How to Run Faster: Free 12-Week Running Training Plan to Build Speed and Endurance

Looking for a free running training plan that actually helps you run faster? One that teaches you why you're doing each workout, not just what to run? You're in the right place.

I'm Coach Kelly, founder of Badass Lady Gang, and I've spent years coaching runners of all paces through the mental and physical challenges of getting faster. Today, I'm excited to share our newest free training offering: Build Your Base – a comprehensive 12-week training plan designed to help you build aerobic endurance, add smart speed work, and get strong.

And yes, it's completely free.

What Makes This Free Running Training Plan Different?

Here's the truth about most free running plans you'll find online: they tell you what to do, but not why you're doing it. They give you workouts without context. They leave you guessing whether you're doing it right, pushing too hard, or not hard enough.

Build Your Base is different.

This isn't just a training plan – it's a structured 12-week training experience that combines education with execution. You'll understand the science behind each workout, which builds the lasting confidence and mental resilience that makes you a stronger runner long after the 12 weeks are done.

What's Included in Build Your Base?

Over 12 weeks, you'll work through a progressive training plan that includes:

Aerobic Endurance Building

• Gradual progression of your long run from wherever you are now to 60-90 minutes

• Weekly guidance on pacing and effort levels

• Education on why aerobic base matters for speed development

Strategic Speed Work

• 200m repeats to develop running economy

• Hill workouts for strength and power

• Interval training to improve VO2 max

• 800m repeats for sustained speed

• Four different mile time trials to track progress and develop mental toughness

Strength Training for Runners

• Complete access to Coach Amanda's 8-Week Bodyweight Strength Series

• 12 runner-specific strength training videos

• No gym membership required – all bodyweight exercises you can do at home

Education and Mental Game Development

• Weekly lessons on pacing strategies

• Fueling guidance for training and racing

• Recovery protocols that prevent injury

• Mental game techniques to push through hard workouts

• Community engagement prompts to develop intrinsic motivation

How to Run Faster: The Science Behind Speed Development

Want to know the real secret to getting faster? It's not just about running hard. It's about understanding how different types of workouts develop different physiological adaptations.

Aerobic base development increases your body's ability to utilize oxygen efficiently. This is why we progressively build your long run – it's the foundation that allows you to run faster for longer.

Speed work develops your running economy (how efficiently you use oxygen at different paces), increases your VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake), and teaches your body to clear lactate more effectively. But here's the key: speed work only works when you have an aerobic base to support it.

Strength training prevents injury, improves running economy, and builds the power you need to maintain form when you're tired. It's non-negotiable for runners who want to get faster without getting hurt.

This is exactly why Build Your Base includes all three components. We're not just making you tired – we're making you faster, stronger, and more resilient.

Who Is This Free Running Training Plan For?

Build Your Base is perfect for you if:

✅ You want to learn how to run faster with structured, science-backed training |
✅ You have at least 4 weeks of running base (2-3 days/week, 20-30 min runs at conversational pace)
✅ You want to add speed work but don't know where to start
✅ You're training for a specific race OR just want to become a stronger, faster runner
✅ You want community support without paying for coaching
✅ You're ready to commit to 12 weeks of consistent training

Important prerequisite: This plan includes speed work starting in Week 1, which means you need at least 4 weeks of consistent running base before starting. If you're not there yet, start with our free Couch to 5K program, build your base for a month, then jump into Build Your Base.

Free vs. Coached: What's the Difference?

I believe structured, quality training should be accessible to everyone. That's why Build Your Base is completely free. But I also know some runners want more personalized support and education.

Here's how our free and coached options compare:

Build Your Base (FREE)

• Self-paced 12-week training plan with written guidance

• Weekly written lessons embedded throughout the plan

• Community engagement prompts for mental game development

• 12 Coach Amanda bodyweight strength training videos

• Flexible training plan that works for a wide range of runners

• Community support in our free online platform

• Move at your own pace with structured support

Coached Training Experiences (like Fastest Way To Get Faster)

Everything in the free experience PLUS:

• Weekly live coaching calls with Coach Kelly

• Real-time Q&A and personalized guidance via email

• Detailed lessons on advanced topics

• Weekly journal prompts with group discussion

• Dedicated cohort training together toward the same goal

• Access to our complete strength and yoga video libraries

BALG Training Team (Year-Round Group Coaching)

• Everything above PLUS multiple customized training plans

• Flexibility to train for whatever you want, whenever you want

• Ongoing community and coaching support month after month

Think of it this way: Build Your Base gives you the training plan, structure, and community. Our coached programs give you all of that plus live coaching and deeper personalized support.

Both are great. It just depends on what you need right now.

Why Training with Community Makes You Faster

Here's what I've learned after years of coaching: runners who train with a community stick with their training longer, push harder during tough workouts, and have more fun doing it.

When you join Build Your Base, you're not just getting a training plan – you're joining a crew of women working toward the same goal. You'll celebrate mile time trials together, hype each other up before hard workouts, share struggles and wins in real-time, and build friendships with women who understand exactly what you're going through.

Solo training works. But training with a crew? That's magic.

When Does Build Your Base Start?

When you’re ready! All the training materials will live in our free online community's Resources collection permanently. The plan lives in the Build Your Base Training Experience space in our “Resource” collection of our online community and is waiting for you when you’re ready!

How to Join This Free Running Training Plan

Ready to learn how to run faster with a plan that actually teaches you the science behind speed?

Here's how to get started:

1. Join our free online community (if you're not already a member)

2. Navigate to the Build Your Base Training Experience in the Resources Collection

3. Introduce yourself in the kick-off post – we want to know you!

4. Review the training plan and get familiar with the structure and rsources

5. Show up and start Week 1 with your personal best

That's it. No cost. No commitment. Just you, the plan, and a community of badass women ready to get faster together.

The BALG Philosophy: Education Over Blind Execution

I need you to understand something important about how we approach training at Badass Lady Gang: we believe in education over blind execution.

Anyone can hand you a training plan. But when you understand why you're running 800m repeats, why your easy runs need to stay truly easy (and what that means because running rarely feels easy), and why strength training matters for speed development, you build lasting confidence in your training decisions.

This confidence is what carries you through hard workouts, helps you navigate setbacks, and turns you into a stronger, smarter runner – not just for these 12 weeks, but for years to come.

That's the Badass Lady Gang difference. And that's what you'll experience in Build Your Base.

Ready to Build Your Base?

I've been coaching long enough to know that the runners who commit to structured training – who show up consistently, trust the process, and engage with the education – are the ones who see real results.

You don't need expensive coaching to get faster. You don't need a fancy gym membership. You need a solid plan, the science to back it up, and a community to support you.

Build Your Base gives you all three, completely free.

Join our free community and start Build Your Base →

Have questions? Drop them in the comments below or join the community and ask in the Build Your Base kick-off post. I read every single comment and I'm here to help.

You've got this. 💪

-Coach Kelly

P.S. If you want more than the free experience – affordable ongoing coaching, personalized support, and access to multiple training plans year-round – check out the BALG Training Team. It's month-to-month or yearly subscription-based affordable coaching for runners who want to run smarter, stronger, and with more joy.