Middle Distance Training in High School

In highschool, the biggest contributer to lowering times is not increasign mileage or harder workouts, but rather just getting older. You are going to drop a shit load of time in high school from each year to the next mainly from getting older and stronger. Most high school freshmen are no where near as developed as they are going to be later on in their high school career and will only get faster as they get stronger naturally. As for your coach, i feel it is better for 800 meter runners to have sprint coaches in high school. I feel this way because, once you get in college you are going to be under a distance coach and you will start to do the mileage and distnace workouts needed to become a successful middle distance runner. In high school, its more important to get a few years of fast sprint like training. Find out what it feels like to run sub 50 for a quarter and find out how fell u can handle going out in 1:07 for first 500 of an 800. the speed training u do in highschool will be very beneficial to you come college. as for mileage, if your a junior, you should be doing somewhere around 35-45 miles per week with anm off day. If you are doing less than that dont worry about it, i did 20 a week in high school and was pretty good, but dont try to jump your mileage up too much, thats another thing. Get as fast as you can with low mileage before you jump up. It would be better to come out of high school running 45 miles per week and then increasing durrign college then to come out of high school running 75 per week and having no where left to go. So basically, work on that 400 speed, even try a few 200s and just have fun in high school. the best way to be a succesful high school runner is to be able to run fast for your first 500 meters. If you take other kids out in 52-53 for 400 and then 1:06 for 500, they will all die. do 400 meter repeats and shit like that to get comfortable going out that fast, that way you can come back in 58 and kill people.

Whatever you do, dont listen to the above poster. That is the biggest load of crap "coaching" I've ever read. Yeah..a 2:02 guy is going to be able to run out in 1:07 period..not to mention running another 300m. And take them out in 52, back in 58 while they die. Add those up. THATS 1:50!!!! I promise you if you are even in 4:20 shape and you go out in 52, you will die. There is nothing that makes you more invincible to the fast early pace just because you are the one who set it. Hopefully you'll get better advice from someone else.

sorry, i guess your right. But it is important to be able to get that speed under you. For a 2:02 junior, maybe 55-56 is more appropriate. Sorry, i was acting as if you were a senior. My post is pretty bullshit i must admit for someone of that age, but i stand by the fact that you need to get as much speed under you as u can, and that you need to keep your mileage under 50 per week. how is that, anyone see something wrong. Sorry for the above post, im not thinking right and am on a bender.