When it comes to improving your running, there are no shortcuts.

But there are smarter ways to train.

Over the space of 9 years, I went from:

🏃‍♂️ 3:17 marathon → 2:20 marathon
🏃‍♂️ 25:14 5K → 14:34 5K

And one thing became very clear during that journey:

If you keep doing the same training every day, you’ll improve…

But very slowly.

Small tweaks to your training structure, recovery, and habits can make a huge difference over time.

Here are 10 running hacks that can help you improve your performance — some of which you might not expect.

One of the simplest but most effective habits you can build as a runner is a short daily routine.

This should include a mix of:

• Core work
• Strength exercises
• Stretching
• Foam rolling

The key is that the routine should be specific to you.

You can do it before or after your run, at whatever time of day works best.

Once it becomes part of your routine, consistency becomes much easier.

And those small daily improvements add up quickly.

Ideally aim for:

5 sessions per week

But even 2 sessions per week is better than none.

Running places a big demand on the body and mind, so this routine should feel like both physical maintenance and mental reset.

You can see some of the routines I personally use here:

A lot of runners simply go out and run the same pace every day.

That’s one of the slowest ways to improve.

Instead, introduce structured harder days into your training.

These could include:

🏃 Track intervals
🏃 Tempo / threshold runs
🏃 Hill sprints
🏃 Hill repeats

These sessions push you out of your comfort zone and improve your speed and efficiency.

Ideally your week should include:

2–2.5 harder sessions per week

You can also add:

4–6 × 50m strides at the end of easy runs.

One golden rule:

Keep your easy days easy and your hard days hard.

This allows your body to recover and absorb the training.

Pre-building workouts on your watch can make sessions much easier to execute correctly.

Instead of constantly checking your watch for:

• Time
• Distance
• Pace

Your watch will guide the session automatically.

It tells you:

When to run
When to recover
When to push

This allows you to focus on running, rather than managing the workout.

Strength training is essential for runners, especially in the early years.

Your body needs time to adapt to the load of running.

Stronger muscles allow you to:

✔ Handle higher mileage
✔ Maintain better form
✔ Reduce injury risk
✔ Produce more power

Ideally include:

1 weighted strength session per week

Examples:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Deadlifts
• Calf raises

You don’t need to lift extremely heavy — focus on good form and controlled movement.

Also aim for 3–4 bodyweight sessions per week.

And remember:

Hill running is strength training in disguise.

When heading out for a run, there’s usually a choice:

The flat route
or
The hillier route

Most runners choose the flat option.

Start choosing the hills more often.

Hills improve:

✔ Running form
✔ Muscle strength
✔ Power
✔ Cardiovascular fitness

And they do it without leaving you overly stiff the next day.

Alternate between:

Hill sprints
Short, explosive reps on steeper hills.

Hill repeats
Longer efforts on more gradual hills.

Train on hills…

Fly on the flats.

If you want race pace to feel comfortable…

You need to train slightly faster than it.

Breaking faster running into short intervals is a great way to do this.

For example:

8 × 90 seconds hard
with 75 seconds recovery

These sessions push your VO₂ max and help your legs turn over faster.

Over time, your goal race pace starts to feel much more manageable.

Carbon-plated racing shoes have changed the game in distance running.

They help runners maintain faster paces more efficiently.

They aren’t cheap — but they can make a real difference.

They’re best suited for runners running faster than 5:30/km (8:50/mile).

Just remember:

Don’t train in them every day.

Save them for:

✔ Key sessions
✔ Race day

Recovery is just as important as training.

And the most powerful recovery tool is sleep.

That’s when your body:

• Repairs muscle damage
• Rebuilds energy stores
• Adapts to training

Ideally aim for:

At least 8 hours of sleep per night

Sometimes more during heavy training blocks.

One simple tip:

Put the phone down earlier.

Those extra minutes scrolling rarely help your running.

Sleep does.

Training hard means fueling properly.

Once you increase your training load, your nutrition needs to increase too.

Otherwise you risk falling into a calorie deficit, which can hurt performance and recovery.

Try to keep your diet mostly clean and balanced, while still allowing occasional treats.

A few key points:

Before harder sessions:
Increase carbohydrate intake.

After harder sessions:
Aim for 20–40g of protein to support recovery.

Training and nutrition always go hand in hand.

If you want to run a fast time…

Pick the right race.

Look for events with:

✔ Cool weather
✔ Flat courses
✔ Large fields of runners
✔ Strong crowd support

These factors can make a big difference on race day.

And remember:

When you're hurting late in a race…

So is everyone around you.

That pain is temporary.

The result can last forever.

When you run that magical PB…

Don’t forget the post-race pizza.

You’ve earned it.

These are some of the small changes that helped me improve dramatically over the years.

But every runner develops their own habits and tricks.

So I’m curious:

Which of these do you already do?

And which one will you start adding to your training?

Come share your thoughts in the discussion inside the Running Hub community.

👇

Join the conversation and tell us which “running hack” has helped you the most.

Thanks for reading.

Improving as a runner isn’t always about pushing harder — often it’s about making small adjustments that add up over time.

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to explore some of the other running insights and training tips below.

Onwards and upwards,
Coach Nick