How do you improve pace?

[coffeewithmilk]

I've been running since before lockdown and managed to get my running pace at around 6'23"/km
I've recently had an operation a month ago and obviously haven't kept up my running. Just back from my 4th run since the op and it's like my stamina has gone, can't get anywhere near the pace I was at. Managing around 7'55"/km now.

How do you improve on pace, and keep going without stopping when you run?

Thank you!

Fartleks. You sprint a short distance, walk back, sprint further, walk back etc. It really does increase your pace, especially if you do them uphill

You're asking two different questions here, which I suspect may be part of your problem.
So do you want to run faster, or do you want to run longer (stamina?)
The latter usually leads to the former, but it doesn't work the other way round- which is why 100m runners can't race marathons, but a quality marathon runner will beat most ordinary mortals in a sprint.

You can get faster by doing sprint intervals or fartlek training, as the pp said. But given your pace is so steady at the moment, you'll likely see improvements just by upping your mileage and doing one faster run a week. So, say, one speed session with intervals, two steady runs and one long run a week would have a massive impact. In terms of keeping going in your steady and long runs , just slow right down and chug along. If you're struggling to talk, you're running too fast!

Thank you both your your answers.
I'll take it on board - managed a 5k run this morning at 6'53" so I'm happy to get under 7!!
Will try fartleks definitely.

Thank you!

I’ve found following a set programme has helped me. I’m doing the 5k - 10K app. It has 3 runs a week.

Run 1 is straight forward steady run, but not for very long, it starts off at 20 minutes and Now half way through the programme It’s increased to 25 mins. Run 2 involves interval training, so either mixing steady runs with temp runs, fast runs and easy jogs. These are only 20-25 minutes overall. The. Run 3 is the longest run of the week and each week it’s got longer by 5 minutes. This week I have to do a 50 minute steady run.

I ran just under 5k at a pace of 5.17 yesterdaY, compared to 5.49 a few weeks back.

There are 3 NHS C25k+ podcasts designed to help with speed after completing C25k.
Speed- warm up, 5 mins steady run, x6 1min intervals of faster/ slower, cool down.
Stepping Stone & Stamina, more of a threshold style of building pace through a run. Stamina is a bit longer and faster than Stepping Stone.

I like the way it' run to the beat, and that means they stay a challenge because the effort of maintaining that beat tends to stay the same as performance increases and you get more power in each stride.

Definitely sprint intervals to increase speed! They are bloody exhausting though! I started doing 2 mins sprinting, 2 mins slow jogging and back to 2 mins sprinting. Now I do all sorts of variations.