Do they also run his mileage or his workouts? If not, why do you think this one aspect of his training should be emulated but not the others? Why Fauble? Why not Rupp, Farrah, or Lagat who ran their daily runs at 5:30 pace?
Truth is that most high schoolers can and should run their SOME of their mileage a little faster because it’s so much lower volume than someone like Fauble. they aren’t just recovering, they’re gaining fitness.
For the OP, do you distinguish between recovery, easy, and normal running days? Maybe they don’t understand that variation in daily running pace is a good thing when your body needs it.
You listed 3 guys most people are highly suspicious of taking extra special recovery sauce.
Ron Clarke and a bunch of other guys also ran hard distance pretty much every day.
If the kids could back off an run another 15mpw, it would probably be a good tradeoff. Debating if they are running their 5 mile runs to fast isn't worth it.
And they definitely aren't Kenyans hobby jogging their 3rd run of the day...
Do they also run his mileage or his workouts? If not, why do you think this one aspect of his training should be emulated but not the others? Why Fauble? Why not Rupp, Farrah, or Lagat who ran their daily runs at 5:30 pace?
Truth is that most high schoolers can and should run their SOME of their mileage a little faster because it’s so much lower volume than someone like Fauble. they aren’t just recovering, they’re gaining fitness.
For the OP, do you distinguish between recovery, easy, and normal running days? Maybe they don’t understand that variation in daily running pace is a good thing when your body needs it.
Finally someone with some sense. Most of the top programs in our state don't do this recovery pace bs. The majority of the athletes are developing aerobically and don't run significant mileage.
It's an interesting point that you make. At what mileage do you think it makes sense to do recovery pace? I do think there are top programs in Texas with many athletes putting in significant mileage and would probably benefit from taking their easy days easy. Thanks.
The correct answer is you adjust the speed work based on response and input, limit it, or limit the long run duration next time depending on the athlete. All of this should be individualized. Some runners are meant to go less distance with higher quality. You can also insert walking breaks or stretching breaks or even strides to get the desired long run effect.
It's a bit unrealistic (and physiologically silly) to expect your entire team to stick to some one size fits all formula. Use the differing responses and adherence to adjust guidelines, think of it as a dtnamic learning and teaching opportunity.
You're silly if you think they did all their runs exactly at 5:30 pace. It differed everyday. Also I'll leave basing your training off of suspicious runners out of this. Sure they might progress down to that pace after running several miles much slower ie first few miles starting off at 7:30 pace and slowly progress down to maybe 5:30 for the last few miles. Look at many of the great east African runners, many of them do their recovery runs at a shuffle pace because they actually go hard on hard days instead of this medium intensity trap many runners fall into and if they are feeling good they'll slowly progress over the miles from as slow as 10 min pace to 6 min pace or faster.
This just simply isn't true.
Well yes it is very well documented that it is very common for runners like Kipchoge to slowly warm up with 8-10 min miles before progressing down to sub 6 min miles for their easy days, unless they're really worn out and are just doing a shake out where they'll keep it at 8 min miles. I don't know why my original comment got down voted so much. It takes maturity to slow down and it will reap much benefit in the long term. Even for low mileage athletes it's much better to take easy days easy rather than doing a sub tempo effort that usually just ends up injuring themselves. Am I saying you should shuffle every easy run at 8-10 min pace? No. For say a typical high school XC runner, they should rarely ever hit under 7 min miles for a easy run (unless they're base building)and they should start off those runs at 8-10 min miles while they are warming up getting loosen up before progressing it down to 7 min miles. For example my typical easy day will go: 2 miles at 8-10 min miles, 7:00-7:30 pace for 3- 8 miles, and cool down for 2 miles at 8-10 min miles. And if I'm during a base phase where my workouts aren't overly taxing, I'll progress down to sub marathon pace a for a few miles occasionally. I had to learn this through trial and error as in highschool I was that typical kid that hammered easy runs at 6:30 pace, never taking it actually easy just doing sub tempo efforts and guess what all it got me was just a cycle of constantly getting injured.
Finally someone with some sense. Most of the top programs in our state don't do this recovery pace bs. The majority of the athletes are developing aerobically and don't run significant mileage.
It's an interesting point that you make. At what mileage do you think it makes sense to do recovery pace? I do think there are top programs in Texas with many athletes putting in significant mileage and would probably benefit from taking their easy days easy. Thanks.
Good question. For guys it's probably upper 50s to 60ish. For girlsaybe upper 40s to low 50s?
Depends on rhe runner really. Some recover more quickly. I've also noticed distance types need it less than mid distance types.
Teen boys tend to turn everything into a race and then wonder why they competed like s*** on the weekend. I lectured them on the importance of recovery but it fell on deaf ears. To break the habit, I restricted them to do easy days on the track. Some varsity guys still tried turning it into a competition by ratcheting up the pace over the final mile. I had enough and announced that easy days would now be race walking on the track and that anyone that refused would be suspended from the team. It only took one practice and a solid 15 minutes of laughter from our football team to finally get through. That Tuesday afternoon is still talked about five years later.
Do any of you veteran coaches ever have a problem with some of your runners going too hard/fast on distance day to the point they don't want to/can't go hard when you do speedwork? If so, what do you do or tell them? Thanks!
What is complicated in understanding easy? Tell them if they can’t talk to each other, they are going too hard! If you want to make things interesting is to ask them to jog easy all the way until the last 10min where they should pick it up gradually to finish fast the last km😜
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