How much mileage is too much for high schoolers?

just to be safe because you haven't run nearly that much before i might back off to 65-70 but f*** those other ppl. however, if you get up to 145, that is too much for a high schooler.

more than 500 miles a week is almost overtraining unless a lot of that is just recovery runs and tempos

Dear Scrotum, quality is the name of the game. The 2 time ncaa 10k champ, did around 50 miles a week.

...And just think what he could have run under serious training...

A little bit of quality goes a long way. Most people need to run a lot if they're going to run fast and maximize their potential, as well as lay down the foundation for future success. Ryan Hall ran 2:06:17 in April because he was running 70-90mi/wk in high school.

Serious training? And how can you proove that Hall's 2:06 was because of his high school mileage? I've seen way too many high school kids that ran excessive miles while in high school, under club coaches, and they were not worth a damn in college.

Go ahead list them. Meanwhile, also list all those high schoolers who maxxed out at 30mi/wk and did nothing, either during or after high school and college (+90%?), as well as those 20 or so people who have run under 2:06:30 and how much easy/moderate physical activity they did in their youth.

Those club kids were overtrained and overraced. If you feel fine, you obviously aren't overtraining. Listen, nobody's going to tell you you're overtraining doing 70-80 mpw going into freshman year of college, right? So why is there this magic, invisible line dividing 18 and 19, high school and college? There just isn\'t. Do what your body can comfortably handle, and f*** all the doubters.

I did 70 mpw going into my senior year, didn't get hurt or burn out, and pr'd by over 30 seconds in the 5k.

Mr. ticktock, what did you do after that gloriuos senior year? And alot of college coaches, who are worth a shit do not want high school kids that have run over 70 miles a week.

who the f*** said 30 miles a week? I sure as shit didn't. In the mean time is this high school kid running cross country or training to be a 2:06 marathioner? A big f***ing difference. And no I'm not going to list the kids, but just look at some of the big 12 women that were big time in high school that can't piss now!

It's different for everyone. Some high schoolers are ready for 80 or 90 mpw; some can't handle over 50.

The best rule is: "If you feel and can concretely PROVE (i.e. by the stopwatch) that you're getting better, keep it up!"

So if you're dead all the time, and can't manage more than a shuffle on your runs, you're doing too much.

the real mobile9 wrote:

...And just think what he could have run under serious training...

A little bit of quality goes a long way. Most people need to run a lot if they're going to run fast and maximize their potential, as well as lay down the foundation for future success. Ryan Hall ran 2:06:17 in April because he was running 70-90mi/wk in high school.

thats such a cop out! just cause he was at 50mpw he wasnt doing serious training? what defines serious training? honestly doing 100mpw of just sludging along the trails doesnt seem all that serious to me.

50mi/wk for an NCAA distance runner is ridiculous. Second year high schoolers run that much.

And the point is to:

1) Keep them healthy

2) Don't burn them out (infinitely more likely to do so on too much insensity than volume)

3) Keep them in a position to have to option to continue rnning/competing further down the road.

Compare Webb and Hall in high school:

Webb 400m 47.5 1500m 3:36.2c

Hall 400m 50.5 1500m 3:42.7

Hall ran faster relative to his 400m ability because of the additional volume he was doing. You take Hall's stamina and put it together with Webb's wheeks and you've got a guy running 3:29 (which is essentially where he got to last year).

I'm also a rising senior. Last summer I peaked at 70-75mpw, a lot more than I'd ever run to that point, and had a really successful XC season. This spring I trained at a consistent 70-80 mpw for most of the season and PR'ed by 37 seconds in the 2-mile. This summer I'm currently at about 80 mpw, working my way slowly and cautiously up to ~100. Some people call it stupid or crazy; I think that if you're (1) doubling, (2) building up mileage slowly while listening to your body, and (3) doing the little things (core exercises, sleep, nutrition, running on softer surfaces when possible) to keep from getting injured, you will end up kicking ass at longer distances. As long as you take care of yourself and don't push it too hard, high mileage itself will not make you "burn out", or limit your long-term potential.

Check out the number of miles Ritz bumped up to the summer between his junior and senior seasons in which he won the high school XC championships both seasons.

the real mobile9 wrote:

Compare Webb and Hall in high school:

Webb 400m 47.5 1500m 3:36.2c

Hall 400m 50.5 1500m 3:42.7

Hall ran faster relative to his 400m ability because of the additional volume he was doing. You take Hall's stamina and put it together with Webb's wheeks and you've got a guy running 3:29 (which is essentially where he got to last year).

Mr. ticktock, what did you do after that gloriuos senior year? And alot of college coaches, who are worth a shit do not want high school kids that have run over 70 miles a week.

Put in another good summer of training and had another good cross season. Running is a progression, and there's no reason to get burnt out unless you're doing ridiculous interval workouts all the time or something. I agree that kids shouldn't be forced into high mileage when they're young, but if someone chooses to do 70 going into his senior year then more power to him.

I don't think you know what you're talking about. What college coaches don't want an athlete who's done 70 miles a week? That's retarded! Have you ever done a 70 mile week? It's not even mildly tiring unless it's all quality.

look:

Monday: 4/8

Tuesday: 9

Wednesday: 9

Thursday: 4/8

Friday: 6

Saturday: 4/8

Sunday: 12

Total: 72

Who's going to burn out running that?

No, I have not run 70 miles in a week and I would not have any of my high school athletes do that either. Quality miles not junk miles. I'm talking about training for a 5k not a marathon. Again if the 2 time DI 10k champion can do it off of 50 miles a week, then why couldn't a high school kid training for a 5k be able to do the same or even a little less mileage. More is not always better!

jumparound wrote:

More is not always better!

Less is not always the answer either.

Sorry to jump in the arguement, but to the OP mileage is an individual thing. If you get through your 80+ mile week feeling confident then it has been successful. A young high schooler in base training is about having fun and being prepared for the upcoming season, mentally and physically. There's more than one path to take as you can see by Jumparounds favorite Star who ran 50 a week, or others such as JK and the Brojo's who prefer the higher stuff. Whatever you choose, do it with confidence, don't second guess, and go in knowing you'll be stronger and ready to run.

Also to the OP...

Confidence is everything.

This will quickly break down into the same old "quality vs. quantity" debate you frequently hear on this board. Both sides will present endless arguments: none of those matter to you right now. It's July, and the season is approaching.

You picked the mileage route as your way to the top this summer, so stick with it. Forget the people who are telling you no; they aren't you or your coach, and know little about you. Again, stay with the plan you have chosen.

More importantly, you've decided to not let talent decide the outcome of your races, and have chosen to work more in the hope of running faster. Whether it was the "run faster" option or the "run longer" option for training, GOOD FOR YOU. You've accepted the challenge, and want to become a better athlete. Outstanding.

For now, forget the kids who are "quality" or "low mileage" training success stories; you've not chosen that route this summer, so they are irrelevant to you in your current situation. Instead, let's give you some examples of recent athletes who DID chose your route - mileage - to the top, with the hope that you might draw some confidence and inspiration from them.

From the Olympic trials...

Galen Rupp - 2nd at 10,000 M, 70 miles a week in HS including a 16 mile long run.

Matt Tegenkamp - 2nd in the 5k, up slightly over 60 in HS. His coach also produced 3:49 miler Joe Falcon.

Chris Solinsky - 4th at 5k, up in the low 70s in hs for Steven's Point. His High school also produced sub 4 1500 girl Suzy favor Hamilton.

Throw in the Marathoners (Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenheim both were up over 80 MPW in high school), and you have some good people to look at for inspiration.

Good luck this fall. May your efforts pay off in the type of races you are hoping for.

as long as you feel comfortable nad you are taking your easy days easy and doing the little things you should be doing (stretching, eating right, and whatnot) you should be ok. you may want to back off your mileage 5 to 10 miles per week once school starts since you will not have as much time to relax and recover.

if i can give you any advice it is make sure you listen to your body and take at least a few easy days a week. i ran myself into the ground the summer before senior year, the first few duals went great, broke course records without even trying, but a few weeks into the season, about the time the invites started rolling around i was toast...overtrained and had to finsh the season while running on a stress fracture