How to overcome the stagnation

Hi guys, how are you doing today?

I got the following question in my youtube video in the past and I want to share the questions and answer with you guys today.

Here’s the question.

‘I have been training consistently for 3 years but my improvement is so modest and I am losing my motivation to run. I was wondering if you have any suggestions?’

Do I have any suggestions?

Yes sure. Don’t lose your motivation or even if you lose your motivation, have self-discipline and keep running with it.

But I know this is not what you want from me.

So, let me address your problem.

First of all, in this situation, there are only 3 reasons why you cannot run faster now.

First, this is your genetical limit. How fast we are able to run is determined by our genes and scientific tools like carbon plate shoes, asphalt, glucose drink etc.

However, you can delete the first factor because if you already reached your genetical limit, you’ve trained for 20 years perfectly. I mean literally perfect, there is no mistake at all. In your training and outside of training including how to choose your wife. It’s like becoming a 100% batter in the Major League Baseball.

Basically, no human being cannot be perfect. So, there must be things you can improve a lot.

Second, simply you should be more patient. Now all you are doing is right. But simply you need more time and repetition. It could be. Sometimes, a runner improves dramatically after a few years stagnation suddenly. It could happen.

But if you have run only for 3 years, I don’t think this is not your case too. You could dramatically get faster.

Third, how to train is wrong or not ideal. This is the most common case.

And I will tell you the 3 biggest common mistakes.

First, many amateur runners train only hard and easy including taking a full rest. When they train hard, they train at the maximal effort. And other than that, they do only light jogging or very often taking a full rest.

In this way, there are some problems. Today I will explain them just a little bit.

First of all, without solid base you cannot run fast even if you run at the maximal effort.

Second, your body cannot adapt to too hard training.

Third, if you train too hard in one running session, you cannot increase the frequency of running including hard workouts.

Fourth, if you train too hard in one running session, it takes longer time to recover and as a result you lose a chance to increase the frequency of effective workouts.

Fifth, since these runners underestimate how effective easy run and moderate run is, their total running volume is low.

Sixth, they don’t do the most effective workout, in other words, moderate run.

Long story short, training only hard and easy is one of the biggest common mistakes that amateur runners make.

Second mistake is not adding a new training stimulus. To improve things, we always need new training stimulus. Improvement comes from what we don’t do. Also, this is the reason why there is no perfect training program for everyone.

If you lack long runs, long runs make you faster so much. If you have never done interval workouts, interval workouts get you faster dramatically.

Even moderate volume and moderate run, it’s not always the same pace and same distance if you do moderate intensity and moderate volume run properly. Once 10km a day becomes your moderate volume, try to increase your moderate volume to 12km a day. Once 12km a day becomes your moderate volume, try to increase your moderate volume to 14km a day.

In terms of intensity, it naturally increases. If you run with the same effort all the time, your moderate run gets naturally faster and faster if your body adapts to the training. So, even if you do the same workout on paper, the training stimulus should change.

Also, this is the reason why you need periodization.

Third, the internal training load is too hard and internal training load is determined by total external training load and your recovery ability.

So, first of all, you need to learn how to write your training program properly and second, you need to improve your recovery ability. The best way of improving your recovery ability is increasing your moderate volume and moderate intensity step by step. This is also the reason why training only hard and easy is wrong. If you train only too hard and too easy, especially if you focus on only the intensity, you cannot improve your recovery ability.

So that you cannot improve a lot.

Also, you need to know the law of diminishing return. There are some ways to explain what the law of diminishing return.

But there are only two things you should remember about the law of diminishing return as a runner.

First, the higher level you are at, the harder training you need to improve further and the lower level you are at, the easier training you need to improve further. ‘The higher level you are at’ means, how close to your genetical limit.

In this sense, 2:20 female marathoners are at as high level as 2:06 male marathoners because both of them are already so close to their genetical limits.

Very often, amateur runners say ‘In the beginning, I improved a lot but nowadays I don’t improve so much nevertheless I train just like before. Is this because I’m already too old or something?’.

No, you don’t improve anymore because you just train just like before, in other words, it’s because of the law of diminishing return.

Second thing you should remember about the law of diminishing return is, this law works also for one workout. Meaning, if you keep doing the same workout consistently, you can improve a lot in the beginning, but later you can get only less improvement from the same workout. The more you repeat the same workout, the less benefits you can get from the same workout.

Also, this is the reason why you need to do various workouts and periodization.

Long story short, if you assess the above things by yourself, you’ll find out what you need to do to improve further.

Now, I want you to think about this. If you know all principles and mechanisms of training and human body, you can easily find out what you should do to improve further, in other words, you can run faster easily and beat other amateur runners easily and can get faster dramatically in the next 2-3 years.

If this is what you want, my 9 hours online course ‘the most effective training system for distance runners and marathoners’ is definitely perfect fit for you.

So, if you want to learn more about training and mechanism of our human body to run faster more easily, beat other amateur runners more easily and get faster dramatically in the next 2-3 years, all I want to ask you is, just click the link below, see what it is and see if it is definitely perfect fit for you by yourself.

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