H.S. Freshman Training

Injured...Kinda:

For the each post I put here I was talking about an entering freshman, which is what the OP asked about.

In my first post I brought up one example, a runner who began at considerably less mileage than the girl the OP mentions, who progressed over 4 years so that this year she's run 50 mpw for an extended period. That's the same thing I brought up with my DI runners, who began their careers at very low mileage and have progressed into the 60s and 70s. It's not complicated: start at a reasonable number and add a little to it each year as they adapt successfully.

There's no contradiction there, so I'm not sure why you see one.

My point, and I'll make it again whether you like it or not, is that a freshman girl in general does NOT know her body yet, has NOT begun puberty, and is NOT ready to run heavy mileage. It sounded to me as if her coach is taking an intelligent approach to her freshman season and that she's running well if she can already run 18:49. Give her a few years and a successful travel through puberty and maybe she'll run a lot faster than she's run. Get her hurt now and yo might never know.

Arrogant you say? Nice work. You've got me pegged. But I've seen so many fools take advantage of prepubescent girls by running them into the ground, creating all kinds of problems for them and for their running and personal lives, that I don't really mind at all taking a rather extreme position.

That seems reasonable. Its still a rather large increase by percentage. But in practicality makes good sense. Most with decent mechanics can handle that.

Injured... Kinda wrote:

Perhaps increasing it by 400 miles a year, starting at 800.

800, 1200, 1600, 2000 = 5600 miles in high school.

Your average committed year-round runner is going to be running for ~46 weeks per year (even if she plays soccer).

At 800 miles per year, she averages 17 mpw.

At 1200 it's 26.

At 1600 it's 34.

And at 2000 it's 43.

Any you and I disagree why?

That's almost exactly what I listed for my example in my first post and is a perfect example of what I think is a reasonable, rational approach to developing a high school runner.

oOK, this is the deal. She started running at age 11. It has been kept recreational and low key with just a few races here and there. 7th and 8th grade x-c was up to 22 miles a week. She sat ou t of spring track by choice because they over run the better atletes at her school. Instead she has been training undr a private coach, all spring and summer. Her miles and workouut have bee. closely monitored. She is developing just as normal as any healthy 14 year old can. She truely loves the sport. Now the H.S. x-c coach is in charge and he runs her at no more than 20 miles a week.she is going to loose her base by mid Oct.