That's right. You've got this. / photo courtesy www.theviewfromfiveten.com via Pinterest

That’s right. You’ve got this. / photo courtesy www.theviewfromfiveten.com via Pinterest

Earlier this spring mother runner Diane posed the question we’ve likely all asked ourselves at some point or another: “How can I get faster?” More specifically, Diane wondered if shaving 10 minutes off her half-marathon PR (personal record) of 2:15 was realistic. We put this to the Tribe on the AMR Facebook page, and heard from many of you with words of encouragement and tales of your own PR crushes.
Any PR is a good PR, whether it’s simply seconds or many minutes. So to start, a sampling of mother runners who made it happen—with hard work and determination, no doubt.
Suzanne: “I took 15 minutes off my half-marathon second time around. It’s do-able for sure.”
Tammy: “I beat my 5K time by 4 minutes two weeks ago! So go for 2 hours!”
Jen: “I had a 12-minute PR at the Philly Marathon in November. 4:26 to 4:14! My goal for next time around is 4:05!”
Tonya: “I went from a 2:57 to 2:40 from one half-marathon to another.”
Candice: “I took an hour and 15 minutes off my marathon. ANYTHING is possible!”
Joan: “5 hours for my first marathon, 4:30 for my second marathon, and 4:01 for my third marathon. You can do it!”
OK, so how exactly did our PR-crushing mother runners get faster? A few ideas …
1.) Strength-train and cross-trainBethany, who went from a 2:10 half-marathon finish time to a 2:06 PR, offered this: “My running got significantly better after I incorporated TRX classes into my training. Just one class per week and I was noticing my running becoming faster … I loved it!” Others sang the praises of Pilates, yoga, weight-lifting, and cycling as ways to boost speed.
2.) Go from a longer distance to a shorter one. Julie went from 2:12 to 2:01 in the half-marathon not long after training for a full. “I think the extra mileage helped me get the PR.”
3.) Commit to speed work, speed work, speed work. “I was amazed at how the tempo runs and speed work at paces that I thought were unattainable improved my overall race, “ says Jessica, who cut 10 minutes off her 13.1 PR in five months, going from a 2:17 to 2:07.
4.) Have a birthday. Hey, the aging process does not have to mean slowing down. Consider Marcia’s first marathon time compared to how she finished several years later: “My first marathon was about 3:54 in 2006 and I crushed that in 2009 and ran a BQ 3:34.” She added that she’s “not sure I could do that again!” But we absolutely believe she could.
5.) Have a baby. Check out this awesome story from Patty: “In 2009, I ran a 30K race in 3:16. Missed 2010’s because of pregnancy. In 2011 I ran the same 30K race in 2:54.” Liz, meanwhile, went from 1:37:40 to 1:33:17 after having her baby. “I trained all summer and incorporated speed work and LOTS of tempos (two a week) and strides.”
6.) Join a running group. Jennifer had a 2:15 20K under her belt when she ran a 1:59 half-marathon just four months later. She credits her speedier ways to a commitment to speed training, cross-training, and meeting up with a group for long runs.
7.) Follow a solid, smart training plan. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the AMR Own It training plans—we’ve got you covered for the 10K, half-marathon, and marathon distances. For my most recent marathon, my fourth, I followed the 18-week plan and ultimately shaved 2 minutes off to finish in 3:41:02. I was thrilled. Cheryl has this success story: “Train Like a Mother got me over my first 13.1 finish AND helped me shave 12 minutes off my half time. Looking to get under 2:00 for my next with the Own It plan!”
8.) Recover well. Liz made a great point when she mentioned the importance of recovery days: “Recover on your recovery days and hammer the workout days.”
Have you crushed a PR lately? What’s helped you get faster?