Stalled Running Progress? Understanding Plateaus and Maintaining Fitness

Question
Hi Rick - I have been running 4 - 5 miles 5 days a week for the past 16 mos. I don't run competitively, just to stay in shape and because it's good for my sanity (I'm a stay at home Mom with 3 small children). I run a little less than 9 minute miles. Prior to this I walked 3-4 miles 5 days a week. I'm 5' 3" and over the last few months have gone from 112 to 118 lbs. My diet has not changed and I'm wondering if I've just reached a plateau with my running, or if it's just my age (I'm 37). Any suggestions?

Answer
Joanne,

I don't know what the answer is to your question exactly, but I have some ideas.  It sounds to me like you are stuck in a constant rut of the same mileage and same frequency per week, so this causes a plateau for you.  The reason is your body becomes more efficient over time at performing the same job (running 4-5 miles a day), and uses up less calories this way.  Metabolism also is affected, because its becoming more efficient and doesn't burn as many calories as well.  If your metabolism goes at a standstill and doesn't get 'fired up' any more than it needs to, weight gain can happen.  

I would suggest breaking up your runs with 1-2 minute surges of faster paces, with recovery breaks of easy jogging for 2-3x that time.  An example of this is running easy for 5 minutes, then hard for 2, and recovery jogging for 5.  Then, go hard for 2 minutes again, and recovery jog for 5.  You can play with as many hard-easy combinations as you like, depending on your total training time for each day.

I would also chop off some 4-5 mile runs and replace it with harder effort runs for shorter distances, such as 1.5 to 2 miles worth.  Or, try running in a local 5K and shoot for a great time.  This extra speed-work in your workouts will give your body a shake-up and cause you to burn more calories well after your run.  It is this 'afterburn' effect that can help keep your metabolism 'fired up' for well long after your run.

I hope this helps you out well.

Rick Karboviak
http://tips.speeddialcoach.com