Runners thrive on consistency, but don't let routine turn into a rut. "Following the same route every morning or recycling a trusty training plan will not necessarily produce PBs," says performance coach Kim Ingleby (kimingleby.co.uk). "Going outside your comfort zone takes physi...

training with less strain on your running muscles and joints because, while you're using the same muscle groups, they're being worked in a different (non-weight-bearing) way.And if you have reached a plateau, the added workouts can be done at a higher

Q I seem to have been quite a good runner from the start. In my first race I placed sixth; on the next couple I was pushing between second and third. Five years later I appear to be going backwards. I train very hard but I can’t seem to get better. My racing times sometimes don’...

reason, don’t proceed to the next week, but repeat the one you should have done. It may mean you have to miss half or all of the two-week module in Weeks 13/14, but at least you’ll have built up to the ‘plateau of fitness’ in the right way

finishing that very first marathon, to the pursuit of a PB or the challenge of fitting running into a busy lifestyle.You'll have one vote in each category - so choose carefully!The CategoriesFirst TimerOn a PlateauAiming for a Qualifying TimePB Hunter

Some training strategies, such as speedwork or tempo runs, seem written in stone – learn the basics, apply them as directed, reap the results. But when you hit a rut, reach a plateau, or just get tired of the same old stuff, it's time

or so higher. "In the opening stages of a marathon, the heart rate of both men and women should climb to the plateau of about 140bpm, working at about 70 per cent of your maximum effort, a guide we use for testing new athletes' fitness," says Pedlar

. For the warm-down, try 200m of backstroke. This uses the opposite muscles to front crawl; it helps stretch out the shoulders and open up the chest.If you find you hit a plateau when you're working on your speed, don't be deterred, because all your training from

improving, I stop trying"Stop trying - do box jumps insteadWhen you first start running, your times topple like trees. Then suddenly, you're stuck in a boggy field on the road to nowhere. You've reached a plateau - a natural stalling of your ability

plateau.Last spring, 1983 London Marathon winner Mike Gratton (right) got chatting on an RW forum thread about just that, and forumites aplenty soon asked him for training advice. (See the Q&A panel to the right for the highlights of that thread