If you've been running consistently for months or even years but stopped seeing improvement, this episode will explain exactly why that happens and what to do about it.

Coach Brad breaks down the critical distinction between running and training, why so many runners get stuck in the "gray zone" of moderate effort, and how shifting your mindset from logging miles to training with purpose can unlock the progress you've been missing. You'll learn the three fundamental purposes behind every training run, what each type of workout actually does to your body, and how to structure your week for real results.

Whether you're frustrated by a plateau or just starting to take your running more seriously, this episode lays the foundation for smarter, more effective training.

• Why running the same pace every day leads to a plateau
• The "gray zone" trap and why it feels productive but produces minimal adaptation
• The three fundamental purposes of every training run
• How your body responds differently to different types of stress
• The five main workout types and what each one accomplishes
• Why training is a system where all the pieces must work together
• The spectrum between "winging it" and overly rigid periodization
• How to make the shift from running to purposeful training
• Why polarized training drives adaptation better than moderate efforts

1. Every run needs a purpose. Before you head out the door, you should know whether today's run is for recovery, improvement, or maintaining your fitness base.
2. Gray zone running is the enemy of progress. Running at the same moderate effort every day is too hard to recover from and too easy to drive adaptation. You end up stuck.
3. Your body adapts to specific signals. Easy running builds aerobic infrastructure. Threshold work raises your lactate threshold. Speed work improves neuromuscular coordination. If you only send one signal, you only get one adaptation.
4. Training is a system. No single workout is magic. It's the combination of different workout types, properly distributed and sequenced, that produces improvement.
5. Make your easy days easier and your hard days harder. Polarized training means genuine contrast between efforts. That contrast is what drives your body to change.

00:00 - The Runner Who Does Everything Right But Stops Improving

02:21 - The Gray Zone Trap: Why Moderate Effort Produces Minimal Results

04:33 - The Three Purposes of Every Training Run

09:42 - The Building Blocks: Easy Runs, Long Runs, Tempo, Intervals, and Recovery

12:55 - Structure Without Rigidity: Finding the Right Balance

15:01 - Five Ways to Shift From Running to Training

18:25 - The VMAX App: Personalized Training Plans Coming Soon

19:08 - Final Thoughts: Running Is Beautiful, Training Makes You Better

• Website: vmax.run
• Instagram: @vmax.running

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with a runner who's been putting in the miles but wondering why they're not getting faster.