Beginner consitently getting SLOWER
I’m still relatively new to running, but I do have several years of experience with strength training and lifting.
I train hybrid style now: strength training + running. Right now I run 3x per week:
- 1 interval session
- 1 longer endurance run
- 1 easy run
The weird thing is that I’m consistently getting SLOWER instead of faster.
A few months ago I could run significantly faster at the same heart rate. Now my pace has dropped massively (from around 6:45/km to sometimes 8:30/km at similar effort/HR). Even after taking a full week off, things barely improved.
Another thing:
If I try to keep my heart rate low (around 145 bpm for Zone 2), I literally have to jog super slowly or even walk in between. Otherwise my HR shoots up quickly.
Symptoms/observations:
- legs often feel heavy
- heart rate climbs quickly
- runs feel harder than they should
- easy runs don’t feel easy anymore
- performance keeps declining despite consistency
I’m wondering:
- Is this just accumulated fatigue / overreaching?
- Am I doing too much moderate intensity?
- Could hybrid training interfere with running adaptation this much?
- Should I temporarily drop intervals and focus only on easy aerobic work?
- Has anyone experienced needing to run-walk to rebuild aerobic fitness?
Would really appreciate advice from people who’ve gone through something similar, especially hybrid athletes balancing lifting + running.