Whether your goal is to run a faster 5K or marathon, you will benefit from becoming a more economical runner. If you take two runners with all other variables equal, the more economical runner will run faster, especially in long distances. If you want to run faster, keep reading to learn how to improve your running economy.
What is Running Economy?
Note: There is a distinction between economy and efficiency. Economy will refer to oxygen cost of producing a given output. Efficiency refers to the ratio of mechanical output to energy produced. In running, it is more difficult to measure mechanical efficiency, so we just talk about running economy. Sometimes, efficient is used as a synonym for economical.
Running economy is the measure of how economically you use oxygen during a run – more technically, your steady-state oxygen cost at any submaximal pace. Along with your metabolic thresholds, VO2max, and fatigue resistance, this is one of the physiological variables that determines running performance.
Running economy is important enough to make the difference between who runs a faster race, when all other factors are equal. Two runners with the same VO2max can have wildly different running economies – by some estimates, up to 30%. Especially in longer distances like the marathon, the runner with the higher running economy will perform better.
Beyond performance, many runners can feel good about their running economy. When you feel smooth and efficient on runs, that is often a result of improved running economy. In comparison, if you strain through workouts and feel inefficient in training, you will greatly benefit from improving this aspect of fitness.
Running economy is complex. Variables including training approaches, muscular and tendon strength, nutrition, and shoe choice can all impact how economical you are. You can train to become more economical – and you can also use certain shoes and nutritional aids to further enhance your trained running economy.
What Impacts Running Economy?
A 2015 review in Sports Medicine outlines various factors that contribute to running economy. These factors include endurance training, resistance training, muscle tension, nutrition, and environment. Since the release of that study, research has further expanded, particularly with the advent of supershoe technology.
Running economy is trainable. While some runners may be more genetically gifted, you can train in ways that make you a more economical runner. While factors like VO2max can plateau, this variable can continue to improve over years of training.
How Do You Measure Running Economy?
Unfortunately, your Garmin cannot accurately predict this metric. In exercise science studies, researchers use a gas analyzer to measure oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production while running at various paces. You can’t easily hook yourself up to a metabolic cart while training, nor are these lab tests accessible to a majority of runners.
You may be able to estimate oxygen cost via proxy measures such as reliably measured heart rate or well-calibrated RPE. For example, you perform a marathon pace tempo run one week without supershoes, and then perform it the next week (in similar conditions) with supershoes. If you had lower HR and reported RPE on the second run, you could hypothesize that your running economy was better with the supershoes.
Some runners can feel changes in their running economy during workouts. If you feel noticeably smoother and more efficient on runs, your running economy has likely improved.
How to Improve Your Running Economy
Train with Strength Training & Plyometrics
Tissue stiffness and tendon elasticity contribute to running economy. Heavy resistance training and plyometric (jumping) exercises alter the mechanical properties of the musculo-tendon unit. With consistency over several weeks, your tendons and muscles become more spring-like during runs. Spring-like tendons return more energy into the stride, while stronger muscles output more force – both leading to improved running economy.
A 2024 meta-analysis in Sport Medicine found that heavy load, low rep strength training, plyometric training, and a combination of the two improved running economy. For runners who race at paces slower than 8:05/mile (12 km/hr), plyometrics conferred particular benefits in running economy. Faster runners received more benefit from heavy resistance training. When combined, both heavy strength training and plyometrics had a moderate effect on running economy at all paces.
More is not necessarily better with strength training. Two to three sessions of strength training and plyometrics, totaling 30-60 minutes each, are optimal for most runners.
Related: Strength Training for Runners: How to Lift for Performance
Race in Supershoes
Carbon-plated running shoes provide an immediate improvement in running economy (for most runners). A 2023 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine demonstrates the significant and positive impact that carbon-plated shoes can have on running economy. In the study, some runners experienced up to an 11.4% benefit from the supershoes.
These supershoe benefits apply to mid- and back-of-the-pack runners too. A 2023 study on recreational runners found a 0.9% improvement in running economy at 9:40 min/mile pace (10km/hr) and a 1.4% improvement at 8:05 min/mile pace (12 km/hr).
Not every runner responds equally to supershoes. The above-cited 2023 meta-analysis found 10.8% inter-individual variability in supershoe response in amateur runners. Some runners experienced as much 1.1% drawback in supershoes. Many ran faster – but some actually had worse economy and ran slower in the tested supershoes.
Likewise, the above-cited 2023 study on recreational runners observed that some runners perform worse in supershoes. Out of the sixteen study participants, five (31%) demonstrated worse running economy in the plated shoe.
Since some runners are non-responders, and since there are now so many varied models of supershoes available, you want to observe your individual response to supershoes. If you notice that workouts are slower (or the same) or that you feel worse training in them, then the shoes are not beneficial for you.
Another way to know if your running shoes improve your running economy? Their comfort. Whether you wear carbon-plated or traditional shoes, research demonstrates that comfortable shoes improve running economy (see this 2023 meta-analysis).
Train at Goal Pace
Some coaches claim that marathon pace is not beneficial to train at, since it’s faster than easy pace but not fast enough to improve speed. That’s simply not true – because of how the trainability of running economy works.
You become more economical at the paces you regularly train at. If you are training for a marathon, you will become more economical at race pace if you regularly train at it in the eight to ten weeks before a race. The more economical you are at goal pace, the lower the energy cost will be on race day – and the longer you will be able to sustain that pace.
Try these marathon pace workouts or half marathon pace workouts when training for your next race.
Run Strides
Strides are short accelerations to a fast pace, which stresses the neuromuscular system. (This article will guide you through how to do strides.) Typically, you do four to six strides after an easy run, with generous rest in between. Most training plans include strides for a good reason: doing one to two sessions of strides per week improves running economy. And yes – smooth, efficient form over short bursts will translate to long run economy.
A 2018 study using both male and female trained runners demonstrates the efficacy of strides. After only a 40-day intervention, the runners saw a 2% improvement in running economy – and a 3.2% performance improvement.
Back Off of Static Stretching
At best, static stretching has no impact on your running economy. At worst, it negatively affects how economically you move by reducing musculo-tendon elasticity and energy return.
A 2009 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found a negative correlation between flexibility and running economy. The more flexible the runner, the less economical they were. In normally flexible runners, a broader review of the research found that pre-run static stretching impaired running economy by 1.7% (when the stretch was held for >90 seconds). Likewise, static stretching <90 seconds led to worse running performance across the data.
As a coach, I often hear runners claim that they need to stretch more. However, if improving running economy (and performance) is your goal, you will get more benefit out of the other interventions listed here than worrying about stretching.
Nuance applies here. For a small subset of mobility-limited runners, static stretching may be beneficial. If your flexibility and mobility are so limited that you cannot move through a full range of motion in the running stride, you may benefit from exercises that improve flexibility and mobility. (Particularly, this applies to runners whose physical therapist has instructed them to stretch.)
Warm up Before Runs
Pre-run warm-ups are known to improve performance via increased muscle temperature, enhanced range of motion, increased neuromuscular firing rates, and increased blood flow. Additionally, dynamic stretches in a pre-run warm-up may acutely improve your running economy.
A 2024 randomized controlled trial found that even 60 seconds of dynamic stretching before an easy-pace run led to more economical runs. In comparison, static stretching during a warm-up yielded no effect.
Dynamic stretches are active movements through a full range of motion. These differ from static stretching, in which the muscle is stretched to its end range of motion and held. Dynamic stretches include leg swings, walking lunges, bodyweight squats, in-place marches, and more. You do not need a long warm-up; even a five-minute routine is effective.
Related: How to Warm up Before Runs (on the Tread Lightly Podcast)
Increase Training Volume
In this discussion, higher volume is relative – not an absolute. There is no magic mileage for a better running economy.
However, if you can sustainably increase your training volume even modestly, you will likely improve your running economy. If you are logging 20 miles per week (32 km per week) and increase consistently to 25-30 mpw (45 to 50 km per week), you will become more economical (assuming all other variables equal).
Importantly, your training volume should encourage you to run frequently with good form, whether you are doing hard or easy miles. Too hard, too often, is counter-productive. If you are struggling through most runs with bad form because of fatigue, you are not working productively towards better running economy.
You also must respect your personal limits. If higher volume results in burnout or injury, you are better off scaling back your mileage to a sustainable level.
Related: How to Safely Increase Running Mileage
Consider Supplements
It is worth noting, however, that supplements do not replace the previously mentioned training strategies. Rather, supplements enhance running economy.
Beetroot juice supplements are beneficial, when dosed appropriately. Beets contain dietary nitrates. Upon ingestion, your body converts these inorganic nitrates into nitric oxide. Your blood vessels dilate, increasing blood flow and therefore oxygen delivery. This effect may improve running economy since it theoretically reduces the energetic demands of racing.
A 2021 review in Nutrients recommends 300-1040 mg of dietary nitrate, take two to three hours prior to a race. You must research beetroot supplements before taking, as nitrate dosage will vary across brands.
How to Improve Your Running Economy, Simplified
Do not feel like you have to do everything on this list. If a stimulus is new, you will respond more to it (initially). Start with a few items on this list, not everything at once.
For example, you may opt to start with resistance training, warming up, and strides (especially since those will improve fatigue resistance and other aspects of performance as well). After a while, you may progress to add in supershoes and plyometrics.
Whether you choose just one thing to change or more, give it time! Running adaptations occur over months and years, not days.
