As someone who runs 5 to 10 km, you may have found yourself hitting the runner’s plateau. As with weight lifting, runners find themselves difficult to push past a certain point.

If you are looking to get to either a half or full marathon, you will need to figure out how to break through the barrier. Throughout this article, we will be going over some of the top tips that you can use to do just that.

Create a Routine

1. Add More Miles

One of the main things that you should be looking to do when you are trying to get yourself to the next level as a runner would be to prioritize creating an endurance routine. Endurance should be at the forefront of your efforts.

You want to ensure that you are doing everything you can to boost your endurance. Instead of prioritizing speed, you want to focus solely on endurance. The best way to do this is by running more. You should be focusing on adding miles every week. This will help you gradually buildup your endurance.

You won’t be able to get yourself to that next level without maximizing your aerobic capacity. This is what you want to be doing when you are looking to get yourself to that next level as a long-distance runner.

2. Add Hills

Another good thing that you should be able to do to create a much better routine that will continue to help your endurance would be to find a route with hills.

You want to look to add hills to your workouts because it can make a big difference when you are looking to get the most out of your runs. Hills will add a lot of elements to your running abilities that can enhance the way you run and the results you can get out of your runs.

You could potentially substitute lifting weights with running hills. That is how effective hills can be to your routine. You will be able to utilize hills as a means to improve your balance, posture, power, and the engagement of all of your core running muscles.

Adding hills to your regular training routine can be a difference-maker when it comes to getting the most out of your long-distance runs.

3. Vary Your Training

Another good thing that you should be doing when you are trying to break through a plateau would be adding variance to your runs. You should be looking to stimulate different muscles and try to build up strength and endurance by varying your running intensity.

You can easily do this by incorporating more variance in your intensity levels throughout your runs. This means including more sprints during your long-distance runs.

By varying the level of intensity during your runs, you should be able to break through plateaus that would otherwise be difficult to do.

4. Weight Train

Another thing that you should be looking to do if you are looking to take your running to the next level would be some weight training. Weight training can be a very effective way to become a better runner.

You want to engage in weight training because it will strengthen your leg muscles which can improve your ability to maintain a steady pace and to maximize your endurance.

You should be looking to add various leg strengthening exercises to your workouts for the best results.

5. Set Goals

You shouldn’t be starting with your efforts to take your running to the next level without fitness goals in mind. You want to give yourself specific fitness and running goals that you want to hit.

This will ensure that you can check your progress and keep yourself on track to reach your running goals. You should be setting and keeping goals as much as possible throughout your journey.

6. Get Sleep

Your focus on recovery is another critical factor in getting the most out of your training. Sleep is a very important element of improving your endurance due to your body’s natural ability to recover during sleep.

How Can Diet and Supplements Help?

1. More Whole Food

When you are looking to get the most out of your running performance, you should be focusing on your diet. Your diet will be the number one factor that comes into play when it comes to getting the most out of your body.

What you eat is ultimately what will determine your endurance. You need to be getting a lot of whole foods in your diet that give your body everything it needs to perform at the highest possible level.

This is generally why you see professional athletes focusing on their diet so much. You should be getting a lot of high-quality protein in your diet and limit the number of processed foods.

2. More Vegetables

You want to get as many vegetables as possible as a runner. Vegetables serve multiple purposes. For one, they are typically high in complex carbohydrates.

As a runner, you will need to get a sufficient intake of complex carbohydrates for quick sources of clean energy. Likewise, they will provide your body with the necessary vitamins that you need to maintain high performance as a runner.

3. Vitamins and Supplements

There are several vitamins and supplements that you should be considering taking as a runner. For one, you want to get a high-quality protein supplement in your diet. While getting your protein through whole food sources is certainly ideal, the chances of you being able to get sufficient intake of protein through food sources alone are very slim.

This will give your body the protein it needs for optimal protein synthesis. Also, you should be looking to incorporate high-quality BCAAs in your diet.

This will speed up your muscle recovery which can expedite your body’s natural ability to recover from long runs. This can hold you back the most when you are actively having a half or full marathon training.

As you can see, there is a lot you can do to improve your ability to breakthrough running plateaus. By using the tips above, you should be able to become a much better endurance runner.