Raceing slump

I'm havin a similar problem, and i think a good solution is just to gut it out. I ran 100 more miles then i did last yr, yet I struggle to keep certain paces i usually can.

Its easy to say "never give up,", and it might be oversimplifying, but its the truth. Keep up your mileage, gut out the workouts, and maybe do some push-yups and situps for optimum efficiency for running. Your not the only one, believe me, and in my opinion your summer mileage will pay off come late october.

Here are 2 quotes which can help:

"Pain doesnt exist, you make it up in your mind when your running."- teammate

"I just stopped listening to my head and body when it says I'm in pain. I just do what everyone else does and its been working"- teammate

maybe you're running your easy miles too fast...

maybe you're neglecting the tempo/speed areas too much...

maybe you need to watch your nutrition closer...

maybe you need more sleep...

maybe you need to stretch more...

Quite frankly I don't know what is messing you up, but these things and others could certainly be factors. Talk to your coach more freely. Explain exactly what's going on, and make him understand that you really do want to improve, but you need him to show you the way. I'm sure there is someone on this board who has more to offer than myself, so hopefully someone will speak up who has had this type of experience. Everyone has obstacles, so don't think you are burnt out. If you were truly "burnt out", then, believe me, you would know it. Hang tough, you'll be fine.

My coach is a loser. He told r parents the first day off practice to let us eat what ever we want if we think it's going to make us run faster. He used a "snicker's" bar as an example. He told one girl that ask him "Coach how far should I be running?" and he said "How ever far as u think u should." What an "ass hole" I mean duh the girl comes up and ask u how far should I run, and then u say how ever far u think u should. Obvisoly she doesn't know what she should be doing. And u should hear some of the pre-race crap he say's.

Ok about Mr. T's reply. I was told by another coach before the first race that maybe I was doing my easy run's to fast. Witch I probbaly was. They were usally around a 6:15 to 7:00 pace. Now I have them down to a 6:50 to a 7:30

I do no speed work or tempo runs.

With my mom cooking I don't have to worry about my nutrition.

I might need more sleep. I usally go to bed around 9:30 10:00 and get up at 6:00am

I stretch alot. I had "Oscer-Sluter's" and am like 6'2" and still growing. I am starting to have alitte pain right below my left knee on the out side. It's sort of like "Ocer-sluter's" I think

Dare to Dream, Dare to Try, Dare to Fail, Dare to Succeed

My friend, I'm in the same boat you are. Last year I ran around 50 mpw, this year I'm doing 70mpw. The intensity is higher too. I used to train at 7:00, now I'm training around 6:35. My workouts are phenomenal. My races suck. Last year I ran 28:13 for 8k. This year I'm running 28:30. To top it off, a kid on my team who didn't train for half the summer is beating me. Not by much, but just the same, it sucks to know I put in that kind of work and that I'm not reaping the benefits that I thought I would. I don't know what to tell you really, as I haven't figured out a way to get out of my slump either. Good luck, and I share your frustration.

Chubbs Peterson wrote:

My friend, I'm in the same boat you are. Last year I ran around 50 mpw, this year I'm doing 70mpw. The intensity is higher too. I used to train at 7:00, now I'm training around 6:35.

Chubbs, let me make a suggestion. Take the intensity back down to 7:00 per mile pace or slower. It does not matter how hard you go on your distance days. You're getting nothing more out of those 6:35s than you would be out of 7:00s. The workouts to run hard are the speed workouts.

This is one of the hardest lessons to learn but you'll be forced to learn it sooner or later.

Also, once racing season gets into high gear, both of you should probably drop your mileage back down a bit. The extra distance is supposed to build you up so you can have a good racing season. But once you're racing, you need that extra bit of freshness. That's when you live off the endurance you built up in the offseason.

Oh ya this makes me the most frustrated. When someone on ur team, that did absoulty nothing over the summer, is beating u bad, and they also do basicly nothing in pratice. That even goes for other people on teams that did the same.

Dare to Dream, Dare to Try, Dare to Fail, Dare to Succeed

sad sad runner, you just have to believe in yourself... believe me I've felt your frustrations !!!

I trained everyday in high school and was getting beaten, at least in the shorter events like 800m and down buy a guy who only ran 3 times per week at most! and he didn't even make it hurt in practise!

I ran like a mad-man the summer before my senior year, 10 miles each day, and improved my 5 mile best to 27:54... I was alright into early october, but then the gas in my tank began to run out... I needed a break and I was battling an injury, so I adjusted, didn't run all that well indoors, but then BOOM in April after only 6 weeks of serious running I ran another 5mile race, shattering my best by over a minute, 26:47 !!! so just believe in yourself, train hard and long when it counts, but remember to take a break when your body is telling you to otherwise you'll run yourself into the ground. After a good 1-2 week break from running I usually come back stronger than ever!

So, are you saying that summer training will pay off in like a month or so, because I have the same problem as sad runner.

Oh yea, sad runner. Were very much alike:

I'm 5'8, I have pain in my lower right knee and left (al though i'm not sure if its Oclerupus or something lol). I was 2nd on my team and feel like my pos. is threatened, I only eat good because my mom cooks alot.

Now i need to know. Whats your favorite show, shoe size, and hair color?

I ran like a mad-man the summer before my senior year, 10 miles each day, and improved my 5 mile best to 27:54... I was alright into early october, but then the gas in my tank began to run out... I needed a break and I was battling an injury, so I adjusted, didn't run all that well indoors, but then BOOM in April after only 6 weeks of serious running I ran another 5mile race, shattering my best by over a minute, 26:47 !!! so just believe in yourself, train hard and long when it counts, but remember to take a break when your body is telling you to otherwise you'll run yourself into the ground. After a good 1-2 week break from running I usually come back stronger than ever![/quote]

Right now am a "Mizuno" man. Every pair of "Saucony," I have had, I have had to take them back because they fall apart on me. My favortie shoe I ever had was the asics "2070" I think. But now all asics shoe just don't feel right when I run in them. New Balance usally give me blister's on top of my toes, but the shoes feel great. Brooks were a great pair of shoes but they were a little heavy, and those clear things on bottom off the shoes allways broke and skweaked.

My shoe size is 10.5 to 11. I have brown hair with some blonde high lights from the sun. I weigh 148. I also have blue eyes.

ok, so were not identical twins or somethin, thats good...

Anyway, I have another tip. My dad has often told me (hes a runner) that high school studs will come and go, runners that seem to have little running experience and run almost no miles over the summer, but run great times, as he did in high school (he started running as a junior, while I did when I was 8). However, as they go in to college, their success is minimal, and they get injured fast, almost immediatly, because they dont have a base to increase their mileage. See what i'm saying?

My dad says almost the same thing. After my race yesterday every one went back to the tent and died, and I went and did a 2 mile cool down then later that night I went out for a 6mile run. It was no great time but I felt great when I was done. My dad says when I get closer to end of the season and cut down on my milage am just going to shot past them all. My dad was an awesome runner when he was in high school. He was running a 15:25 his tenth grade year, but then he got into drugs and after his 11th grade year he went down the drain. Now he's doing Marothons in about 3:50 minutes. He says watching me run makes him feel young again.

Hey my AOL SN is RebelRunin

mine is trackjunkie5

6 mile run at night? Danm, the most i've ever done after a race (and it was a 1600m race too) was 4 miles hard

"Long slow runs make for long slow runners"....Seb Coe. I beleive you answered your own problem when you stated you don't do workouts or tempo runs.

When I was running 17:00 I wasn't doin any speed workouts or tempo runs.

You guys sound somewhat like me as well. At least when I was your age. My dad also was a runner. He ran 4:14 for the mile his sophomore year of college, but pulled his hamstring real bad and stopped running all together.

As to the person who told me to back it down to 7:00. I don't do my long days at that pace. Any run 10 miles or longer is done at 7:00 or slower. But 6-8 milers are done at that pace.

you guys need to stop bitchin. everybody goes through dryspells and im currently in one myself but im not on here wining about it.

It's whining.

dude, you MUST start doing some stuff like tempos, fartleks and strides. How do expect to race a speed that is faster than you ever run at?? with the way you're training you probably have zilch for leg speed now. Summer base time is over, You've got your foundation - now it's time to start putting up the walls.

Sounds like you guys all are experiencing some trouble with race performances I have some training advice and some mental advice.

Mentally is sometimes the most important so I would suggest you think about the following thing. Don?t get too discouraged by bad races or too excited about good races. They are moments in time and sometimes you have bad days and sometimes you have good days, try not to worry about them as much.

Physically you need to adjust some things:

1) Slow down on your easy runs, if you are running in the 6:15-7:00 and you are racing in the 18:00's then you are running too fast. Essentially you are running tempo runs everyday. Monitor your heart rate on your easy runs to make sure you are not running too fast 7:15-7:30 should be fine.

2) Cut down on your mileage and increase your speed work. You have built your foundation now give your body a chance to reap the benefits. You HAVE to do speedwork and long intervals to improve.

3) You may also consider getting your iron levels checked, you might be anemic. It might be a reach but it is common for iron levels to drop when there is an increase in training volume. It happened pretty dramatically to me and some of my teammates in college. It has also happened to a few runners that I coach now.

Hope this gives you something to work with.

Peace