Six Considerations to Improve Run Performance
If you are a runner who has stopped progressing or keeps picking up niggles, the answer is rarely more miles. Here are six S&C considerations that move the needle on running performance.
In this article
Why Most Runners Plateau
The default response when a runner stops progressing is to add more miles. Sometimes that works. More often it makes the plateau worse — because the limiter was rarely aerobic capacity in the first place.
Here are six S&C considerations that move the needle on running performance, drawn from how I program runners alongside their normal training.
1. Strength Capacity
Running is a sequence of single-leg force-production events repeated thousands of times per session. The faster you want to run, the more force you need to put into the ground per stride. Underdeveloped force production caps top-end speed and limits how much running volume the supporting tissues can absorb.
Two strength sessions per week — squat or split-squat variations, hinge variations, calf and tibialis work, plus accessory work for the hips and core — is enough to add several percent to running performance over a season for most non-elite runners. The trade-off is favourable: a small time cost for a substantial performance return.
2. Plyometric Capability
Running uses the stretch-shortening cycle (eccentric loading immediately followed by concentric output). Plyometric training trains exactly this mechanism. Most non-elite runners under-train plyometrics — partly because the form is intimidating, partly because the early work feels too easy.
Progress is the answer. Start low-amplitude (pogo hops, ankle hops, low box jumps) and build to higher-amplitude work over months. The training stress is high relative to total volume, so even small doses move the needle.
3. Running Mechanics
There is no single “correct” running form, but there are mechanical features that improve efficiency: appropriate stride frequency (cadence around 170 to 185 for most runners is a defensible target), foot strike under the centre of mass rather than ahead of it, hip extension at toe-off, and trunk position that allows the hips to do their work.
Mechanical drilling — A-skips, B-skips, fast-leg drills, deliberate stride-frequency work — costs ten minutes a session and pays back over the year.
4. Conditioning Systems
Different races and different training goals stress different energy systems. A 10K runner needs aerobic base but also the lactate-threshold work that turns base into race performance. A 5K runner needs the same plus more high-intensity work near VO2 max. A trail runner needs eccentric tolerance and metabolic flexibility for hours of variable-intensity effort.
Programming conditioning means knowing which energy systems your goal stresses and deliberately developing them — not just running easy because that is what running clubs default to.
5. Recovery as a System
Recovery is where most amateur runners over-reach. Sleep, nutrition, easy-running pace control, and managing total weekly load are not optional inputs. The runners who progress year after year are the ones who treat recovery as a discipline equal to training, not a residual.
Heart-rate variability, resting heart rate, sleep time, and subjective recovery scores all carry useful signal. Use them to load training to actual capacity rather than ambition.
6. Progression Structure
The single most consequential feature of a running programme is the progression rule, not the workouts. Most ambitious runners will tolerate one big jump in volume or intensity — and break under two. Programming structure prevents the second jump.
Useful constraints: ten percent volume increase per week, no more than two hard sessions per week (long run + intervals), one full week of reduced load every fourth week. Boring rules. They keep you running through the season instead of injured halfway through.
Closing Thought
If you are running every day and stuck — the answer is almost certainly fewer junk miles, more strength, more plyometrics, and a stricter progression rule. Two strength sessions per week and a discipline around recovery will outperform an extra two easy runs in almost every case.
A follow-up post will go deeper into specific strength prescriptions for different distances. In the meantime: start with the six considerations above and see which one is the limiter.
Frequently asked questions
Why does strength training matter for runners?
Running is a series of single-leg force-production events repeated thousands of times per session. Underdeveloped force production caps how fast you can run and how much running volume you can absorb without breaking down. Strength training increases the stride-by-stride force output, raises the load tolerance of the supporting tissues, and reduces injury rate — all in 2 to 3 short sessions per week.
How much running volume should I do?
It depends on the event and the trainee. The most common error is doing more easy running, less of everything else. Aerobic base matters but so do quality sessions, strength work, and recovery. For a non-elite runner targeting 10K to half-marathon, two to four runs per week plus two strength sessions usually beats running every day at moderate intensity.
Are plyometric exercises safe for runners?
Yes, when introduced progressively. Plyometrics develop the stretch-shortening cycle, which is the same mechanism running depends on for stride efficiency. Start with low-amplitude work (pogo hops, ankle hops) and progress to higher-amplitude jumping over months. Skipping plyometric work means leaving free running speed on the table.
