My coach doesn't want me to run distance

it'd be easier to judge with times to compare your sprint times vs distance times

Your coach may think youre a sprinter. You think you're a mid distance runner. It's possible your coach needs you to fill a spot on the team in the 200 or 100. Do what you want and run the mile/800. His claim about staying in the 200 and and lower sprint events to help you out later in your distance career is false.

I don't have any times for distance but I ran a 53.8 4x400 split in 8th grade and I am now better than a 5 flat and 4:52 guy and this saturday I hung with a 9:55 3200 guy for 5.5 miles of a 7 mile run. I didn't run the 200 in 8th grade but in 7th I ran a 26.6 and in 8th grade I ran 26.5 in practice.

Your past performances are stronger sprint-wise, BUT I would think you could have a great career at the 800 with that kind of speed, you're only going to get more endurance - and you seem to have the attitude.

You should stop judging your ability to run fast in distance races based on a comparison using easy runs as guages. What happens in easy recovery runs of 7 miles has no limited/no bearing on what happens in races.

it isn't an easy run, our best guy likes to run alone and he does everything he can to leave us in the dust.

You're 14 or 15 years old. You should be doing whatever the hell makes you happy.

if ur white, do distance

yes I am white, skinny, long legs. This is why i first thought i could be good in distance with the speed i have.

Most high school athletes move up. There are plenty of college 800 runners who ran 400 in high school. Morgan Uceny ran 4X4s in college. To be a high level 800 runner, you need 48 second 400 speed (open, not relay splits) or better. It is easier to develop that kind of speed by developing the speed first, then adding endurance, rather than trying to do it the other way around.

but thats beside the point. My question is will I be better in distance if I stay in sprints and try and max out my speed, maybe for the first part of my season before moving up to the 800 for regionals and state in late may? (state is may 28-29)

okay, my dream is to reach my full potential in the half mile and mile, Will I reach that by focusing on sprinting for a little longer or if I move to distance?

Little bird, fly,fly, and be free! Don't let the "man" keep you down. Do whatever you want to do in the best expression of your true self, for to thine own self be true! If this coach be a meanie, tell him to read Walt Whitman and Ralph Walrus Emerson: self-reliance is key! Don't do sprint workouts if you don't want to. They will leave you unable to build a big distance base. You won't be able to run any miles on your own. Coaches shouldn't tell you what to do ever!

Your coach is right that your sprint times need to improve, but he's wrong if he thinks they can't improve at the same time while you're training as a distance guy.

I ran 60 as a freshman in the 400, 53.4 as a sophomore, 52.6 as a junior, and 50.9 as a senior. This was while training as a miler, doing cross country, etc. A big part of it is simply that high school kids improve in leaps and bounds as their bodies physically mature.

Hop on the 4x400 regularly, that should be enough for you to improve footdspeed throughout your career.

You sound like a middle distance runner to me but it depends how you are in relation to other on the team

Maybe you will get your chance when doubling up when your coach is short. I wound up doing the 400mH a couple of times. I can't sprint, or hurdle so you can imagine how that went!

Show him on your track sessions that you have some edurance. xc was probably a step too far at the time

You can never be too fast though so it may do you good building your speed just keep doing some long runs/ intervals on your own and bide your time...it will come

Isn't the 400 right in the middle of the track meets? Maybe you can get on the 4 X 800 and then do the 400 and 4 X 400 your freshman year. Next year you can move up to the mile and 800.

i hate the do what your coach says, but i think in this case you should. Develop your speed but you can continue to do endurance runs. Next year when you move up to mid distance youll be glad you focused on some speed.

I think your coach is spot on. Take this track season to focus on speed. That type of focus is a luxury that most distance runners never get to have. Then over the summer and next cross season you can return to building endurance. If you've got both, you'll be a tough runer to beat.

Running 200s and 400s might help if you want to focus on the 800, but is too much underdistance if you want to run 1600m and 3200m.

If you want to focus on the 800m running those shorter races could be good assuming you are still doing longer strength running in training.

Likewise if you want to focus on 1600m/3200m, running some 800s earlier in the season could be helpful.