Question for coaches:
Is there any merit in running a race before you can run it properly? Specifically should a freshman run the mile before they are ready? “Back in the day” (I know the modern guys hate that term) when I ran track in 9th grade the 880 was the longest race. I did not run the mile until I was a sophomore. Consequently all of my miles were well under 5 minutes that season and I ended up running 4:36 that year with big drops each year thereafter.
On my son’s team, 5 minutes is a barrier that kids even juniors and seniors are struggling to break through. This is even though they did well at the state XC... My son will likely run under 2:20 this season in the 800 but probably will not break 2:10. He ran 2:23 on the 4th interval of a 4x800 workout last month by himself.
I don’t want him to run the mile this year. I just found out the coach is having him double 1600/800 on Monday after I asked him to just run him in the 800. I believe all kids are better served starting shorter and moving up later once they mature. I would hate for him to run 5:25 and then start doubting himself.
I am having big issues philosophically reconciling my interest in interval style middle distance training with the coach’s lsd x-c centric approach. I can get my son’s time down significantly if I were to train him but that is not going to happen. I am seriously bummed and question WTF is going on. Am I out of line? My kid is not me but I want him to be as good as he can be. It is setting up to be a situation where I will have to stay away because I tend to speak my mind - which benefits no one.