Poll: Which is a better practice schedule: Singles MTWThF, or Doubles MWF (and off TTh)?

Option C. Better to double everyday.

Seriously? The former, by a long shot.

The fact that you’re even considering option B raises real questions about your ability to coach high schoolers.

Wannabe no more wrote:

The fact that you’re even considering option B raises real questions about your ability to coach high schoolers.

THIS

The Ghost of Brian Sell wrote:

Wannabe no more wrote:

The fact that you’re even considering option B raises real questions about your ability to coach high schoolers.

THIS

Is that your opinion? A guess? What are you basing that on?

Wannabe Innovator wrote:

Not saying either of these are ideal. But, if those were your only two choices to have HS distance practice, which is better?

Singles:

Mon Long

Tues Easy

Wed Fast

Thurs Easy

Fri Fast

or Doubles:

Mon Long am, Easy pm

Tues OFF

Wed Fast am, Easy pm

Thurs OFF

Fri Fast am, Easy pm

(I guess you could switch the am and pm workouts, but I prefer to have the hard stuff at the same time of day as competitions).

I know some people feel like they need to see their kids every day... but the second way has an extra practice each week, gives the added benefits of doubling, and get more recovery time before hard efforts. Has anyone ever tried the second option?

I agree with everyone that option A looks terrible. But we shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions.

1) The doubles lead to extra stress followed by extra recovery. Might be good for supercompensation.

2) It's an extra workout a week. And the serious runners will presumably run on the off-days. Easier to have the motivation for that than to get out the door early for a double alone.

3) Gives them two days away from XC practice that they can use to do homework, hang out with friends, etc (or run).

So it makes me cringe, but if you think that fits where the team is right now, go for it. Just make absolute sure that adding three mornings a week isn't going to cause a revolt, and make sure they don't overtrain.

The first option is better and it isn't close.

Wtf is that 2nd schedule wrote:

The first option is better and it isn't close.

Why and why not?

For what it's worth, we practice mornings before school. So, they would actually be getting two mornings OFF each week :)

tOP wrote:

Wtf is that 2nd schedule wrote:

The first option is better and it isn't close.

Why and why not?

Anyone who has the chance to meet with their athletes on a daily basis - and chooses not to - shouldn't be coaching.

So how does this change when the season starts and you are racing twice a week?

ataglance wrote:

So how does this change when the season starts and you are racing twice a week?

We race closer to twice - thrice a MONTH, lol. We don't do dual (duel?) / tri meets down here. No reason why not, just don't. I would personally rather train more and race less.

That being said, to answer your question, on a Saturday race week, we would just skip the Friday PM practice. (Even now, we take Thursday off before a Saturday meet, so that would actually be almost zero change.) Same principle applies to a Thursday Meet - Sectionals is our only Thursday meet - we'd already take / have Tuesday off, and we would meet Wednesday morning for easy jog + strides.

TLDR: race week already comes closer to plan B than a normal week does.

No running two days a week is ridiculous. I ran weekday double for years and always felt rested for intervals or a duel meet. I've only heard of a handfull of elite runners that claimed they took off one day off per week; usually on Sundays.

"Doubles" are something I mostly see slow people doing.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

No(t) running two days a week is ridiculous. I ran weekday double for years and always felt rested for intervals or a duel meet. I've only heard of a handfull of elite runners that claimed they took off one day off per week; usually on Sundays.

HS only meets 5 days a week. Most HSs already have 2 days off on non-race weeks (OYO runs notwithstanding).

So, yes, Plan B has FOUR days of not running... but it also has an extra practice per week over Plan A, any way you cut it.

DoubleHater wrote:

"Doubles" are something I mostly see slow people doing.

lol ok

I would hate running for this team. You only meet a few times a week and then you only race a few times per season. That hardly seems like a sport, more like something you just kinda do at times.

I understand not racing much in college, but in HS I wanted to race.

quickndirty wrote:

I would hate running for this team. You only meet a few times a week and then you only race a few times per season. That hardly seems like a sport, more like something you just kinda do at times.

I understand not racing much in college, but in HS I wanted to race.

I hear where you are coming from.

Before I got here, they raced 4-5 times a month. All I heard is how dead everyone was by sectionals.

One of the first things I did was cut our meet schedule in half. We have virtually every member of our team PR during Sectionals and/or State. (We also have won 2 of the last 3 SCs, but that probably has more to do with the fact that we had some good runners than our meet schedule, lol.)

tOP wrote:

quickndirty wrote:

I would hate running for this team. You only meet a few times a week and then you only race a few times per season. That hardly seems like a sport, more like something you just kinda do at times.

I understand not racing much in college, but in HS I wanted to race.

I hear where you are coming from.

Before I got here, they raced 4-5 times a month. All I heard is how dead everyone was by sectionals.

One of the first things I did was cut our meet schedule in half. We have virtually every member of our team PR during Sectionals and/or State. (We also have won 2 of the last 3 SCs, but that probably has more to do with the fact that we had some good runners than our meet schedule, lol.)

You're saying 4-5x a month was too much for them? Wow, those dudes are freakin weak.

Do you race every other week now? You have like an 8 meet season?