Can a highschool coach really “burn out” their athletes to the point where they are worse in collegr

Compare two runners: one running 40, who began in high school, and another who began in middle school, who does 70 mpw both for 9:00. Who do you think is more talented?

Even IF you buy the premise of burning out, I think you are talking about two similar but slightly different things.

Yes, you can train so hard that you get into a downward spiral, or a plateu, and often injury. You feel physically drained. And yes, I could easily see a kid showing up on campus after 4 yrs of hs running, and probably at least 2 years of high level competing, and just be shredded. But I think that can be overcome with a red shirt year of running with no races.

The mental burnout that often hits HS runners is another thing completely. The pressure to perform, the pressure to place, the pressure to train train train train. THAT can be much more real and much more difficult to get past in college.

I doubt there are many 9:00 guys running 40 mpw in HS. 9:00 is on the cusp of running well in the big meets and receiving a scholarship. A kid with that much talent that’s just going through the motions, is kind of clueless.

This is what kids were doing in the 90s. 40ish a week with lots of high intensity repeats.

Wonder why runners were so slow in the 90s? I had a teammate in this era who barely cracked 40 a week that broke 9:00 at Arcadia. It was a huge deal. He is still considered one of the all-time greats in that community 25 years later...still a household name.

Burn out as people think about it generally is caused by to much intervals and not enough mileage. That lowers your blood ph which causes injuries, sickness, lack of motivation, and less improvement from training.

I think they can mentally. Most other stuff people are talking about just probably means the athlete needs a culture change and a mindset change.

I think it’s more about physical maturation and avoiding injuries. No matter how hard someone trains in HS, achieving success is likely going to provide motivation for college.

In my era, there were guys running 100 mpw with hard workouts that improved significantly in college. In my section there was a hairy chested, 8:55 runner that ran a more moderate 60 mpw, that didn’t improve at all in college.

Those high school coaches blame their alumni's lack of development on the college coaches burning them out. So according to them it's impossible for a high school coach to hurt someone's long term potential, but college coaches are capable of it. HYPOCRITICAL BULL****

OF COURSE those high school coaches are hurting the long term future of their athletes. Some are extremely talented and it doesn't hurt them at all, but for many it does cost them long term. Yes, there are bad college coaches too.

The notion that you can train as hard as humanly possible from age 5 to 18 with no negative affects is laughable but scary how many people actually believe it. This is why a lot of high school sub 4 milers did not have great careers.

I ran in college in the 2010’s and would argue most HS guys who trained at a “high level” have similar success rates in college compared to the low milage/low sophistication athletes.

9:00-9:10 in the 2mi in HS is probably worth around 14:30-14:45 in the 5k. I’d say most guys who actually give a damn wind up running faster than that in college. Most “developed” HS’ers can plug and play easier too vs. the lower milage guys who need longer to adjust to doing real workouts/volume.

I think it’s worth noting though that HS coaches aren’t necessarily any worse than college coaches. And the HS coaches can really focus on coaching the few good athletes at their school (vs. college coaches who have more athletes + recruiting + additional admin).

Not many college coaches hand hold though. Ik a lot of good HS coaches who make their less committed athletes do all the right stuff. In college if you don’t have that drive yourself it turns out you’re replaceable…

I question the probability a low mile 9:20 runner surpassing a normal mile 8:50 in college. College miles and competition is already going to challenge the normal mile runner, it will be a bigger jump for the High School "under trainer" plus not even guaranteed they are a 8:50 talent with equivalent training.

It is harder than ever now to make the rosters, don't "under train", train right.

Burnout is most likely caused by specializing in running prior to high school.

The number one cause of burnout across all sports is typically early specialization. It may be likely that some of the kids drawn to top high school running programs began specializing in the sport at an early age. Early specialization often involves year-round, high-intensity training focused on a single sport, leaving little room for other physical activities, hobbies, or downtime. This intense focus can lead to overtraining and physical exhaustion, particularly when the developing bodies of young athletes are exposed to repetitive stress. Research by Jayanthi et al. (2015) shows that athletes who specialize early are 81% more likely to suffer from overuse injuries compared to those who participate in multiple sports.

In addition to the physical toll, early specialization can contribute to psychological burnout. The constant pressure to perform and achieve at a young age can result in emotional exhaustion, reduced motivation, and even withdrawal from the sport entirely. A study by Goodger et al. (2007) highlighted the significant correlation between early specialization and psychological burnout in youth athletes, driven largely by the loss of intrinsic enjoyment. Athletes who have little time to explore other activities or sports may also feel a sense of social isolation, further compounding the mental strain.

Finally, early specialization can lead to a plateau in performance during adolescence, as many athletes reach their peak too soon and struggle to improve later. This phenomenon is especially problematic in endurance sports like running, where gradual development is crucial for long-term success. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends delaying specialization until late adolescence to allow for both physical and emotional growth, emphasizing that a diverse athletic background can improve resilience, adaptability, and overall performance. Encouraging balance and variety during the developmental years can help mitigate the risks of burnout and promote a healthier approach to competitive sports.

I agree and have seen this in basketball. Lebron, Kobe, and Michael all did other sports until they were 12-13 and they are some of the best players ever. Jakob did specialize in running from an early age however there were some sprint results from him and he and his brothers did XC skiing. Quincy Wilson has done throwing/multi events before.

Any team winning NXN has a coach who is over training high schoolers. Teams winning NXN are training like college kids and rarely go on to do much in college. People think it’s mileage but it’s really total amount of workout volume and intensity. Look at the top programs and how those kids run later. Sure, there are a few that make it through but usually their improvement curve is flattened.

It's an excuse poor coaches use for the lack success with their own teams.

The burnout is most likely from the all in team cult like environment. Like Mead or that girls team in ny I think the cranicks? Coached

Burnout is just a kid who goes to college and finds other interest. No longer has to answer to their parents and just falls out of making running priorities the biggest factor. Burnout is a mental term that has nothing to do with hs training

70 mpw is unnecessary for a 9 min 3200m runner

no