Why Am I Running More But Getting Slower?

Anonymous112 wrote:

Over the past few months I’ve noticed a consistent dip in my individual running performance compared to my runs from last year to now. Despite improving race times this year, I've been consistently slower during my solo runs. This discrepancy has left me very confused, and I was hoping for some advice.
For more context, by running journey began during the cross country season of 2022. From August to October, my 2-mile time improved from 17:00 to 14:00. Post-track season of that same school year, I achieved a 6:00 mile, largely thanks to maintaining my fitness levels in between seasons. During this offseason, I consistently ran around 10-12 miles per week, with daily 2-mile runs 5-6 days per week, maintaining a pace of approximately 7:10-7:40 (usually aroumd 7:20-7:30) for most runs.
During the following summer (of 2023), I couldn't run as much as I wanted due to schedule conflicts. It was during this time that I first observed a decline in my performance. My stamina seemed notably diminished, and I felt considerably slower. I started to worry that I had regressed significantly, despite the longest break I had taken from running being just 5 days.
As cross country season approached again, being a year older naturally made me better than the previous year. My top time was 12:44 for 2 miles, creating a significant gap between that and my second best time of 13:36. This particular detail has always puzzled me. However, usually dismiss it because the course I ran in 12:44 was approximately 1.92 miles instead of the expected distance of 2 miles. This is just a random observation for reference.
I was content with my 2023 cross country season, yet I noticed a consistent difference in my home runs compared to those on practices or meet days. Whenever I ran, I consistently covered 2 miles, but my paces seemed fixed around 7:40-ish. Despite improved race times compared to last year, my solo runs remained considerably slower, which was quite disheartening and confusing.
Now that cross country season has ended, I've been consistently running at home, covering a 5K distance daily. However, this expansion in distance was more of a made-up excuse for my slower paces. My pace for 5K runs (not races) has ranged between 7:40-8:30, typically hovering around 8:00. What confuses me is that even on shorter running days of 2-mile runs, achieving paces faster than 7:30 seems unattainable (this is only for at home, as I haven’t been able to race recently). Comparing my current running paces to those from a year ago, they appear faster, despite being a year older and physically stronger. This situation is very discouraging because I want to feel like I’m improving, yet the more I work at it, it seems like little to no progress is being made.
Any advice or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. I've delved into research about running slower for longer durations, and it makes me wonder if I simply need to increase my mileage, perhaps from 3.2 to 5 miles? Yet, I've also had concerns about potentially overtraining. I'm genuinely puzzled as to why my performance at home has declined despite my improved race times. I'd also be grateful for any training schedule recommendations, as this situation has additionally presented quite a puzzling challenge for me. Thanks!

croaka wrote:

Anonymous112 wrote:

Over the past few months I’ve noticed a consistent dip in my individual running performance compared to my runs from last year to now. Despite improving race times this year, I've been consistently slower during my solo runs. This discrepancy has left me very confused, and I was hoping for some advice.
For more context, by running journey began during the cross country season of 2022. From August to October, my 2-mile time improved from 17:00 to 14:00. Post-track season of that same school year, I achieved a 6:00 mile, largely thanks to maintaining my fitness levels in between seasons. During this offseason, I consistently ran around 10-12 miles per week, with daily 2-mile runs 5-6 days per week, maintaining a pace of approximately 7:10-7:40 (usually aroumd 7:20-7:30) for most runs.
During the following summer (of 2023), I couldn't run as much as I wanted due to schedule conflicts. It was during this time that I first observed a decline in my performance. My stamina seemed notably diminished, and I felt considerably slower. I started to worry that I had regressed significantly, despite the longest break I had taken from running being just 5 days.
As cross country season approached again, being a year older naturally made me better than the previous year. My top time was 12:44 for 2 miles, creating a significant gap between that and my second best time of 13:36. This particular detail has always puzzled me. However, usually dismiss it because the course I ran in 12:44 was approximately 1.92 miles instead of the expected distance of 2 miles. This is just a random observation for reference.
I was content with my 2023 cross country season, yet I noticed a consistent difference in my home runs compared to those on practices or meet days. Whenever I ran, I consistently covered 2 miles, but my paces seemed fixed around 7:40-ish. Despite improved race times compared to last year, my solo runs remained considerably slower, which was quite disheartening and confusing.
Now that cross country season has ended, I've been consistently running at home, covering a 5K distance daily. However, this expansion in distance was more of a made-up excuse for my slower paces. My pace for 5K runs (not races) has ranged between 7:40-8:30, typically hovering around 8:00. What confuses me is that even on shorter running days of 2-mile runs, achieving paces faster than 7:30 seems unattainable (this is only for at home, as I haven’t been able to race recently). Comparing my current running paces to those from a year ago, they appear faster, despite being a year older and physically stronger. This situation is very discouraging because I want to feel like I’m improving, yet the more I work at it, it seems like little to no progress is being made.
Any advice or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. I've delved into research about running slower for longer durations, and it makes me wonder if I simply need to increase my mileage, perhaps from 3.2 to 5 miles? Yet, I've also had concerns about potentially overtraining. I'm genuinely puzzled as to why my performance at home has declined despite my improved race times. I'd also be grateful for any training schedule recommendations, as this situation has additionally presented quite a puzzling challenge for me. Thanks!

Too long, didn’t read. Didn’t you post a similar stream of consciousness a couple weeks or so back?

Anonymous112 wrote:

Over the past few months I’ve noticed a consistent dip in my individual running performance compared to my runs from last year to now. Despite improving race times this year, I've been consistently slower during my solo runs. This discrepancy has left me very confused, and I was hoping for some advice.
For more context, by running journey began during the cross country season of 2022. From August to October, my 2-mile time improved from 17:00 to 14:00. Post-track season of that same school year, I achieved a 6:00 mile, largely thanks to maintaining my fitness levels in between seasons. During this offseason, I consistently ran around 10-12 miles per week, with daily 2-mile runs 5-6 days per week, maintaining a pace of approximately 7:10-7:40 (usually aroumd 7:20-7:30) for most runs.
During the following summer (of 2023), I couldn't run as much as I wanted due to schedule conflicts. It was during this time that I first observed a decline in my performance. My stamina seemed notably diminished, and I felt considerably slower. I started to worry that I had regressed significantly, despite the longest break I had taken from running being just 5 days.
As cross country season approached again, being a year older naturally made me better than the previous year. My top time was 12:44 for 2 miles, creating a significant gap between that and my second best time of 13:36. This particular detail has always puzzled me. However, usually dismiss it because the course I ran in 12:44 was approximately 1.92 miles instead of the expected distance of 2 miles. This is just a random observation for reference.
I was content with my 2023 cross country season, yet I noticed a consistent difference in my home runs compared to those on practices or meet days. Whenever I ran, I consistently covered 2 miles, but my paces seemed fixed around 7:40-ish. Despite improved race times compared to last year, my solo runs remained considerably slower, which was quite disheartening and confusing.
Now that cross country season has ended, I've been consistently running at home, covering a 5K distance daily. However, this expansion in distance was more of a made-up excuse for my slower paces. My pace for 5K runs (not races) has ranged between 7:40-8:30, typically hovering around 8:00. What confuses me is that even on shorter running days of 2-mile runs, achieving paces faster than 7:30 seems unattainable (this is only for at home, as I haven’t been able to race recently). Comparing my current running paces to those from a year ago, they appear faster, despite being a year older and physically stronger. This situation is very discouraging because I want to feel like I’m improving, yet the more I work at it, it seems like little to no progress is being made.
Any advice or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. I've delved into research about running slower for longer durations, and it makes me wonder if I simply need to increase my mileage, perhaps from 3.2 to 5 miles? Yet, I've also had concerns about potentially overtraining. I'm genuinely puzzled as to why my performance at home has declined despite my improved race times. I'd also be grateful for any training schedule recommendations, as this situation has additionally presented quite a puzzling challenge for me. Thanks!