Why are so many HS coaches stuck in the 90s

Wow, you cannot be more wrong manbearpig.

if you want to have a college running career, it’s an arc, not a straight line.

Seems like YOU support buying foreign athletes with deep resumes…

That attitude has been discussed and discused many times on this forum.

There's no reason 17-18 year old Americans can't be running enough volume to adjust to the college workload.

I am in highschool, and my coach has me running like 30 miles/week. I have a 9:40 3200 and a 4:35 mile. I run 40-60 mpw in the off-season, but in season if I run at all outside of practice she gets pissed. I hate our program so much, Im so exciteed to run in college and finelly get out of this.

Wasnt the mid90s, early 2k the minimalist era. Less is more? That didnt work out well. Outr top distance depth wasnt too hot internationally. Seems like we forget, then go back to what works. Or at least get smarter about the process. Late 60s to 80s, GIANT mileage for the best and hopefully didnt get cooked. Shorter, Rogers, Salazar just to name a few. 80s was the height of the running boom. More was more. 90s wanted to reduce mileage and increase speed. Not too many medals or records. They became coaches. 2000s, guys like Joe Vigil start being listened to. Diamond approach vs pyramid. Increasing volumes and intensities of all modalities simultaneously. Cross training. Smart, minimal tapering. COVID Era, experimentation, new shoes, double thresholds, bi-carb, and undetectable micro dosing + who knows what else? The flood gates are open but look at the American presence now!!! 90s who?

A few additional thoughts/pointers that might help with younger athletes/programs:

I believe a culture of leading by example, constant education for both coaches and athletes, a culture of positive encouragement, individual ownership and accountability and a focus on measurable improvement are all critical to a programs success. A coach has to show how to succeed and form the attitudes and thought processes in a fashion that kids can use all day, every day in everything they do. Because of endless, available information and a cynical society, kids dont know how or who to trust. They are often bound to picking and choosing cafeteria style as to what they think is best for them without any guidance from firm but supportive leadership. The trust relationship has to be built over time so that all involved have standards to believe are true and that they will buy into and support. It easy to do these days. It does take a special person to be able to communicate and relate to teenagers as the start to develop their worldview. Self fullfilling prophecies by coaches and athletes will always remain true. Getting the athletes to trust first, learn to own their experience, value what they are learning and apply it to the rest of their day is crucial to them holding each other accountable. Wanting accountability to standards are a trick for young people as well but the, can also be shown how to observe a lot of people they encounter daily and the effects of the opposite behavior. IF you can get them to the point of ownership, self evaluation, staying positive and consistent, asking questions and effective leadership, you'll build a program that will sustain itself for a long time. Be open, be honest, be humble, keep listening and learning. Times change and so you have to as well but seek truth to build your foundation. Anything else is sinking sand.

The coach can be as mad as she wants. She can only tell you what to run during practice and meets. What you do on your own time is none of her business.

If you're serious about running in college, you need to increase the volume progressively before you get there. Thirty minute morning runs and a long run on Sunday plus whatever you do in practice should get you decent volume. It sounds like you're already doing the right amount between seasons so that's a great start.

Dear US High School coaches,

I ran in the late 80's on a dose of 40 miles per week during High School in the USA . Most of the training that I did in 9th,10th, and 11th grade was ridiculously fast. In my senior year I received outside assistance from a professional coach who slowed me down and kept me healthy. The results were 2 state titles. Fast forward to 2025/26. I coach a group of runners here in Australia. I work with some talented athletes that I only see 3x per week but I know that they run 50-60 miles per week on average. One athlete has recently run 14:49 for 5k, another has run 8:00.24 for 3k this past weekend and I have a few females who have broken 4:30 for 1500m. Volume isn't the issue it is how you structure your training. Talent is everywhere and your job is to maximise it. It's just running not rocket science. Good Luck!

The disconnect in this thread between those advocating for big miles vs some of the coaches is not that these coaches do not know that more mileage helps, it's that given the typical HS schedule it's very difficult to implement.

So given their limitations with rosters and time, they adjust to what they can do.

A lot of bad coaches making excuses for bad training. You don't have to do 80 mpw to be good. You also don't have to stay at 20 mpw to make it "fun" or because "you don't have enough time" or whatever the latest excuse is.

This right here is it. There is a balance. You can group kids together in terms of mileage, workouts, etc., based on their buy-in. It's harder to do, but it's good coaching. And you've got to help sell it to the kids. There is no reason why there can't be a range of mileages for kids on a team.

Also no reason why your typical high schooler shouldn't be able to complete 35-45 minimum during a week with 2-3 good quality sessions thrown in hitting the right systems. Those who are more bought in should do more and test their limits to a point if they have ambitions for the next level.

Who says you can't work hard and play hard?

Because 14 year old HS freshman who have never run XC

1. Cant handle anything close to 50-60 mpw, they are already physcially awkward due to growth spurts. they trip and fall over their massvie feet compared tot the rest of their body lol

2. You often have 1-2 coaches for 40 kids, there has to be some grouping

3. They dont drive, they don't have any sense of direction (and you are gonna ask them to go run 7-9 miles and not get completely lost?)

Its not about being stuck in old routines, its the fact that the sheer volume of athletes you coach, their radically different ability levels, and the amount of actual practice time you have available requires some sacrifices to specialization have to be made.

Except nobody is advocating for freshmen to run 50-60 mpw. It’s a slow build, starting with whatever they can handle, 20, 25, 30 mpw, whatever that is, and then developing a love for the sport and progressively adding more until they get to 60 or even 70 as seniors.

There’s no doubt kids probably have more conflicts now than they did 30-40 years ago, and, no question the coaches generally have to cater to the lowest common denominator as with anything else in life. But, if you build the right culture, eventually, the upperclassmen become the torchbearers and start to hand it off to the underclassmen as they come up.

When I was in high school, there were always a handful of varsity runners who were motivated and running “high mileage” of about 50-60 mpw because they came from a culture of success. It was infectious. I got a late start coming from a soccer and tennis background like so many kids, but I remember being instantly motivated by the good guys who took the time to talk to me and tell me how good I could be if I simply put the time in and committed fully. I had a great coach but I didn’t need him to tell me this. Moreover, we did have one dude who was a prodigy in his pre-teens, who was probably running some 70+ mile weeks. And he showed what was possible. There’s always a guy like that on every team.

Finally, yes, it’s better if coaches focus on all around athleticism of the kids when they are young. But kids shouldn’t be afraid of high volume either. Honestly, 60-70+ mpw isn’t that high for an 18-year old who has college aspirations. There’s still plenty of room to grow. Good college programs start the kids at about 80 mpw and work up to 100+. And, kids, even if you have coaches with a “low volume” mentality, there’s nothing stopping you from doing morning runs or extra runs on the weekend. Heck, double every day.

Yeah some people don’t care because they know that it’s only high school running

Parker Valby runs low mileage

No!

You tell everyone to get a simple running watch and to learn how to use it. High school kids should be intelligent enough to keep track of their splits regardless of their talent level. They can also navigate an out-and-back or a closed circuit loop near campus. Create independent athletes, not helpless kids without a clue about what they are doing.

You do not shortchange the talented and the driven kids under any circumstances. They deservedly get attention and workouts designed to prepare them for goals and championship racing. You can modify it for younger kids, less experienced kids, and those checking a box on their college applications. For heaven's sake, why water it down for the ones that want to succeed?!

Delegate to your assistant or to leaders within your squad. Alternate workout days between talent levels. Give the new kids simple workouts like, "Run to the top of this hill ten times and then walk back down between reps." They are building fitness and have no clue what time means or properly targeting energy systems. Any movement is good movement with rookies. Once a week, give them the full coach experience while your varsity is out on a training run.

As an assistant, I get 30-40 rookies every cross country season. My job is to identify and to develop talent for moving to the next level. By the end of it, 8-10 of each gender earn promotion to their respective varsity training groups. Our primary job as coaches is to teach these young people how to conduct themselves, how to manage themselves, and how to best prepare and take care of themselves. It's not to make our lives easier with cookie cutter plans and outdated methods.

The athletes that succeed in running and that stay with it for the long haul are those that become students of the sport. Be a teacher. Give them the best of your knowledge and show them how to use it.

You do it.

That's a great point. It's ONE thing if a coach is struggling with how to handle a very small handful (if any!) motivated OR unmotivated PRODIGIES, and wondering how much to push the mileage envelope in order to get that kid(s) a state title and/or scholarship.

But for the VAST majority of runners, it's just not very "important," or perhaps more so importantly, urgent. It's decades since I started running in very late elementary school or very early middle school (I've literally forgotten!), and I OFTEN remember how incredibly lucky I am that my favorite sport (by a long shot) is one that one can easily do their whole life - to include, obviously, prime years in your 20s and 30s.

SO, if the decidedly non-prodigy kid runs 17 or 18 on 30-35 versus maybe 16 or 17 on 50-60, who the hell really cares? He can literally run 5Ks for the rest of his life - including MAYBE that 15:59 at 26 or 36 !!!

How the hell does she know if you're running outside of practice? I presume that she's not a spy, so perhaps you're showing off about it? If so, and it means that much to you, stop talking about it. Easy.

These are some of the excuses I was talking about. Coaches need to work on the obstacles and not just claim them as "reasons" their team sucks.

How are you laying out your 60+ mile week for a HS kid that has a full school day?