How do I become one of the best HS runners in the nation?

I kept improving than had some issues that limited my training so I hit a wall around age 21. I finished 4th, 5th, 5th, and 7th in NCAA Track races.

After college I really only seriuosly competed two years and was ranked 10th US in the 10,000 by TnF News one year.

I'd say that was pretty good career. Good on you for realizing how to train at such an early age. These youngsters have it easy now with the vast dissemination of information on the Internet.

Training update:

AM: 7 miles easy-7:50 pace

PM: 15 miles pretty fast with the guys-6:30 pace, 20 mins core

Not bad at all. I'm definately going to say your talented. Not a lie, if you work hard you ARE GOING to do it. No doubt in my mind. Good luck on your future goals, you got talent.

Move to Kenya. Its hopeless here.

How is it going with the training?

joecrunner wrote:

Pretty sure you don't have to run 12.5 to be an 8:50 3200m. There Ritz never broke 52 for the 400, and even some sub 4 milers can't break 50.

Thats all nice and everything but what if this kid can't break 65?

If you're starting out with bad, slow genes there is only so far training and dieting and lifting and form work and hill work and plymetrics, and god knows what else will take you.

If you read the bios of most every GREAT runner they are similar. Their talent was exposed very early on and usually they accomplished some great feats early in their track careers.

To Not Messing Around Anymore,

First, 10:15 for 3200 m as an 8th grader shows IMMENSE talent in my opinion.

Second, I'm going to disagree with the esteemed Malmo a little bit and encourage you to dream big BUT meanwhile follow his advice and stay in the here and now. DO normalize your training. More specifically, your training should be just like getting dressed for school or brushing your teeth. You just do it.

Third, and very importantly, easy days should be run easily. Learn more about the sport and start figuring out the purpose of each training session and train to that purpose. I think what you'll find is that running sensibly easy on your easy days serves a definitive training purpose.

Good luck!!

Impossible Dream wrote:

Second, I'm going to disagree with the esteemed Malmo a little bit and encourage you to dream big BUT meanwhile follow his advice and stay in the here and now. DO normalize your training. More specifically, your training should be just like getting dressed for school or brushing your teeth. You just do it.

You haven't said anything that I disagree with.

Just a slight alteration from your advice to forget the big goals and focus on the incremental. I agree with focusing on the incremental goals, but he's a kid. Why not dream big!

BTW - I appreciate your contribution to the board and have looked to your posts for advice in my own training, even though I'm an "old" guy.

Ask Lagat for a physician referral.

typing on the keyboard wrote:

If you don't have the genetics, you won't get there no matter what you do. If you do have the genetics, you'll get there regardless of what you do.

How is this thread not over right here? It was the first response too. And correct, of course.

Flagpole wrote:

typing on the keyboard wrote:

If you don't have the genetics, you won't get there no matter what you do. If you do have the genetics, you'll get there regardless of what you do.

How is this thread not over right here? It was the first response too. And correct, of course.

As others have posted, the first part of this statement is correct, the second part is so far from correct it is funny. Solinsky is a talented kid, but do you really think he would be an American Record Holder no matter what he did? The talent has to be there of course to become a sub 9 kid, but proper training has to be there as well. Can talent overcome poor training? Certainly to a point, but the combination of the two is what really makes champions. Pretty basic stuff.

Scott,Why aren't you "slaps" anymore?

Campell Street Pirate wrote:

This kid sort of reminds me of myself except he's a year ahead of at his age. I could also go out and do 15 mile runs (probably only 8:00 pace though) right away after I started running as a freshman. No one else on my team ever contemplated running that far, even the regional qualifier. We didn't have the internet of course then. I read Marty Liquori's book and immediately copied the training for 31:00 10k runner even though I was only a 39:00 10k runner then.

My mile time was always inferior to my two mile early on like this guy. But when I was running 10:15 I was at 4:45. Which is probably where he's at at least.

It seems the average two mile time for a 4:30 guy is 10:00-10:10. Based on all the questionnaires I used to read when recruiting high schoolers .

I agree the second sentence isn't correct. He should have stopped with the first sentence.

Maximus wrote:

Flagpole wrote:

How is this thread not over right here? It was the first response too. And correct, of course.

As others have posted, the first part of this statement is correct, the second part is so far from correct it is funny. Solinsky is a talented kid, but do you really think he would be an American Record Holder no matter what he did? The talent has to be there of course to become a sub 9 kid, but proper training has to be there as well. Can talent overcome poor training? Certainly to a point, but the combination of the two is what really makes champions. Pretty basic stuff.

Sagarin wrote:

I'd say that was pretty good career. Good on you for realizing how to train at such an early age. These youngsters have it easy now with the vast dissemination of information on the Internet.

Sagarin,

Campbell Street Pirate is legendary high school runner Scott Fry.

Sagarin wrote:

I'd say that was pretty good career. Good on you for realizing how to train at such an early age. These youngsters have it easy now with the vast dissemination of information on the Internet.

I think it's just the opposite. There's a vast dissemination of information, but mostly it's a distraction.

Flagpole wrote:

Sagarin,

Campbell Street Pirate is legendary high school runner Scott Fry.

I actually wondered about that from his posted PR, but I though the legendary Scott Fry banged out some 100+ mile weeks in high school? Perhaps that was at the cyclical peak?

Here's the test:

Run 40 miles a week with one 10 mile long run, one 4 mile tempo run and one 5x1000m workout. Do that for 12 weeks and then race a 1600 or 5K. If you don't go under 4:30/16:00, you will never be the best. Pure genetics. Sad, but true. You could still be a great runner, just never the best.