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re: How to break through a running plateau

Posted on 3/16/24 at 7:30 pm to
Posted by RandySavage
Member since May 2012
30971 posts
Posted on 3/16/24 at 7:30 pm to
Trying to answer all the questions in one post...

Yeah, about 15 miles a week.

My speed work is typically like 1 or 2 min hard/1 or 2 min easy for 8 reps or so or maybe 1 mile slow 2 miles hard 1 mile slow and then on Saturdays I'll try to do 5-6 400s at like a 1:20 average with a couple minutes rest in between.

My "easy" runs are typically on hilly areas.

I could be wrong but I feel like it's my legs holding me back more than my cardio. I usually feel like if I started to speed up when it gets hard my legs would give out before my lungs but not sure how much of that is connected.

I'm 41 so while not old old I'm definitely well past my prime. Sometimes I feel like my legs just don't have the speed anymore but I used to have a lot of top end speed. Much faster than people I know that are running faster distance runs than I am now so surely that's not the issue.

I've dropped all the weight I'm comfortable dropping. I'm 6' between 185-190 typically and ran this morning at 179 but I look much skinnier. Don't want to look emaciated to get my time down.

quote:

Adding in things like rolling/stretching/re-boot recovery/strength building would be better to make sure the legs are able to handle the work load.


Do you mean like a muscle roller or is is rolling a running term I'm not familiar with? Also, what type/how much strength building do you recommend and on what days. The easy run days?

How much would doing like boxing cardio 2-3 times a week help my running cardio performance?
Posted by Ingeniero
Baton Rouge
Member since Dec 2013
18434 posts
Posted on 3/16/24 at 7:52 pm to
quote:

My speed work is typically like 1 or 2 min hard/1 or 2 min easy for 8 reps or so or maybe 1 mile slow 2 miles hard 1 mile slow and then on Saturdays I'll try to do 5-6 400s at like a 1:20 average with a couple minutes rest in between.


These are all good workouts.

quote:

I could be wrong but I feel like it's my legs holding me back more than my cardio. I usually feel like if I started to speed up when it gets hard my legs would give out before my lungs but not sure how much of that is connected.

I'm 41 so while not old old I'm definitely well past my prime. Sometimes I feel like my legs just don't have the speed anymore but I used to have a lot of top end speed. Much faster than people I know that are running faster distance runs than I am now so surely that's not the issue.


You'd be surprised how much your running will improve with added volume. That "pop" you need will come from the continued loading and deloading of your legs throughout longer runs

quote:

I've dropped all the weight I'm comfortable dropping. I'm 6' between 185-190 typically and ran this morning at 179 but I look much skinnier. Don't want to look emaciated to get my time down.

I think that's a fine weight to be at.

quote:

Do you mean like a muscle roller or is is rolling a running term I'm not familiar with? Also, what type/how much strength building do you recommend and on what days. The easy run days?

How much would doing like boxing cardio 2-3 times a week help my running cardio performance?

He means rolling your legs with a foam roller.

I add in my strength and core stuff on my harder days. I know there are different theories on what works better but that's what works for me. To me, I'm getting all the "fatigue" done on one day so my recovery can be true recovery

For now I'd try to increase your mileage by adding ~1 mile to each of your easy runs, each week. The 10% rule falls apart at really low and really high mileage so Jack Daniels (the running coach, not the whiskey) recommends an alternative of "total weekly mileage increase= # of runs you did the week before." Do that for about a month until you work up to about 25 miles per week and I bet you see another drop in your 5k time.
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