Is my track coach wrong?

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Run before and after practice.

run in the morning wrote:

Run before and after practice.

Not concerned with my own training as I've already figured my own out, just curious as to whether or not others share the same opinion

High schoolers that can’t break 6 on little training won’t break 5 even with the very best training

yes, and..?

No talent wrote:

High schoolers that can’t break 6 on little training won’t break 5 even with the very best training

That's not completely true. A few of them who don't have any major injuries and stick with it can get into the high 4s, 4:50s or at best 4:40s with great training. However, its true a 6:30 miler in the first meet as a freshman has very little chance of becoming really good (even with a bad workout program).

If your coach sucks, you're going to have to train yourself. At most high schools, the coach is just some guy who happened to run some weekend 5ks and has never studied the sport. You'll have more work than a kid who goes to a school with a good coach, but that is how it is.

He/she is wrong in your mind because you understand you need some milage

behind you to see gains as a distance runner.

In your coaches eyes, they aren't wrong.

You know what's comfortable for you, so do that, and maybe (if you get along with your coach)

make some suggestions on the training.

If they don't have an open mind, leave them be and go your own way.

If you think short hill sprints are not beneficial then you have not researched very much into running.

MatthewXCountry wrote:

No talent wrote:

High schoolers that can’t break 6 on little training won’t break 5 even with the very best training

That's not completely true. A few of them who don't have any major injuries and stick with it can get into the high 4s, 4:50s or at best 4:40s with great training. However, its true a 6:30 miler in the first meet as a freshman has very little chance of becoming really good (even with a bad workout program).

I agree with "really great".

But I've had a couple boys who were 2:40-something 800m runners as freshmen and turned into 10:00 3200m runners. It took time and mileage and consistency.

Though I do think they would've shown some improvement with even a crappy training program.

Yeah I mean it's not ideal but 15-30 second hill sprints are a great way to build and maintain speed, a workout doesn't have to be hard for you to gain something from it.

WTFFFFF wrote:

If you think short hill sprints are not beneficial then you have not researched very much into running.

Well yeah, they're great as an addition to a distance-oriented training plan. It's a great little workout: a counterbalance to the heavy distance training without being too much of a stress itself.

But they'd be terrible as the MAIN focus of a training plan.

WTFFFFF wrote:

If you think short hill sprints are not beneficial then you have not researched very much into running.

That’s not what I’m saying. It’s not nearly as beneficial as simply running 40 miles a week for a kid that doesn’t run 10.

but if you go a little farther each day? wrote:

WTFFFFF wrote:

If you think short hill sprints are not beneficial then you have not researched very much into running.

Well yeah, they're great as an addition to a distance-oriented training plan. It's a great little workout: a counterbalance to the heavy distance training without being too much of a stress itself.

But they'd be terrible as the MAIN focus of a training plan.

this ^

Is your entire track practice really short? So if they do a 15 min workout then after that happens? How often do they do these sprint workouts?

I agree that this is not the right type of workout for beginner runners (e.g. boys that haven't yet broken 6), it's more like the kind of thing to build speed for really competitive runners.

higgschoool runnner wrote:

At practice my coaches have everyone (including the distance guys) doing all these wack workouts for sissies like short hill sprints and fartleks that only last like 15 minutes. And then the guys end up trying to break 6 all season and the girls 7, no wonder.. How about we just RUN. Why not just let them get miles in at a moderate pace and get a tempo or a legit fartlek or even some intervals on the track ffs one or twice a week. They are over complicating it. Why prioritize training that's used for small gains when the kids can't even run for 45 min at an 8 min clip

Seems like maybe you all just suck.

Some people are just fat

I ran 23:00 in my first xc race and now I run 4:20 and sub 15 (as a college club runner)

higgschoolrunnner wrote:

WTFFFFF wrote:

If you think short hill sprints are not beneficial then you have not researched very much into running.

That’s not what I’m saying. It’s not nearly as beneficial as simply running 40 miles a week for a kid that doesn’t run 10.

True but will these kids actually do 40 mpw?

What did your coach say when you asked her about this?