Need advice for HS program/runner

Squishthecarls:

LOL! Can do. He is going to be coaching the Eden Prairie distance squad this spring as an assistant coach. BTW, his bro is going to be head coaching the Lamoni Demons, (Iowa) for track in the spring. The entire Lamoni hs school system, grades 9-12 have fewer kids than the Eden Prairie distance runners alone!

in that case, i'll be able to give him a "squish" in person. i'm the cross country coach at edina high school, and will be helping coach the distance kids in track as well. thanks for the update!

Hi Coach,

Found this just browsing around (haven't been on here for a while).

What I would suggest is that you find out what each session is "costing" your runner in terms of effort. Even the easy running. I had a kid one time who started with me and for the first few months underperformed in races. I got a HRM on him and discovered that his "easy" runs were not my "easy" runs. He was running with some (better) buddies and doing them at 180+ HR. I pegged them back to 150-155 HR (and boy did he grumble) and he soon improved (and the grumbling stopped). That simple fact that he was not recovering enough on his easy work meant that the overall week was too intense for him.

You don't have to be a HRM believer, and use them all the time, but you should understand what each session means in terms of effort. A HRM on an easy day can keep kids honest. You should also understand what each session is trying to achieve. If it is to work the heart, it is okay to run with HR's at 90+ of HRmax. But if it is to work the legs, you want to work much slower: 60-80%. Check that your sessions are doing what they are meant to do.

Take a few days of working with the guy and check things out. I think you'll find his "tempo" work is too hard, and his "easy" run needs to be "easier". Even if you do not do the HR thing, always think in terms of effort. All training is done to provoke the body to adapt (in some way) to be able to do it better next time. But if the effort/cost of the training is too high, this adaptation will not occur and the body will just "survive" the session, or even begin to spiral downwards. It is never just a matter of "he did the session, so it was good for him", but "what did it cost him to do the session? Was the effort/intensity involved, the right one?"

Answer that question, and you'll know what to do.

Final point: Always be wary of saying things to kids like, "feel good, run hard...". They will take you at your word.

Hadd,

After taking a step back and looking at his workouts over the last 3 years, I DO believe that he is running too hard too often. This indoor season we are trying something different. He is working on his 400/800 speed and hoping that it will carryover into the 1600 for outdoors. We are taking more recovery days, and getting on the track maybe twice a week(when we aren't racing). He seems to be responding well. Part of his problem is that he pays no attention to the pace of the speed sessions. If I tell him to do 12-15 x 400 w/60 seconds rest @70-72, he will run every single repetition in 66-67. However, when we get to the track on Saturday to race, he is nowhere near 4:25-4:28 for 1600m. His first problem is we need to relax him in training more. Secondly, his racing tactics are weak at best. He trys to run up front or near it, then fades during the 1000-1400m area of the race, and kicks it in to salvage a decent effort(4:34-4:35). I stress to him the importance of listening to me about workout pace and racing tactics, but they get thrown out the door when we actually get to either(workouts/racing). We are working on it though, and your advice is much appreciated and welcomed. I have a heartrate monitor, and will try to get him to wear it. Thanks again for your advice Hadd.

Dont cut out the doubles- just the distance- it'll mess with the athletes work rhythm. The mileage is fine if the kid can handle the workouts-

Just get the kid to relax- thats the hardest part in coaching- some kids try too hard out there-

Hi Coach,

A couple of thoughts:

1. When was the last time your runner had a complete physical including blood work? Even a mild case of anemia can cause problems. I was severely anemic during my senior year of high school; unfortunately, trainers didn't think to test for such things back in those days so my lethargy and poor performances were chalked up to "burn out" (at 30 mpw!). I left for college, didn't run for nearly a year, started eating a more balanced diet in the cafeteria (my poor mother was clueless when it came to vitamins and minerals) and when I did start running again was doing easy runs at my HS "race pace."

2. Is he drinking enough water/sports drink? Anyone doing that kind of mileage should be going through a gallon of water a day easy. Poor performance can be a sign of dehydration.

3. I second the suggestion of a heart-rate monitor for his easy days. He probably is not yet experienced enough to have a good sense of pace and is doing his "easy" runs way too hard. And, over the years I've noticed that frustration over poor performance leads people to push even harder all the time, thinking they need to put forth more effort. Only the most confident/disciplined runners I know can keep easy runs under control in the midst of a "slump."

4. I also agree that the mileage is a bit too high right now. Back off about 20-25% and see what happens.

5. Fianlly, how much total rest time does he take each year? I mean no running or cross training at all - complete sloth/coach potato status. At minimum I would suggest two full weeks after each of cross and track season, and maybe follow the post-track rest with two weeks at a maximum of 20 miles/week. He won't lose much is any conditioning and the recovery will put some bounce back in his legs.

Good luck!

maybe it's to do with races. maybe he has a mental block. some of the better performers in training, here, aren't the ones with the best PRs. he might be underperforming due to a variety of factors. talked to him about sports psychology, tactics? what is happening in races? is he choking? under pressure?