WHY YOUR RUNNING HAS PLATEAUED (and how to fix it)
Maybe you’ve been running for multiple years and now feel stuck. Or worse, you’ve regressed (not a good place to be). If this is you, consider the three things below.
OVERTRAINING
You could be overtraining or running all your runs too hard. If you always feel tired and you’re not hitting faster paces, even in your “speed workouts,” then there is a good chance you’re overdoing it. Or, if you’ve always run at a moderate pace, it could be that you’re aerobically deficient because you never took the time to develop your aerobic base by doing lots of easy Zone 1 and Zone 2 running.
If you think you may be overdoing it, you may need to take some time off (up to two weeks) to recover properly and then go into 12+ weeks of mostly easy aerobic base-building work. Then get back into a structured program where you’re doing roughly 80% of your runs easy and 20% hard (this is just a reference and doesn’t have to be exact percentages).
UNDER-TRAINING
Similar to overtraining, if all your runs are easy, then you’re inevitably going to plateau. Yes, easy running is the foundation of endurance running, but it will only get you so far and can actually make you slower over time.
If you’re not consistently doing harder workouts (threshold, VO2, anaerobic), then you may have a good base, but your ceiling will be low. You need to do the hard workouts to raise that ceiling, which will raise your floor over time. Add in at least one harder day per week (short repeats at threshold or VO2) or some tempo work anywhere from 30–60 minutes. Adding in some strides or hill sprints at the end of an easy run is also great for getting the legs moving.
PULL A NEW LEVER
Maybe your training plan is on point. You prioritize easy days, and you consistently get in quality sessions. Maybe you’ve been trying to PR your marathon time for a while now, and you just keep running close to the same time. Think through everything and ask yourself: What lever have I not pulled? Volume? Recovery? Nutrition? Fueling? Strength training? Heat training?
Unless you’re a professional, you likely have something that you haven’t dialed in yet or even thought about. Maybe try increasing your weekly volume a little and see if that helps. Or maybe prioritize getting 8+ hours of sleep each night during peak training. Or hit the gym if strength training isn’t something you’re currently doing. There are a lot of things that can help improve your running, and it’s often the little things that are easy to ignore.
If you’re struggling to improve, feel like you’ve hit a plateau, and want structured training and guidance on optimizing your training plan, I am a UESCA Certified Run Coach and I’m here to help. You can reach out to me through the contact page on this website or send me a message on Instagram @cam_i_am1110.
