Definition of a talented runner

Talent is a broad spectrum that is relative to other individuals.

The general population would agree that an individual running sub 16 in the 5K off 25 MPW has considerable talent. If we were to shift our discussion to elites, the aforementioned statistics may seem lacking in the "talented" department.

That doesn't even include the different types of "talent" that varying individuals have. Some are inclined to strength, some are inclined to mental toughness, some are inclined to speed, some are inclined to a large volume of training.

Talent is just an umbrella word encompassing a variety of traits that are too complex to organize in the big picture.

Very difficult to define what talent is.

Ok, fair enough. I will reframe the question as to his potential.

His 400 is terrible :-)

Really he has to want to be there, wasn't to do the miles... can't force that.

800 analyzer wrote:

His 400 is terrible :-)

Really he has to want to be there, wasn't to do the miles... can't force that.

I put that 400 time down to his fitness level, alot of improvement will come with training as we are talking about a guy that probably struggled to run a 7.30 mile or a 90sec 400 10 or 11 months ago. His speed is incredible over 100 to 150m and he just needs to gain strength. I believe that with good training, he could go 50 over 400. He's not very explosive off the start but he has a very high top end speed for a distance guy.

I know he wants to be alot faster but I am unsure of how to train him as he is taking minutes off his times every race so I am unsure about upping mileage and injuring him but I want him to keep improving.

will his huge improvements end up hurting him in the long run?

Any advice on this guy?

He ran 37.31 today.

Talent requires 3 things:

Genetic potential (commonly confused as talent)

Hard work ethic/mental strength

Intelligence/consistency

I think your runner lacks 2 of these (mainly ethic) and you will find yourself disappointed by the end of his small lasting journey.

HighMilerMileage wrote:

Talent requires 3 things:

Genetic potential (commonly confused as talent)

Hard work ethic/mental strength

Intelligence/consistency

I think your runner lacks 2 of these (mainly ethic) and you will find yourself disappointed by the end of his small lasting journey.

I think it is too early to comment on his ethic and consistency as he is not even running a year. It takes a while for a habit to settle in a new runner. I deal with alot of new runners and they usually are similar in their early training but the majority pull through and find motivation.

He is an intense character who doesn't like been beaten. I need advice on keeping this guy going and how to train him.

Hard to imagine a guy runs a 11.8 100 and only runs a 61 second 400. Straight off the couch with just natural speed maybe but after running for 11 months?

Clocked him today at 57s for 400m. Anyone got some advice for coaching this guy please?

Coachie wrote:

Clocked him today at 57s for 400m. Anyone got some advice for coaching this guy please?

What type of advice are you looking for, coach?

I mean, folks could send you workouts 'til you're blue in the face but they won't mean a damn if they are not part of an well thought out program. And even then they won't be worth the electrons they are written on if the athlete isn't motivated to train.

Seriously, what exactly do you think would be useful?

Coachie wrote:

Clocked him today at 57s for 400m. Anyone got some advice for coaching this guy please?

Wow, you must be a pretty bad coach. A 57 is insignificant, a 33:17 is much better. Make him run. A lot.

Serious Answerer wrote:

Coachie wrote:

Clocked him today at 57s for 400m. Anyone got some advice for coaching this guy please?

What type of advice are you looking for, coach?

I mean, folks could send you workouts 'til you're blue in the face but they won't mean a damn if they are not part of an well thought out program. And even then they won't be worth the electrons they are written on if the athlete isn't motivated to train.

Seriously, what exactly do you think would be useful?

I am looking for advice on how to progress him on mileage. Should I up mileage to 50 in a couple of months or slowly up it over a long period of time as his times improve? If he is still improving so quickly, is there a need to up it to 50-60 so quickly or should I leave it till his times steady up and then increase it?. What would be the best way?

build slowly. you said that it is hard to get the guy out training anyway, so why push him to run and risk him getting sick of it/burnt-out/hurt?

he's 24 with no running background, he has YEARS (10+) to improve his running PRs if he wants to. just let him know you think he has awesome potential but it will take 2-3 years of consistent work to even begin running close to that potential (and years of work after that to progress).

also i would worry about increasing the volume on his workout days before i worry about increasing overall mileage. if you have him doing 2 workouts a week (8-10 miles on those days?) and a long run (10-12?), that's 30 quality miles. make those days bigger volume-wise (longer tempos (but not faster), longer long runs (but not faster!), add in a 2-3 mile morning shakeout, etc.) and to hell with what the guy wants to do on his recovery days. 3 miles, fine. 6, even better. take the day off and play soccer or pickup bball, OK. just don't burn him out with some strict everyday running regimen.

He's only fast so quickly because he's skinny, light from smoking.