is racing twice a week too much? (HS, distance)

Pretty sure if you're doing that then most of ur races should basically be workouts. 2 races + 2 workouts + a long run every week would definitely be way too much.

We do the same thing, and it sucks because we don’t even have time to train properly to improve. It has been month and a half of outdoor season and we only have done like 3 workouts

This is not too much. Only if your not doing workouts between the 2 meets though. On our team, if wr have 2 meets in a week, which is common for us, we don't have any workouts. Races themselves are the only workouts we need in this case. Also If you have to do your long run the day after/before a race, then do it slower.

It’s quite common for HS track that I have seen. Yes you can improve through that, it’s ok if you don’t have a lot of workouts and hitting races. Kind of depends on what you did in the off-season.

Enjoy all the racing while you can, once you get to college (if you run) you’ll feel like you don’t get to race enough.

and all that racing per week will be just as beneficial as workouts if you’re recovering properly.

I’d say change your mindset and look at all the race opportunities as a chance to test out race strategies and/or push past your limits and just see what happens, since the individual races aren’t as meaningful as if you only had 5 or so in a season.

Way too much. It sounds like you're even doing more than 1 a day. I can count the # of times I raced Senior year on one hand. For comparison, I raced about 7 times more frequently than Kipchoge. Ditch this coach. I didn't have to unload my HS track coach. I just never met or spoke to him in the first place. Avoided all kind of problems including yours.

If Kipchoge races just once a year, you are still running more than you can count on one hand……..

Depends on how your coach treats racing. If they're using races as workouts, then it's good. If they're trying to have you bounce back quickly and also run multiple hard workouts that week, it's too much.

While racing many events makes a good workout, overdoing it can also make for worse performances in the events done later in the meet. If you're very focused on reaching a specific time (to qualify for a meet or something) I'd talk to him about that, just explaining that you really want to get a specific time that you need.

I agree. Races are "workouts" too. So if you are not doing additional hard days, then two meets a week is not too much. I actually like mile/4x4 as a double. And realistically mile/800/4x4 is fine if you're not full gas on both the mile and 800.

But talk to your coach and get some clarification on what the expectations are.

Yes you are. Races are the same as academic tests. The bulk of your time should be devoted to training and races should test your progress periodically. Just like you don’t take an algebra midterm two times a week you shouldn’t race two times a week.

Maybe for late college years and elite runners, but high schoolers and young college runners are still trying to figure out pacing and strategy for different race distances.

If I only raced 3-4 3200m races per season in high school I’d maybe have figured out the event by the last race of the season, but more likely would have been left feeling like I still hadn’t gotten things quite right.

My freshman year of college xc I ran 5 8ks, my best time was #3 but my best race was conference champs (#5). Then we went to regionals and ran a 10k and it was a total disaster for me. This is only my experience, but I don’t think I’m unique in this. During younger developmental years of a running career I don’t think it hurts to get exposure and try things out.

If the OP feels like they know what event their best at and have a good feel for how to run it, then maybe a convo with the coach is in order to narrow the focus.

If you’re soft, it’s definitely too much

It's tricky in HS. I don't think HS kids have the attention span nor the desire to train train train train.. and race 3-4 "important" meets, then regional/state. That's more for college and beyond.. maybe if you are a rare high level athlete competing on the national stage, but 99.9% of the HS kids are not that.

Races are workouts, it's not like you don't get a physical benefit from racing. And you need to learn how to race, and most importantly races and meets are fun! It's why we do this!

If you are a competitor you run races. If not try pickleball.

Go for it, race as much as possible. Have fun, try out different things.

If you are going to race in college, you should be good enough to win a lot of these easily. If you aren’t, race as much as possible that is what all the work is for.

I was a really high level hs runner and my coach still had me race everything all the time, it was fun

How fast are you? How many points will you score at state?

I think twice a week is too much. Racing is mentally taxing and I often felt burnt out and drained midway through my seasons in high school. I raced a little less than twice a week, maybe 2 meets every 10 days and would run the 3200/1600, 3200/800, or 1600/800 every meet. When you go to the well that much, it gets tiring both mentally and physically. That's not even to mention the time commitment of driving to the meet, getting there a couple hours early, and staying until the 4x4. There is some truth that racing is a great workout, but it is also a great workout to run actual workouts with more volume than a single 800 or mile.

Don't think you can't succeed racing two meets weekly. Many excellent high school runners have had success this way, especially if they have the discipline to run easy enough to recover between meets, but still getting sufficient distance to maintain an aerobic base.

Honesty, as a coach, I don't like to schedule 2 meets Every week, but I have seen plenty of runners do well with this approach over my 40+ years of coaching. As others have said above, use these races as both physical training (workouts) and as an opportunity to practice various racing tactics. It looks like you're getting the chance to run both longer and shorter (down to 400) track events, so you'll be getting some work in various speeds.
If you feel you need a bit more speed than you're getting, on the days you're only racing a 2 mile, you could jog a bit post-race, then get in some shorter faster reps (like 200's @ 800 effort, OR Fartlek like 30 seconds @ 800 effort/1:30 jog. Also, if you feel you're losing your aerobic endurance, you could add a bit of up tempo running to one of your distance runs, such as 20 min. @ about 1 min/mile slower than 5K race pace, as long as you're feeling good.

Just Don't think you cannot be successful running 2 meets/week. It's been done before,
and you can do it, too!