No runner is perfect, and if you think you are, ask a coach. Whether you’re a beginner training for your first 5km or a veteran logging marathon miles, chances are you’ve picked up a few habits that hold you back from better running. Maybe you tackle every run like it’s race day, you rarely look up from your watch, or you signed up for a marathon just because Harry Styles did.

…athletes who talk to their coaches the most are more often the ones who perform the best.

You’re not alone. In fact, these and other training mistakes are so common that they’ve made it onto coaches’ lists of pet peeves. The good news is that they’re fixable, and once you address them, you’ll run stronger, stay healthier, and have more fun on your runs.

We asked a selection of running coaches about the bad habits that bother them the most. Here’s what they said, why it just might derail your training, and how to break the pattern.

1. Running Every Run Too Hard

One of the most essential skills in running is learning how to control your pace – yet it’s also one of the most common mistakes run coaches see. Many athletes, especially beginners, default to running everything at the same medium-hard effort, says Alysha Flynn, founder and coach of What Runs You. “It feels productive in the moment, but it actually sabotages both fitness and recovery,” she says.

True easy runs should feel suspiciously effortless. “Easy days should feel so relaxed you almost question whether you’re doing enough,” Flynn explains. If you can’t comfortably chat with a friend or wouldn’t feel up for repeating the same run tomorrow, you’re probably going too fast.

The same pitfall can arise in marathon training – not just in those new to running, where runners often try to complete nearly every workout at or near race pace, explains Janet Hamilton, founder of Running Strong. “Doing all your workouts at high intensity is an invitation to injury,” she warns.

The solution is understanding the purpose of each run in the context of a training plan. Easy kilometres build aerobic capacity, teaching your body to use oxygen more efficiently so you can run longer. Threshold runs improve your speed endurance, and faster intervals build anaerobic fitness, making you more explosive.

You can’t train everything at the same time, so it’s important to focus on doing each workout exactly as it’s designed. “Once athletes understand the purpose of each workout, they’re more willing to slow down when it’s time to go easy,” Hamilton says.

Marathoners suffer the most by foregoing easy days, says Kai Ng, a certified run coach. Ng often sees runners blasting through zone 2 efforts too fast, only to end up huffing, puffing, and walking with sore joints.

“They’re training the wrong system,” he says. “Going out too hard stresses your anaerobic system instead of strengthening your aerobic system, the one you actually need for a marathon.” He compares it to driving: your watch or heart-rate monitor is just feedback, like the speedometer. But the real skill is learning how to use the gas and brake pedals effectively.      

2. Ignoring Your Current Fitness

“How am I supposed to be ready to run my goal pace on race day if I’m not training at that pace now?”

It’s an all-too-familiar query for Jeff Gaudette, owner and head coach at RunnersConnect. At first, this question may seem like it should receive answers in the pacing section above. However, the solution is a bit different.

Gaudette explains that runners who ask this question often ignore their current fitness level when starting to train for a marathon, jumping into workouts right away based on their goal pace rather than their present ability.

The disconnect often comes from template training plans. Gaudette says many runners choose plans based on a goal finish time, but instead of progressing up to those paces, they begin right at them when they’re not ready. “That’s just not how training works,” he says. This practice can lead to overtraining, burnout, and injury.

For example, if a threshold run is designed to slightly dip into your anaerobic system, running it too fast just misses that fine line entirely and vaults you into a zone that throws off your workout and makes recovery more difficult. Do this regularly, and you end up in that overtraining zone where injuries and progress regression can pop up.

The solution, according to Gaudette, is steady progression, starting from where you are now.

3. Over-Relying on Data

Running watches and apps are powerful tools, but they also turn into shackles. Obsessing over heart rate, pace, or mileage totals can paralyse athletes to the point where they lose touch with how they feel, says Andrew Evans, a certified run coach. “Sometimes the best thing you can do is leave the numbers behind for a few runs and trust your body,” he says.

Running by effort helps athletes reconnect with their natural rhythm, and it can be eye-opening to realise that your body, not your watch, ultimately determines how much you can handle on any given day.

“I’ve been at the track with runners doing 400-metre repeats, and they’ll stop at 350 metres because their watch buzzed,” says Alex Morrow, certified run coach and founder of Resolute Running. It seems extreme, but it’s the perfect example of the disproportionate trust runners place in their gadgets and data over everything else. In those moments, the watch isn’t helping; it’s taking control of your running.

Morrow also notes that watches can convince runners that skipping or shortening key workouts is fine as long as the weekly mileage number looks right, when in reality the structure and purpose of the plan matter more than the numbers on the screen.

4. Letting Peer Pressure Dictate Your Races

Not every marathon is meant for you. Too many athletes sign up for big-name races just because their friends or Instagram feeds make them feel like they should, notes certified run coach Laura Norris.

While it could be a motivating tactic if you enjoy running with your friends, Norris emphasises the commitment level it takes to successfully train for and complete a full marathon. “If you don’t actually want to run 42.2km, it’s going to be a miserable experience,” she says.

She advises runners to reflect honestly on whether the prospect of training for a big race excites them or feels like a burden. And remember, registering doesn’t obligate you to follow through. Dropping a race because it no longer fits your life or goals isn’t failure; it’s wisdom.

5. Disrespecting Your Training Plan

Training plans aren’t just a list of runs; they’re carefully designed roadmaps that balance hard efforts with recovery, build fitness gradually, and lead to peak fitness at the right time. But one of the biggest mistakes coaches see is athletes treating those schedules as optional guidelines.

Runners often fall off track when life gets busy, then try to cram in workouts as race day looms, says Vanessa Peralta-Mitchell, certified run coach. That last-minute surge not only undermines fitness but also spikes injury risk.

To combat this, Peralta-Mitchell has athletes go through a “control and distraction” exercise, identifying what they can plan for – like laying out clothes, meal prepping, or adjusting schedules – and what they can’t – like weather or work emergencies. She encourages her athletes to build their running routines around the controllable factors in life, making training more consistent and sustainable.

She says that if you don’t do this, and allow those uncontrollable distractions to consume you and derail your training, “you will grow frustrated and waste mental and emotional energy.”

Morrow adds it’s easy for him to predict a rough race when his runners don’t follow their training plans. “They deviate from the plan, skip long runs, cram workouts, then wonder why race day didn’t go well,” he says.

Missing a workout or two isn’t the end of the world, but repeatedly blowing off important sessions can derail your training. Instead of improvising when you miss a workout, trust the structure of the plan and move forward with your next workout. Trying to compensate for a missed effort by squeezing too much into too little time leads straight to overtraining, injury, or burnout, which coaches can see coming a mile away.

If you train with a run coach, communication also plays a role. Morrow says he’s encountered many runners who hesitate to tell him when they’ve missed runs or want to shift workouts around, thinking it’s a bother. He implores athletes who do use coaches to use the resources available to them. “You’re paying me; this is my job,” he says. It goes beyond the obligation, he says that athletes who talk to their coaches the most are more often the ones who perform the best.

Morrow says being curious, asking questions, and letting your coach help you run your best will give you the best results come race day. That’s what they’re there for!

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