I've had the same PB for five years. I think I've hit a wall with my 10k times.
No matter how hard I try, I just can't get any faster.
Any of that sound like you? As runners,
we do tend to have a goal in mind when it comes to our running.
And usually that's getting faster over a certain distance.
But what happens when your times start to plateau and hitting those times just
seems impossible?
I'm Rick and today, along with Ana,
we're going to be looking at 10 reasons why you might not be getting any faster.
All of these things are going to help you get faster and improve your times.
Whether you think you're in a running rut or not,
there is a tip in here for everyone.
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So the first reason you might not be seeing an improvement in your speed is you
don't have enough variety in your running routine. Now,
I know I'm guilty of this. How many times do you say to yourself,
I'm going for a run and that's it?
You might have a distance or a total time in mind,
but in terms of a structured workout, that's about as complicated as it gets.
Varying your types of run,
and the types of running workouts that you're doing will help enable you to
improve your speed, strength, and endurance,
which is why it's important to take the time out to carefully plan the
sessions that you're going to do each week, to make sure that there's plenty of
variety. If you want to work on your speed,
then look at including intervals into your week or even some fartlek runs.
That will teach your body to run at a faster pace over shorter distances.
And you'll soon be able to build up to hold onto that speed,
over longer distances.
Interval training in particular can lead to physiological changes,
including an increase in your cardiovascular efficiency, or in other words,
your body's efficiency to deliver oxygen to your working muscles.
Interval training can also increase your tolerance to the buildup of lactic
acid. These changes result in improved performance, speed, and endurance.
Another factor that might be affecting your speed is the consistency of your
training. Be honest with yourself here.
Do you always have a regular running routine that you stick to?
If the answer is yes, then great,
but just make sure that you don't just do the same workout,
week in, week out.
Try and keep the structure the same and a similar relative effort.
On the flip side,
you might be someone who has no structure and just runs when they feel like
heading out or when a break in your schedule gives you enough time to go
for a run. If this is the case,
then this could be the reason you aren't seeing an improvement in your times.
If you are struggling to maintain pace or get faster then try and build in
a routine to your week,
making time for your runs and planning what you're going to do.
Make sure that you're not overdoing it with your training.
If you've got a time goal in mind that the temptation might be to up your
training and put loads of effort in, running all of your runs at a
hard effort. But remember there is a limit to what you can do.
Overtraining can lead to injury because you aren't resting enough then giving
your muscles and the rest of your body enough time to recover and adapt between
training sessions.
Over-training can also lead to an increased state of fatigue and increased
perception of the effort required during training. Now,
this really is something to look out for,
especially if you're completing a more intense training block than you're used to.
And be sure to check out our video all about over-training,
which will give you loads more tips to make sure that you're not overdoing it
when it comes to your training.
Who's guilty of not cross-training? I know I am.
Sometimes it feels easier just to step out the door and run rather than heading
to the gym, pool or doing a workout at home. However,
these workouts can make a massive difference to your speed.
Strength training is going to help you generate more power and potentially avoid
injury as well. It means, you'll be able to push off with more force from the ground,
potentially making you faster and improving on your running form and efficiency.
Cross training works a lot of different muscles in your body compared to running,
so can help give you a total body workout and will likely have lower
impact, depending on what you choose to do.
Abdominal workouts or body weight circuits, for example,
will help strengthen your core, which will help your running form,
which brings us on to our next reason.
Quite often, an improvement in your running form, translates into an improvement in your
running speed. So by getting it right, you can maximise your running potential,
therefore getting faster.
It might not be that drastic changes are needed. In fact,
the form of top athletes is often questioned too.
Some people believe that if Usain Bolt improved his form,
he could beat his own world record.
And lots of people were talking about the pronation of Joshua Cheptegei, when
he broke the 10,000 metre World Record in 2020.
There's a reason that those guys are all so fast.
A lot of it comes down to some impeccable training, of course,
but there is a natural movement for all of us,
which varies depending on our gender and on our build and
how we have traditionally run from when we first started too.
But if you want more tips on how to improve your running form,
check out our video, all about that.
It might be that you can hit the speed you need to, but not the distance you want to.
This is a combined issue with your pacing and your fitness heading off too
quickly in a race is very tempting,
but it's good to be aware of your limits and how far you can push yourself without
burning out.
So this is where interval training can be really useful.
Getting a feel for what your race pace feels like in training to know whether
you're going too fast or too slow is invaluable. So how about this,
if you're training for a faster 5k, for example.
So, do a one mile warmup and then run at one mile,
at your target 5k race pace.
Then give yourself 90 seconds jog recovery and do two more
miles individually at your 5k pace with 90 seconds jog
recovery in between. And then don't forget a one mile cool-down.
So that'll give you a really good indicator of what your 5k pace feels like.
And the aim of this session is to stay consistent throughout your three middle
miles to make sure that you're not going to slow down
with each mile that you run. If you're able to keep it consistent,
then maybe try upping the pace next time. Maybe it wasn't hard enough,
but if you do find that you're slowing with each mile,
then maybe you're a little ambitious.
This workout will allow you to pace yourself better.
When you attempt a longer run.
If you head out at the same pace as your one mile maximum efforts,
then you know, you're probably going to burn out before the end of your run.
You should aim to gradually decrease your resting time with this workout
each time that you do it.
So that eventually you get to a point where you can run the full 5k at
your target 5k race pace.
Quite often, other factors in our lives can have a big impact on our speed too. A late night, or
a lack of sleep can have a big difference on how our training session feels and goes.
Have you ever tracked your heart rate whilst you're out on a run?
Maybe if you went out and ran an easy 5k and track your heart rate,
and then the next time you went out and did the same run at the same pace,
but it felt harder. If you look at your heart rate,
you might find that it is more elevated on the second harder feeling run.
And this can be because of a number of different stresses on our body.
Perhaps you didn't sleep particularly well the night before,
maybe had a little bit of alcohol to drink. Whatever it might be,
your body is having to work that extra bit harder,
which is reflected in an elevated heart rate.
So that's something to bear in mind,
if you do feel like your getting slower, or your runs,
aren't feeling as easy as they once did.
When your body is affected by other life factors,
such as a lack of sleep, stress, your menstrual cycle, work, family disputes,
or other things. It can have effect in your training.
And this isn't just a psychological effect. It's a physiological effect too.
So don't be too hard on yourself,
if you aren't seeing an improvement because you're having a stressful time at
work or you've not been sleeping well,
make sure you prioritise your health and wellbeing.
And don't worry if your running speed takes a hit during particularly stressful
or busy periods of your life.
Have you considered the environment that you're running in and how that could
affect your running speed? Temperature, terrain, weather conditions,
these can all have an impact on how fast or slow we run.
In the summer months, when the weather is a lot warmer,
it's going to be much harder to hit faster paces for longer runs and workouts.
So you might see a plateau in your training. Similarly,
a change in terrain can also affect your speed.
There's very little chance of hitting the same pace on the trails that you can
get on the roads.
So, if you are looking to run faster, then just bear in mind your surroundings.
So, as the seasons change, so can our running times,
because of the number of different factors involved.
If you have got access to a track or somewhere flatter with a harder surface to
run faster on to practice your times, then have a little lookout for that.
But don't put pressure on yourself to hit the same times if you're running on
different terrains, because you'll find that they won't match up.
Another reason your runs might not be getting quicker is if you aren't fuelling
correctly, before you head out. We've made videos about hydration,
electrolytes and fueling for long runs.
And all of these factors will affect your running.
I can say with some certainty that you're not going to hit a marathon PB,
if you haven't fueled correctly or any kind of PB for that matter,
if you haven't drunk any water all day and you feel dehydrated.
So as well as focusing on your running,
think about the factors that affect it too.
You need energy to perform well and go faster.
And that's going to come from making sure you have the right amounts of
carbohydrates and electrolytes and hydration both before,
during and after runs.
And don't forget that fueling is just as important after you've done a session
as well. If you want to adapt and improve, and get faster,
the make sure you're paying attention to how you're refueling your body after a
hard workout.
And then the last one is not about how hard your legs are working.
You might think that running is all about the sessions,
but actually have a little look at your mindset because all up here
is where you can push that little bit harder.
If you're in the right frame of mind.
So if you're struggling with your training and feel like you aren't seeing any improvements,
take some time to think about why you run and why running is important to you.
Find a reason that's going to push you through those tough miles.
Your why for running. It might be a time goal that you're working towards,
that seems a long way off,
but doing each session is part of the process to hit that goal.
It might be a mantra that you recite. It might be your favorite song,
or it might be going and running in your favourite location
when training is really the last thing that you want to do,
you'll find that your mindset can be a valuable tool in pushing you
on to run faster.
So that's what we've often found to be the 10 reasons you might not be getting
any faster.
Any of those sound familiar or were there any that surprised you, that you're
going to try out?
Do you let us know in the comments below,
we love hearing from you and while you're here,
why not check out some of our other videos on The Running Channel?
We'll see you next time.