Why Your Half Marathon Has Plateaued (And How to Train for a Breakthrough)
Tread Lightly Running Science PodcastShow Notes
Repeatedly missing your running goals is a frustrating experience, especially if you are training hard for a race. In this episode, we discuss what causes a half marathon plateau and solutions to break through to the next performance level. You will learn how to know if you need more speed, goal pace training, endurance, or strength when training for a half marathon. Even if your races have not plateaued, the advice in this episode will help you keep progressing in your half marathon times.
Thank you to our sponsors: ✨Title Nine: Comfortable sports bras that actually fit, from a women-owned company. Use code RUNTOTHEFINISH for free shipping at https://runtothefinish.com/title-nine/ ✨ Tailwind: Complete sport nutrition made simple, including hydration mixes, high-carb sport drinks, endurance fuel, and recovery mixes. Use code TREADLIGHTLY20 at https://tailwindnutrition.com/TREADLIGHTLY for 20% off your first purchase.
In this episode, you’ll learn about: ✅ What defines and causes a performance plateau ✅ Recovery variables that could cause a plateau ✅ Why more is not always the solution to a performance plateau ✅ If speed, endurance, or another variable is your limitation ✅ Why overdoing half marathon pace could plateau you
If You Enjoyed this Episode, You May Like: 🎧 Does Zone 2 Actually Matter for Runners? (6 June 2025) 🎧 VO2Max Workouts, Threshold Runs, and More: Understanding the Different Type of Running Workouts (12 April 2024) 🎧 Why 80/20 Does Not Work for Every Runner with Jonah Rosner (12 December 2025) 🎧 Fatigue Resistance: How to Not Slow Down at the End of Your Race (18 April 2025)
References 🔬PMID: 32421886 🔬PMID: 41765005 🔬PMID: 40740427
Tread Lightly Running is hosted and researched by Amanda Brooks and Laura Norris, MSc. Production, show notes, and graphics by Laura Norris.
Let’s stay connected: ➡️ Tread Lightly Running Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treadlightlyrunning/ ➡️ Laura Norris Running on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauranorrisrunning/ ➡️ Subscribe for weekly evidence-based newsletters, straight to your inbox, on https://lauranorrisrunning.substack.com/ ➡️ Run to the Finish on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runtothefinish/?hl=en ➡️ Thousands of running gear reviews and training guides: https://runtothefinish.com/
More from Tread Lightly Running Science Podcast
“You’ve got to have high challenge and high support.” In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Duncan Simpson of Dartmouth’s Teeven Center for Peak Performance to discuss the psychology of pushing yourself to your limits as a runner.
If you google “Half Marathon Training Plan,” the search engine presents you with an overwhelming variety of options: Galloway, Hansons, Hal Higdon, Daniels, and more. In this episode, we discuss the fundamental principles of volume, intensity, and progression in the most popular half marathon methodologies.
Running is not bad for your knees - if anything, consistent running is remarkably beneficial for your cardiovascular, metabolic, and mental health. In this episode, we delve into the research around running, disease risk, and mortality/longevity. You will learn how running improves heart health, lowers cancer risk, helps you sleep, and more.
Recovery tools have proliferated in the running world over the past few years: red light therapy, ice plunge buckets, peptides, and more. However, the expensive price tag does not guarantee efficacy. In this episode, we look at the data behind various recovery tools and if they actually work - or if they just come with a powerful placebo effect.
Are broccoli sprout shots the secret to your next PR? Will U-Can gels help you manage weight? And are greens powders a scam or magic bullet? We sit down with registered dietitian Alex Larson, the founder of Alex Larson Nutrition. She answers all our questions on GLP-1s, cortisol-reducing supplements, lactate gels, if Laura can make her own Nomio at home, and more.