Burnt Out Athlete

Good to hear she's coming back...I know I've gone through periods of fatigue in training that I have no explanation for that have gone away with patience. It could be just that, her body and mind are adapting to the training and racing in conjunction with other changes that can happen in the body of a young teenager.

If it were my runner, I'd keep an eye on it, but mostly try to provide encouragement and help her see the light at the end of the tunnel. To a degree you say you love that passion in an athlete, but on the other end you don't want her putting so much pressure on herself that it isn't fun. Persevering through the lows can make you so much of a better athlete...just think of Micharl Jordan or Chris Paul who didn't make their varsity basketball teams in high school until their junior years and went on to do okay for themselves.

Glad to hear she's coming back. Don't rush it though.

I knew a kid who ran 15:25 5K his freshman year. Lots of potential and very high expectations. He never came close to that time again after burning out and ended his HS career running 15:50s senior year and 9:40s 2mile, despite running 100mpw and lots of speed workouts.

Worried Coacher,

I'm a junior in high school now, and went through the same exact thing sophomore year ("sophomore slump"). I overcame it by writing down my goals for running and visualizing them nightly before bed. Now I'm motivated as hell.

Good luck