“I can’t seem to improve my running. The more I train, the slower I get.”

Today we’re going to talk about a few key factors that, when adjusted, can help you get out of a performance plateau and reignite your motivation to train—and earn your medal at your target pace.

When we start running, we often feel like we’re constantly improving. And when the training plan is well-adapted to us, we keep progressing and improving our running times.

But it’s not always like that. When I feel like I’ve hit a plateau, I have to stop and check whether I’m making one of these common mistakes:

1. Always running at the same intensity

There are five different training stimuli that should be included in your running routine (I’ve written about them in a previous article series). Your body needs variation to adapt and improve.

2. Low training volume

If I run 30 km per week, I’ll have a certain level of fitness. If I run 70 km, I’ll reach another.But it’s important to increase volume progressively and adapt it to each person’s lifestyle.

3. Not respecting rest

Rest is just as important as nutrition. Without proper recovery, your body won’t adapt or regenerate well enough to improve performance.

4. Racing too often at high intensity

Not every race should be run at full effort. You need to choose which races are for training, which are tests, and which are your main goal races (this could be a great topic for another post 😜).

5. Lack of consistency

This is one of the main reasons runners stop progressing. And I’m not talking about consistency over days or weeks—I mean months and years.

There will always be more challenging periods. That’s why it’s so important to stay mindful of these five points and maintain open communication with your coach, so your plan can be reviewed and adjusted whenever needed.

See you in the next post.

Happy training and see you soon!