What is the worst running advice a coach has given you?

Hands down, Dont RUN

Any Coach that yells "GET OUT". As if positioning in the first half of the race has any bearing at all in a distance event.

"It's about time you finished, why didn't you finish sooner", not what to hear in high school. Glad I found that I enjoyed running for myself, though that was another 10 years or so after that, cause I quit after that comment. Too young and stupid and smart-aleck for my own good.

Find yourself another sport little Jonny; have you thought about golf or bowling

"I don't believe in running long distance."

When I finally qualified for state my senior year, at the race my coach said something to the effect of "look, you're not going to win this, so don't go out thinking you're going to finish in the top 10."

Thanks for the inspiration asshole. (he was fired in two years)

"Run in a straight line" kinda obvious

"Never run into the wind in a workout"

"Don't do hill workouts during cross country season"

"You can't practice relay exchanges without spikes"

You need to increase your mileage 50%, run intervals twice a week, and do a one hour plyometrics session twice a week. Guess what happened?

u won

ya, i was about to say the same thing

During races:

"Hey, run as group! Finish together so we get a better team score!"

What happens when the "group" of teammates all starts out way too fast? Do you then slow down to make them look better? Or should you continue on and have a great race? I'm for the latter.

"Catch that guy/girl in front of you!!"

Look, I'm already going at full speed and 100% effort. If I catch up to him/her, then fine. If not, no big deal. Just back off!

And the ever popular pre-race motivational speech:

"I want to see everyone giving 110% effort out there today!"

How the hell can anyone give more than 100% effort? This just makes a coach look like an ass.

I've had a coach compliment me on running even splits in a 400, but chastize me for it in an 8k. Seems a bit backwards to me.

"Catch that guy/girl in front of you!!"

-this always made me feel like i had to for the team, and usually pumped me up.

the stupidest thing a coach ever told me was "well' run normal this week and and next week we'll see how it is" when i told her i was injured.

At the beginning of my senior year of HS:

"You've already run all the miles that you need."

"You don't need more than a 40 minute long run."

LEarn to racewalk! It worked

Before the conference meet:

"Don't do something stupid, like lead the whole way."

This actually came from a good coach, who immediately realized what he just said.

not a coach, but i saw a gebreslassie interview after the athens 10k in which he said

"I have many problems because of track, better to move to.... road"

obviously Geb has problems with english (well he speaks better than many but its not his language so hes abit sketchy) and was just tryin to get through the interview, he was grinning from ear to ear after he said it because he knew it sounded stupid.

"Don't f*ck up"

While being lapped in a 10k at Texas Relays... "go with him"

After going out too fast in a 3k and fading the last mile... "lengthen your stride"

Finally, refering to the 10k XC Regionals... "the race is over at 2 miles!"