Plateau help

[Skyeaussie]

Hi! I am newish to running and have worked my way up to running 5k and since I have started running outside I have seen somewhat steady progress. I track my runs with runkeeper, but I don't look at it until I am done and just run by feel. My last few runs have felt harder, even though my legs felt better than they have, but my time is not improving. I am looking to run 5k in under 35mins for a few races this summer but I'm not sure what is causing my plateau and how to get past it. I plan on trying some intervals to see if that helps. I have also been trying to lose weight and that is happening, but I am wondering if I am not eating enough for my runs, but I don't want to plateau in my weight decline yet. Any help would be appreciated!

[La]

For runs shorter than 60-90 minutes you don't really need to be concerned about re-fuelling. Some people are morning runners and don't eat a thing before they go out. It's entirely personal, though. Eat when you're hungry or if you feel your blood sugar dropping, but you don't really have to worry about eating anything extra before/after your runs. That said, it's a good idea to time your meals so that you're eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner within 30-45 minutes after your run.

As you lose weight your runs will start to feel a bit easier (plus, your body is adapting to the training effect). How many days a week are you running? Are you taking rest days? If you're new to running 3-4 runs a week is plenty.

Your idea of doing shorter intervals at a faster pace is a good one, but limit that to one run per week (for now). You can run faster for 1-2 minutes, then take 1-2 minutes of recovery by jogging or even walking.

Keep it up!

[ian]

Also, depending on what your recent weather has been like, it could just be an adaptation to warmer springtime temperatures.

[Skyeaussie]

Thank you so much. It is getting warmer out. I don't have a lot of weight to lose, more toning and trimming. I just worry that I can't get any faster. My husband (I know I shouldn't compare, lol) can go out running after months of not running and run faster and farther than me and I have been slowly building for months! I also take a long time to loosen up while I am running. I usually run 6 days a week with the occasional week being 5 times.

[Spirit Unleashed]

Patience.

Both on the fitness and the weight loss fronts.

[Mark.AU]

Don't mean this to be as crass at it might sound, but try running faster. It's harder, yes, but if you try a little faster once a week you will get faster.

For me, the clearest evidence of this is in my swimming; I can swim well, but when I try and swim faster - make myself uncomfortable with the effort - I get faster and what was previously uncomfortable becomes comfortable over time. Same with riding and running.

[mas_runner]

.My husband (I know I shouldn't compare, lol) can go out running after months of not running and run faster and farther than me and I have been slowly building for months! I also take a long time to loosen up while I am running. I usually run 6 days a week with the occasional week being 5 times.

Don't compare, to anyone...ever! The sooner you stop worrying about what others can do and just focus on your own running the better. You'll be way more relaxed and less tension = faster running. While running, do some periodic checks on how tense your shoulders are, they should be nice and relaxed. Shake out that tension.

Also, start with some very short intervals 30 seconds of running a bit faster (but not flat out) and then ease back. Do 6-10 of these and you should start to see some progress.