12.0 kph feel controlled enough that one day you can hold it for 30 minutes.