My training is really good. But I always race really crappy. Why?
My training is really good. But I always race really crappy. Why?
it's just not meant to be
Stop training so hard. You're tired.
Some dude wrote:
My training is really good. But I always race really crappy. Why?
We've been asking that question for years, Alan.
I race hard but train shitty. Seriously, I tend to just give up when it starts to hurt, unless someone's there to push me on. I guess I'm just a p'ussy.
Had a college teammate say "these races are getting in the way of my training"
Some dude wrote:
My training is really good. But I always race really crappy. Why?
Because you're too tired to race fast from training "hard". I'm sure that your workouts are way too fast and that you don't go easy enough on your easy days. You're racing your workouts. Most high school/college kids do this.
Haha wrote:
Had a college teammate say "these races are getting in the way of my training"
If you went to a high school like I do, you'd understand that. 15 5ks on the schedule in a two month season. DURR.
Some dude wrote:
My training is really good. But I always race really crappy. Why?
It is mental - you need to focus more. I remember when I was in high school some people would run their fastest times at dual meets as opposed to the big invitationals and state series meets on the weekend. I never ran nearly as fast as the dual meets as I did at the weekend meets even though I felt like I was trying just as hard.
A High Schooler wrote:
If you went to a high school like I do, you'd understand that. 15 5ks on the schedule in a two month season. DURR.
A team in the conference that I coach in races 17 times in 12 weeks last season. Pretty busy racing schedule. We run 13 and that is still a ton.
162430 wrote:
A team in the conference that I coach in races 17 times in 12 weeks last season. Pretty busy racing schedule. We run 13 and that is still a ton.
*terrible grammar and a typo. Too early. My apologies, but the point is clear.
It's easy to do this when your coach is always telling you that your not going fast enough. Our coach always has us do workouts on the track, even fartleks, so he can watch us. He gets really mad when we don't hit our times on 800, 100, 1200 and mile repeats. And everyone on the team has the same times to hit, no matter what your PR is.
This training is killing me in races, I'm over 30 sec. off my HS PR in the 5k and in the 8k, I'm more than a min off what I should be running.
Maybe his coach is like mine and wants us to pretty much race every workout and won't listen when you try to tell him that racing 9 or 10 miles a week at PRACTICE is hurting your actual races. We're training through it, is what he always says.
Don't train "hard".
Train well, train optimally, train to race.
Ya gotta dial it down kid, seen it too many times. Glad you asked for help before it was too late though.
Some dude wrote:
My training is really good. But I always race really crappy. Why?
If you're racing "really crappy" then by definition your training is NOT "really good." The purpose of training is to race well. If you are not racing well, then your training IS NOT "really good."
Haha wrote:
Had a college teammate say "these races are getting in the way of my training"
I had a college teammate that might have said the same thing. HE LOVED training, but said he didn't really care for racing. He'd do things like a 15 miler the day before a meet. When asked why, he said just because he likes to run. We always wondered why he didn't just go join the jogging club as that's what he seemed interested in doing.
There is nothing wrong with racing 13, 15 or even 17 times in a cross country season especially for inexperienced coaches who don't know how hard to train their athletes.
Racing 2 x a week is fine. You just have to know that your team is being raced into shape. What that means is in a two race week, there are no other workouts and long runs have to be slow and not very long.
In middle and high school, many kids race workouts, there is nothing wrong with making it official. What doesn't work is racing twice a week, doing separate repeat mile and hill workouts as well as a long run.
Some dude wrote:
My training is really good. But I always race really crappy. Why?
Stop eating eggs before the race and the crap will stop.