How to Push Through a Training Plateau

Are you struggling to make any gains in your running? Are you constantly frustrated as you just don’t seem to be making any improvements? Research shows that humans are happier when they make progress, when we work hard for something and we don’t see progress it makes us unhappy. This is so true in running, when we hit a patch when our hard work appears to be going unrewarded and it’s all too easy to give up and say, “I’m a failure.”

A “training plateau” (which means “a sudden and dramatic decrease in any noticeable results of your regular workouts”) is quite common in running and it isn’t anything to worry about, but where it can become a real problem is if it sucks the motivation out of you. The good news is there is plenty that you can do to get off the plateau.

Let’s go back to the start- do you remember when you were building your new running habit and any new run was exhilarating? You quickly progressed from wheezing and coughing after running between two lampposts, to then being able to run a whole mile. A few months later that progress slows, and you find yourself struggling with the same distances and speeds even though you’re doing all of the right things.

Part of the runner’s journey is being able to anticipate these plateaus and plan for them so that they don’t completely derail us when they naturally occur.

To push through these plateaus, the key is to refocus on small wins and find a way to get a teeny tiny bit better.

Are you running the same pace, over a similar distance using the same route, week in week out? Getting into good habits and being consistent is key to successful running. However doing the same thing over a long period of time often gives you the same results.

Try changing the pace on your runs, mix it up a bit- adding a bit of variety into at least one of your runs in your week can make a difference.

Getting into the “ugly zone”, as I like to call it, doesn’t have to be awful. Start off with baby steps- you don’t have to turn up to a track session, just use the lamppost method again to see what running a bit faster actually feels like.

Pick up the pace between 2 lampposts, focus on being in the moment, enjoy what it feels like to run a bit faster, listen to the body’s reaction, check your posture and by the time you’ve done this it will be over.

When you’ve finished your sprint, stay in the moment, what is your heart rate like? how quickly has it returned to normal? did you die? Probably not. Then go again and repeat a few times. You don’t have to do miles and miles of this, just a few to start off with and then build it up.

Another common issue I see with with training plateaus is being too fit. Yes, you did read that right.

If the physiological capacity of your heart and lungs (your engine), exceeds the bio-mechanical capacity of your body, then your body won’t be able to keep up with your engine (hence the car analogy).

Since you started running have you just worked on putting the miles in without a thought to conditioning or strengthening the mechanics of your body i.e. your arms, legs, glutes, core etc?

If this is the case for you, then think about adding some strength and conditioning work into your weekly routine; lifting weights, running hills, working on strengthening your glutes and hamstrings so you can build up the body ensuring it is in alignment with your strong, powerful heart.

Another common reason why you may have hit a training plateau is psychological barriers to progress. Ask yourself if you are employing any of the following reasons (the list is not exhaustive) because you would rather opt out than push yourself.

Is the thought of failing stopping you from trying something new? Some people are so crippled by the thought of looking stupid/failing/embarrassing themselves that they will do anything to avoid getting out of their comfort zones.

“too tired, too busy, too fat, too slow, not the right shape to be a runner, look stupid, too weak, too many other things to do, too hot, too cold, too hungry, too guilty for putting myself first, too anxious, what will people think of me”.

Do any of these sound, or feel, familar?

Changing your thought process is hard, I won’t lie, but one way I have done this for myself over the years as well as my clients, is by focusing thoughts on WHY you are running or training for a specific event. This gives you purpose to help you override these difficult brain mutterings.

You could start off by visualising your success, whatever it might be- it could literally just be heading out of the front door with your trainers on. Or it might be a finishing a tough hill session, or a enjoying a long run, whatever works for you. But by keeping focused and imagining yourself doing it, it becomes more likely to become a reality. Even imagining your success creates new neuro pathways in your brain which in turn enable you to succeed as your brain is creating a new reality. If you imagine the failure, then you will always be expecting awful results as this is your reality.

And what’s the worst that can happen? Failure isn’t something to be ashamed of, lots of people fail all the time, getting back out there and learning from failure helps you ultimately to succeed.

So those are my top tips and tricks for tackling what might be behind a training plateau. Let me know in the comments if this resonated for you or if you have any of your own- I’d love to hear them!

Verity x