Breaking a plateau

A plateau usually means your body has adapted to the same training, or is too tired to adapt any further.

• Same runs at the same pace for months? Change the stimulus: add intervals, hills or a fartlek once a week.
• Every run moderately hard? Slow down your easy runs (about 80 % easy) and make your hard days truly hard.
• Always tired? Take a lighter week: progress often shows after recovery, not during the build.
• Check the basics: sleep, eating enough (carbohydrate especially), stress and illness all stall progress.
• Raise your volume gradually: more easy kilometres is often what unlocks the next step.

Give any change 4 to 6 weeks before judging it.