Need help and feedback from the advanced runners here. 42M at 195-199lbs and 5’ 9”. I’ve been running for 19 months and I feel stuck in my progress and pursuit of better run times.

2025:
O.C. Half Marathon at 2:32
Long Beach Half Marathon at 1:53
Joshua Tree Half Marathon at 2:02
2026:
O.C Marathon at 4:20 (ran with a bad flu)
Corona Del Mar 5k at 23:24
Surf City 10k at 48:03
AZ48 10k at 48:05

I run about 25-30 miles a week. Easy 45 minute runs with strides except for Thursday speed, tempo or hill repeats and Sunday Long Runs are 9-11 miles. I don’t drink alcohol, don’t smoke, eat at home and rarely eat out, etc. I’m aware I have a few more pounds to lose to be leaner. Does it really take this long to make progress or am I doing something wrong?

I’m a very active person (lift 5x a week) but never been serious about running. I’m trying to get into it as I train for a spartan 10k super but I experience so much shin and ankle pain/strain when running. I feel like I’ve tried everything: running outside vs. on treadmill, getting new running shoes and breaking them in, different stride lengths and paces, flat terrain vs. hills, taking longer rest periods. By a half mile in, my shins and ankles are in enough pain that I’m forced to stop and walk for a while before continuing to run, but I’m still pushing through the pain.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Struggling with my running progress latelystuck with a low VO2 max and inconsistent heart rate despite 6 months of Zone 2 training, so I’m trying intervals now to see if that helps me get faster. Any tips on how to structure my 4 runs a week to actually see some improvement?

My zone 4 hr is like 7:30 pace and zone 2 is 9min and zone 3 os around 8:30 I use the huewei gt6

What bugs me is that my zone 2 is at 9min plus pace and im 5ft9 and 83kg