Episode 30 - The Plateau Problem: Why Ultrarunners Stop Improving and How to Move Forward

In Episode 30 of The Trail Running Briefing, we explore why ultrarunners sometimes stop improving even when they are training consistently and working harder.

A plateau doesn’t always mean you need more mileage or more intensity. It can mean your body has adapted to the same training stimulus, accumulated fatigue is hiding your fitness, recovery or fuelling is insufficient, or your training is no longer targeting the qualities that actually limit your performance.

We look at the importance of purposeful progression, keeping easy runs genuinely easy, strength training, durability, recovery weeks, adequate fuelling and race-specific preparation.

The key message is simple: training is not about collecting more kilometres, it is about creating adaptation. Before doing more, understand what needs to change.

Key References:

1. Zanini, M., Folland, J. P., & Blagrove, R. C. (2026).Regular Long Runs and Higher Training Volumes Are Associated with Better Running Economy Durability in Performance-Matched Well-Trained Male Runners.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 58(1), 162–173.

2. Zanini, M., Folland, J. P., Wu, H., & Blagrove, R. C. (2025).Strength Training Improves Running Economy Durability and Fatigued High-Intensity Performance in Well-Trained Male Runners: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 57(7), 1546–1558.

3. Tiller, N. B., & Millet, G. Y. (2025).Decoding Ultramarathon: Muscle Damage as the Main Impediment to Performance.Sports Medicine, 55(3), 535–543.

4. Llanos-Lagos, C., Ramirez-Campillo, R., Moran, J., & Sáez de Villarreal, E. (2024).Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.Sports Medicine, 54(4), 895–932.

5. Sperlich, B. et al. (2023).The Proportional Distribution of Training by Elite Endurance Athletes at Different Intensities During Different Phases of the Season.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1258585.

6. Oliveira, P. S. et al. (2024).Comparison of Polarized Versus Other Types of Endurance Training Intensity Distribution on Athletes' Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

7. Mountjoy, M. et al. (2023).2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Consensus Statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57, 1073–1097.

8. Meeusen, R., Duclos, M., Foster, C., Fry, A., Gleeson, M., Nieman, D., Raglin, J., Rietjens, G., Steinacker, J., & Urhausen, A. (2013).Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of the Overtraining Syndrome: Joint Consensus Statement of the European College of Sport Science and the American College of Sports Medicine.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 45(1), 186–205.