Why Runners Botch Pace on New Race Distances benefits of being a runner is seeing progress. Hitting a distance you never reached before? Instant ego boost. Running faster than you thought possible? Basically invincible. But when progress stops happening, it’s a real mood and motivation killer.
While becoming a better runner takes time and dedication (and is rarely a linear feat!), some tried-and-true tips will get you clocking your best performances and overcoming those plateaus codirector of the Sports Cardiology Center at Cleveland Clinic, RRCA-certified run coach, and.
To help you snag all the advantages of running and continue progressing your distance and speed, along with health and wellbeing, we turned to top experts across different disciplines. From sports medicine and physical therapy to nutrition and mental performance, we tapped doctors, coaches, and more to get their best advice for boosting your running. Here is what they’ve learned over many years, from their research, personal experience, and working with others.
1. Progress Gradually
“Increase volume, increase intensity, but never both at the same time. For volume, the old adage of 10 percent increase each week is pretty good advice, but after two weeks of increasing, take a week without increasing before going back to the 10 percent increase.
For intensity, the easiest way [to increase it] is to incorporate it within your normal run. Start by running one minute hard (5K pace) every five minutes. You can eventually increase the time and the frequency as you progress as a runner. These are considered fartlek runs (speed play) and don’t require a track or a measured distance.”—Kevin Hanson, head coach of Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project, who has previously worked with runners like Des Linden
2. Fight Fatigue With Fuel and Fluids
“Even just 30 grams of an easily digestible carb-based snack, like a banana or toast eaten just before a workout, can help improve feelings and performance for runs 60 minutes or longer. During a long run (90 minutes or more), adding one gel (25 to 30 grams of carbs) every 45 to 60 minutes may improve performance and delay fatigue.
To improve hydration status before a run, drink 16 ounces of your favorite sports drink containing sodium as the main electrolyte 1.5 How to Master the 5k.
After a run, I recommend drinking another 16 ounces of a sodium-containing electrolyte fluid with a nutritious carb-rich meal, such as eggs and rice with veggies, a sandwich, or a bowl of oatmeal with fruit.”—Namrita Brooke, Sole Legacy Coaching DAA Industry Opt Out Runner’s World mdash;Rachel Selman, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., physical therapist and owner of
3. Strengthen the Mind-Body Connection via Strides
“Adding in strides at the end of a run is a great way to work on the brain-body connection. Telling yourself to speed up for 20 seconds and having your body respond helps firm the connection between your brain and body, and it’s a skill you can bring into race day.”—Lennie Waite, ldquo;Longevity in running absolutely requires a baseline of underlying
4. Build a Strength Base
“Longevity in running absolutely requires a baseline of underlying strength. The stronger your foundation, the less everything else matters. Strength improves resiliency in nearly every aspect; you will never regret taking the time to invest in the basics—like core, hip, and ankle stability—so that you can learn to enjoy the brutal.”—Rachel Selman, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., physical therapist and owner of Synthesis Performance and Recovery
5. Know When to Push and When to Pull Back
“As a youngster, my approach was to absolutely hammer everything. I didn’t know any different. I just ran as hard as I could pretty much everyday. It didn’t matter if it was a workout day or an easy run. But my body broke down and got injured because I was pushing myself too hard all the time.
What helped me become a better runner and a coach eventually, was learning over the years from my coaches to understand that it’s not always about going 100 percent every day. Some days are deliberately 70 percent, other days are 90 percent and so on. So understand when you do those different two-time Olympian 2000 and 2004, head coach of Boston Athletic Association High Performance Team ldquo;There is a place for using.
Learning when to push and when to run easier was the secret sauce for me in staying injury free and having consistency.”—Mark Carroll, two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004), head coach of Boston Athletic Association High Performance Team
6. Find Your Weaknesses and Address Them
“Running is a continuous process of learning, improving, and adapting. Start by identifying your weaknesses—these could be physical conditioning, mental toughness, nutrition, hydration, recovery, gear, or even knowledge and experience. Running exposes these gaps, and self-awareness is the key to improvement.
Commit to daily progress by focusing on your ‘why’—the deeper reason you started this journey. Whether it’s better health, weight loss, Is It Okay to Take Breaks During a Long Run.
Take deliberate and consistent action based on a structured plan. Improvement doesn’t happen overnight, but small, intentional efforts add up. Focus on making smart choices every day—whether it’s strengthening a weak muscle group, How to Build a Strength Base in 4 Weeks.
Finally, measure your progress and refine your approach. Every training cycle, race, and tough workout is an opportunity to learn. Instead of getting discouraged by setbacks, view them as data points that guide your next steps.”—Kelvin Brown, M.D., M.P.H., licensed medical physician, surgeon, marathoner
7. Dedicate Your Miles to Someone
“We often look inward to push through the challenges of running, yet sometimes looking outward proves to be just as motivating. In my toughest miles, I think of someone special in my life and I hold that thought tight by thinking of moments, memories, and milestones of my relationship with this person. It might bring smiles, laughter or different emotions, but having that outward focus on someone else gets me through my toughest mile.
If the next mile proves to be just as challenging, I think of another special person in my life and focus on only them. It’s simple yet effective and a reachable way for anyone to push through and transform their running one mile at a time.”—Vanessa C. Peralta-Mitchell, RRCA-certified running coach, founder of Game Changers, a program that helps get more women of color to become certified run coaches
8. Keep Easy Days Easy
“Embrace easy running. We live in a culture that has spawned ‘isms’ such as ‘embrace the grind’ and ‘get 1 percent better every day.’ This mentality, while admirable in its intent, is detrimental to the development of distance runners.
Ways to Make Hard Workouts Feel Easier easy days and let them be just that—easy. If you can speak in full paragraphs the entire run, it qualifies as easy.”—Jeff Cunningham, head coach of Health & Injuries
9. Create a Smart Racing Schedule
“To avoid overuse injuries, licensed medical physician, surgeon, marathoner racing calendar. Think about your priority race for the year, find a training plan for it that is within your ability level, and see if it makes sense to include other lower-priority races, rather than just throwing darts at the wall and doing every race you can.”—Cristina Nistler, athletic trainer and owner of Superior Running Medicine
10. Learn to Love Carbs
“Don’t fear carbohydrates. As a runner, carbs are our best friend. Our brain and muscles prefer to run off of carbohydrates. Try eating a simple carbohydrate before all your runs, like graham crackers, pretzels, bananas, or toast, and notice how much better you feel on your run.
Make sure to take gels, chews, and/or a sports drink on long runs over 80 minutes to support performance, fitness, and recovery. Feeling gassed on runs? Throw some carbs at it and notice the difference.”—Meghann Featherstun, R.D., C.S.S.D., sports dietitian and founder of Featherstone Nutrition
11. Track Your Training
“The best way to predict future performance is to collect data from our past performance. I recommend runners keep a very simple diary of their training runs that indicate not just mileage and time but also the temperature, weather, clothing worn, water or carbohydrates consumed during the run, and if the run felt good or bad. This way, one can arrive at a race day (or any day) best prepared to succeed for the distance and conditions.”—John Vasudevan, M.D., associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, director of the running and endurance Sports Medicine Program at Penn Medicine, and Runner’s World mdash;Rachel Selman, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., physical therapist and owner of
12. Speak Kindly to Yourself
“A poet once said, ‘the words we speak become the house we live in.’ If we frame running as the rhythm of steps on beat with your self-talk, every time you lace up you get to choose the thoughts, words, mantras that power your next step. Choose in the direction of empowerment and grace.”—Kayla Jeter, How to Build a Strength Base in 4 Weeks
13. Shift Your Training as You Age
“For lifelong runners, the traditional mindset of ‘more miles equals better performance’ needs a shift, especially in perimenopause and postmenopause. If you’ve been running for years, your endurance base is already built. Research suggests that women are naturally designed for endurance, with superior fat oxidation and estrogen’s muscle-protective effects. But as estrogen declines, recovery slows, muscle mass decreases, and bone density can be compromised, making it essential to train smarter, not just longer.
The key is quality over quantity. Studies confirm that strength training, plyometrics, and mobility work help preserve muscle, power, and bone health. This means shifting from a high-mileage mentality to a strategic approach, where intensity and recovery are carefully balanced. You can still enjoy your long, easy miles, but your weekday sessions should be intentional and strength-focused. Embracing this shift isn’t about doing less, it’s about doing what’s necessary to keep running strong, fast, and injury-free for decades to come.”—Athena Farias, NASM-CPT, RRCA-certified running coach, exercise physiologist
14. Fix Overstriding
“Running medicine research has uncovered one kind of running form to be closely linked to injury and that’s overstriding. This is when you’re first touching down on the ground and runners overreach too far out in front of their base of support, have a high contact angle (think toes pointing up toward the sky) rather than having the foot more parallel with the ground, and a very rigid straight knee when they land.
One of the few panaceas in running rehab is cadence manipulation. By increasing preferred cadence by 5 to 10 percent, this trifecta can be cured. Spotify has great playlists that you can pair with the cadence you need.”—Colleen Brough, P.T., D.P.T., assistant professor at Columbia University and founding director of the Columbia RunLab
15. Find a Cross-Training Activity You Enjoy
“With running, it’s easy to fall into the trap of emphasizing specificity above all else and believing that getting in miles is always the most important thing. There’s some truth to the amount of specific training needed to reach the goals we have set. But, I also think there’s room for some variety to keep training feeling fun and fresh and also give the brain different kinds of stimuli.
Recently, I’ve been replacing a lot of my running volume with mountain biking. It’s a blast and leaves me feeling less mentally and physically depleted than if I added more running volume to my week.
The brain responds well to new and different challenges. Even if there’s not a perfect correlation to running, trying different things can be really beneficial to help develop the mental skills (mental engagement, problem solving, and attentional control, for example) that will help you be successful on race day.”—Addie Bracy, certified mental performance consultant, professional ultrarunner, and coach
16. Make Hydration More Enjoyable
“Encourage fluid intake during your runs by adding flavor and electrolytes to your water. Not only does added sodium help your body hold onto fluids better than drinking plain water alone, but having some flavor in your fluids can increase your drive to drink more.
Focus on the three R’s of recovery. After exercise, it’s important to replenish glycogen stores with carbohydrates, repair muscle damage with protein, and rehydrate with fluids and electrolytes (primarily sodium). Getting the three R’s in within 30 to 60 minutes of finishing a run prepares the body for the next workout, and helps ensure adequate energy availability throughout the day.”—Roxanne Vogel, Ph.D., director of research and education at GU Energy Labs
17. Stay in the Moment
“Your mind will generate all sorts of thoughts while running. Judgments about performance. Comparisons to others. Comparison to your past self’s times. Worries about pain and fatigue. On and on it goes. The more you argue with, try to control, or suppress these thoughts, the slower you will run, the less enjoyable it will be, and the more your attention will go to being inside your own head.
Instead, let your thoughts pass by like leaves on a stream and tune your attention into the present moment. Notice the movement of the body. Feel the air against your skin. Take in your surroundings. Take it all in with your senses as fully as possible. This is mindful running, mdash;Mekela Mongerie, RRCA-certified running coach at stress when running.”—Mike Gross, or proving something to yourself, keeping your motivation in sight will fuel your consistency Runner’s World mdash;Rachel Selman, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., physical therapist and owner of
18. Find the Right Shoes
“Don’t run in the same shoes, and run in appropriate shoes.
And different workouts require different types of shoes, so switch them out if you can. But really, the right shoes can make all the difference.” —Toni Chatmon, RRCA-certified running coach, head coach of Manhattan Christian Academy
19. Keep Resistance Bands Handy
“There is a place for using heavy weights in strength training to gain power, but for injury prevention and recovery from injury, stick to simple resistance bands. The bands come in different resistance tensions, they add a measure of challenge to the movement versus just bodyweight, as they promote focusing on the working muscle.
Also, bands are very versatile. They are lightweight, you can take them anywhere, and they can be used for many movements.”—Mekela Mongerie, RRCA-certified running coach at runs speed play and don’t require a track or a measured distance.&rdquo
20. Embrace the Discomfort
“When training starts to feel tough or a run feels hard, I remind myself that pushing through the tough moments is what leads to breakthroughs. If you allow yourself to get uncomfortable, growth is inevitable.”—Tamanna K. Singh, M.D., ldquo;There is a place for using Runner’s World mdash;Rachel Selman, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., physical therapist and owner of
Editor’s note: Some of these interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
