ive been playing about three and a half years now, im 19, and my teacher at the college says im pretty good technically (though my musicality is another issue). nonetheless, im working on rachmaninoffs g minor prelude and im having a hard time playing the staccato octaves as fast as i want to. i can play the sixteenths at about 100 beats per minute but would like to be able to do so at about 120-132 for the repeated main theme after the slow section. ive read many books on how to use my arm and wrist etc. and im pretty sure ive got the basic action down, though i feel i need to do a lot of refining. my questions is, will it just take years of pravtice to achieve this speed (without tiring out)or should i be able to do it now if i had a perfected technique. comparatively i can play scales at about 160-172bpm and arpeggios at 144-160. any hints?

just keep practicing. it always takes practice to learn a new technique. after youve been practicing slow at first then speeding it up itll be a piece of cake to once you get it up too speed and itll be accurate.

What`s your problem with the octaves? You can`t play them fast, or when you play them fast you cant hit the notes, or something else?
How is the action on your piano?