Any other walk-ons here struggling to stay on the team?

The workouts you do should serve the purpose they are supposed to serve. For example, if the run is easy you should run easy. Since it seems like you are always running hard, it is no surprise you are always tired.

If I were you I would talk to the coach about running your own paces in workouts. If you're running workouts, make sure you are running them with the slowest group. In addition, let your other teammates go on the easy days. Don't be self conscious and just run relatively easy, but not too slow either (you should be breathing a good amount but still feel comfortable).

don't quit. You'll regret it the rest of your life. How great would it be to look back, knowing you made it because you worked as hard as you could for it? You'll either break, or you'll be leading the walk-ons next year. Only way to find out is keep on trying.

I am pretty much the slowest runner on the team so I'm running workouts with the slowest group anyway. I have to run hard just to stay at the back of this pack..

In an ideal world, your coach wouldn't kick you off the team for slow workouts, only for slow races; and people can be dumb about racing workouts on the easy days. These are things that a good coach will be reasonable about... but your coach may not be reasonable. What do you think will happen if you ask your coach if you can train alone once a week for an extra easy day?

Wejo was one of the top US distance runners and barely broke 8 minutes per mile on his easy days.

Hopefully you'll just get faster and this whole thing will become moot :) Good luck!

So you say that you have to run as hard as you can just not to be last, but you also say that you are the slowest guy on the team. If you are the slowest guy on the team, you should be last if everyone is running the right pace for the workout. What are you achieving by breaking yourself down to "beat" faster runners in the workout? Run the right pace, not the pace that lets you finish in front of runners you should be behind.

Actually I meant running hard to hold on to the group, not necessarily to not be last because I usually am last... I work hard just to not finish too far behind everyone else.

Also FYI I'm a chick... this may or may not have given away what school I run for.

There is a girl on my team who fits your description very well. I'll give you advice like you're her--

Take easy days at your own pace. You're breathing too hard, working too hard, give yourself an easy day! Take warm and cool down easy, and chin up during work outs. Eat healthy, and get enough sleep! Keep putting in miles, don't let those slide down because that's what will help you catch up to the other girls for the next season.

Keep on truckin

Run more miles than anyone else over summer/wnter break. You'll be faster than them and not workng as hard to keep up.

That is my plan for the summer but I need to tough out this season...

keep busting your ass, you will get injured, you will be overtrained, you will be tired every day, you may not race well, but at some point down the line, could be six months, could be two years it will pay off. the work you put in now will help you when you are a junior/ senior, you just have to be okay with sacrificing a year or so to get up with the big girls.

The answer is all of them.

Put a couple summers in and spring of your junior year you will be in the pack.

I went through a similar experience last year

the good news is I dropped 30 seconds off my 3k and three weeks later I couldnt do 15x200 at mile pace with 200m jog recovery.

it sucks, you won't have many good races for a while because you will be so dead.

but in a while you will be able to do everything with the team.

it takes a while to get used to doing easy runs at 630-640 and long tempos at least a minute faster than that but give it time.

running isnt a short term sport.

be sure to just remain consistent, even if its consistently lower mileage, or slower mileage, after a while you will notice you can go faster and do more, and thats when you know you have made it.

You are a walk on, don't expect the coach or your team mates to tailor any workout to your needs. If you need to take few easy days each week on your own to recover, then work this out with your coach.

Running easy days hard is begging for injury or burn out.

I found the girls' team to be pretty bad for going too hard on "easy" days, and I too struggled with keeping up on both the workout days and the off runs. It's usually one or two "front runners" who like to go fast and set the pace for everyone else, and everyone else is too proud to not keep up.

Sick of being tired all the time, I eventually I talked to my coach and then some other girls on the team. Believe it or not, several others were feeling the same way as me. We eventually split up into pace groups-- those who wanted to gun the easy days were free to do so, but many of us wanted to take it a bit easier and were glad for the chance to do so. Just as a single pace for every athlete in workouts and races is not appropriate, so too should the easy days be different, based on current ability.

Honestly, just talk to people and I'll bet you'd be surprised how many others are probably feeling the same way as you.

The problem is as a barely-made-the-team struggling walk-on, it doesn't give me much room to "bargain." If this continues, I could mention it to my coach but I am just a walk on... plus the runs are hardest for me since I'm slower.

Let me tell you the story about a man named Z. Z was a walk-on for a certain team who was last by more than 5 minutes in the time trial at the beginning of his first year. He ran hard every day at practice. He did the right things outside of practice (got his rest, ate well, etc.). After one year of consistent training and a monster summer of mileage he ran 14:00 flat on the indoor track. It takes time to develop and the first year is tough.

Consistency is the most important thing. Survive the season and use the summer to level up in fitness. Put in lots and lots of miles at comfortable paces. If you a girl I'm talking 75-90 miles a week. You'll be surprised how much easier the following year will be.

You'll be fine next year.

I'm not a walk-on and i've had similiar situations. Guys that arnt even on the travel squad have dropped me on training runs. Fight the battles you need to fight. And recovery runs dont need to be one of those. GO of by yourself if you need that.

in highschool i was a state champion, but i remenber jv runners would sometimes run faster than me on our off days.

sometimes its not what you do in your workout, its how you feel doing it. let yourself feel good.

check your iron levels also. could be something thats not even your control. Work on your Mojo.

Start small and upgrade every aspect of your life. You gotta be the heathiest, smartest, and strongest athlete out there. Once you get a foundation for suscess, everything else can flow. running really can be dominated by your mind game and attitude.

Been there, done that. First, I'd say try to not be so insecure. You may not see it, but calling yourself "a barely-made-the-team struggling walk-on" isn't doing you any good. Do not put too much pressure on yourself. I used to do that and focus way too much on running, but in the long run (no pun intended), you need to define your priorities. As much as you enjoy running, it's not like you are being paid to be there.

The problem with running in college is that everything is squished into 4 years, all or nothing. Well there's a lot more time after college, so if you would like to continue to *enjoy* running and stay healthy, listen to yourself. You say you are tired all the time and do not perform well in races. A large part of that is because you are running too hard on easy days. I did this in high school and college, and did not realize it until it was too late.

What's funny is that the guys' team did not seem to have this problem as much. There were times that I ran with some of them on easy days and they went slower than the girls. The Kenyans ran even slower, both guys and girls. And of course they always kicked our asses in races and workouts. You would think that we would have caught on, but when you are in that environment, you want to run with your friends/teammates. It's easy to get sucked into paces that are too fast.

I think you're doing the right things-- you need to hang onto the slowest pack on workouts. On runs, you need to stick with people. Being tired is just the way it will be for awhile.

I'm a guy and I went through a similar situation. My first year was miserable. I was a very average high school athlete (1:58 800/ 4:30 mile / 16:high 5k), so it was a total shock to the system to be running with national champion/all american types. The following year I was much much better. I never was an all-american, but I ran 1:52 800/ 4:08 mile/ 3:47 1500 and was able to help us at the conference meet as a junior and senior. Those times aren't sensational. No one will ever confuse me for an Alan Webb or Galen Rupp, but that's still pretty solid.

It also teaches good life skills-- I've been substantially more successful career wise, and it's the same idea.

Ass kicked -> get used to it -> learn from it -> get better than other people