5k advice for a high school runner trying to improve

honost answer wrote:

dude if you want to run under 17 you have to train harder. 7:30 pace wont do anything unless your pr is around 19. The faster you run the faster your training needs to be.

Every day has a purpose, 7:30 pace will let you keep fresh legs for the workouts that actually matter while improving your aerobic capacity. If you hammer each day at 6-6:30 you may get in good shape but you will be very up and down and ultimatly your performances will not be the best they can be. Sub 28 10k guys I know train at 7-8 minutes a mile.

Most high school runners getting ready for cross country season concentrate on ramping up the mileage during the summer. This is essential to be strong for fall racing. However, a vital element of training that many runners and coaches overlook is summer "speed" training for leg turnover. I coach high school runners and there is a big difference between "stamina" and "speed" training. Visit my website,

www.garycohenrunning.com

, and in the "All in a Day's Run" area, read the May 3, 2008 essay, "Stamina and Speedwork." Strideouts, short hill repeats and true speed training, when combined with good base mileage, will set the stage for stamina training later this summer and into the fall and result in faster racing.

I was a 4:21 / 9:20 high school runner and have PRs of 14:44 for 5k, 30:28 for 10k and 2:22:34 for the marathon. There is lots of good reading on my site - enjoy!

Honost answer I know a couple sub 14:45 guys that train at 7:10-7:30 pace for their daily runs. As long as he does some tempos and (once the season starts) intervals, he'll be fine.

Gary Cohen, what a joke. This is a free site. Kids come to this site looking for advice and you give your little website. Your pr's are not world class, who would pay 125 for ONE month? I have run 14:10s back in my prime.

To the real post, just build base. 7:20-30 pace should be fine during the summer and season. Just bust the hard days and take the easy days easy. That is the key to having fresh legs and running fast when it counts.

uhmm... wrote:

[quote]how? wrote:

I agree with honost answer. how can you break 17 running 7:20 pace in practice

Like i said, last year I ran most of my base mileage around 7:20 (give or take), and I ran a USATF certified 5K in 16:45, trust me it works fine. I focus on feeling fresh on tempo runs, pushing my 1600 intervals, and racing smart and tough. If you feel like running 8:00 pace, do it. If you feel ike running 6:45 pace, do it. But you need to make sure your legs are feeling good when it counts.

search "Summer of Malmo"

elsewise.build up your mileage...keep it to base miles, strides and some tempo's....the goal is to come into XC with a quality base to build off of as the season progresses..

too many people kill it over the summer. peak in Sept and are done by Oct

How many top NCAA coaches were world class? How good was Vin, Vigil, or Martin Smith in college? This Gary guy offered his site that he states has much useful information - he's not making this kid pay anything...yet.

I broke 17 a bunch my sophomore year in high school after running 40 miles a week with no mileage faster than 7:40 over the summer. If your not an aerobic horse don't train like one. Personally my lactate threshold is around 5:50 for a 420 something miler it should be in the 5:20s. Train to improve yourself not how you should train.

G-man and espo, as well as a few others did give you good advice. From what I've seen high school runners especially ones with your kind of PR either do not train enough over the summer or overtrain. I went from being a 17plus minute 5K runner to sub 15:30 in high-school, the fastest I ever did any training runs, especially in summer base phase was 6:50-7minute pace. SLOWLY building up mileage is the best way to go, 10% increase each week until you reach your goal mileage is a good rule of thumb, but don't do mileage just for mileage sake, everything should have a purpose. Some tempos maybe once a week or everyo other week would help as well as some hilly runs and strides maybe 3-4 times a week after your run. It's important not to go lactic on these, just to work on your form and an accelerated pace. 1 long run a week as well and you'll be in good shape to break 17 come fall

Looks like I am the odd one out on this, but I don't really see the need to run 60 mpw as a high schooler....especially in the summer....maybe by the end of a season......???

I prefer keeping the miles low, but intensity high. Save the high mileage days for college and marathon running. I wouldn't recommend more than 50 miles a week max.

My advice would be to keep your miles about what they were last year, but run faster.......and concentrate on your speed work....running 4x1200 at goal race pace, with 2-3 minutes rest, plus a tempo run each week will do wonders for you. Do the little extras, like strides and form drills, plus stretching to keep your body healthy.

Run slower (like 7-730) rather than faster. Summer is for base, youll get to work on speed for 8 weeks of cc once the season starts up. Plus the 5k is more aerobic than anaerobic so building up your lungs and efficiency are more important than doing repeats fast and building power.

I used to run most all my miles at 630ish pace and ran a 1650 5k senior year. Now im focusing on marathons and longer stuff and loging miles at whatever pace feels comfortable (up to 8 min miles some times) and just more of them and can still run that same 5k time.

Dont overtrain this summer or you wont break 17. Good luck.

TrailRunnerGary wrote:

I was a 4:21 / 9:20 high school runner and have PRs of 14:44 for 5k, 30:28 for 10k and 2:22:34 for the marathon. There is lots of good reading on my site - enjoy!

Dude, in what part of the kids question did you think he wanted to know about your PRs?

exactly man, that guy is a joke.