I'm an assistant coach for a small-medium sized high school. I know enough through my own running and being around it to kno how to coach a kid who is talented / has some miles under him.
It's the younger / newer kids that I have more trouble with.
I'm not too worried about their in season training, but more their summer / base period training. Our team isn't great, but its relatively young and there's not much of a 'culture' for it right now. But aside from creating that / getting new kids out to run, I would like to know what you guys to / give to your younger runners to do over the summer?
We had a few 8th graders last year who were new to the sport who did pretty well for their first time out and who seem relatively dedicated and want to get better. Ultimately, it will be up to them do the running over the summer, but what are some ways you guys help convince or keep it fun for your younger runners over the summer?
Surely just giving them 20-30 minute easy runs 5-6 times a week would bore the heck out of them, but obviously I can't tell them to hammer every single run or get together with friends and do a relay race because I doubt that would ever happen anyways.
I just want to make up a summer running schedule so they have something to follow if they need it, not that they neccesarily have to follow it to a T.