Should I quit HS running?

Yes, you should quit. Sadly, you do not appear to have what it takes to make it in the world of running. I suggest you move on to other pursuits, maybe football or basketball.

Please do not post on this site again, you filthy quitter.

You are young. Don't be so dramatic about running slow this early in your life. If I had quit my sophomore year of highschool I would have never broken 18, but only a few years later I was breaking 18 in tempo runs and running low 15. Getting better is cumulative, and your past summer of training will help you in the future. Eventually your easy run pace will get faster, you'll be putting in the same milage, and you will be glad you didn't quit.

shouldiquit wrote:

Im 15, and have been running for 3-4 years now. Ever since I started I have always wanted to be the very best at this sport, and have been trying to do everything I possibly can to achieve those goals.

Track

7th 5:21 (1600) 11:33(3200) 20-25mpw

8th 5:06 11:07 (3200) 30-35mpw

9th 4:58 10:44 (3200) 35-40 mpw

This year, prior to my cross country season, I decided to go all in and give it all in and run 60-70 miles a week over the summer,

No you should not quit the work. Increased mileage takes time to pay dividends. Like as much as 6-12 months. You should hold this mileage all year, and go up to 100 next summer. You should increase 10-20 mpw after a year of that, in 2 segments, maybe 10 mpw before sr xc and 10 before sr track. Then you can say you're doing everything possible and determine if you're really only going to get "below average" results from your running.

You talk about running better without speedwork, but I wonder if its not that you run better when fully recovered. Are you working out too hard or too close to races? Workouts shouldn't feel like races. My coach in college told me that for every workout we were doing, yes even 22 mile long runs, if someone put a gun to my head right after I finished and told me to do it again, I should be able to, even though it would feel god awful. This principle holds true in hs even more, but is one of the hardest things to learn. You need to put enough in your workouts that they stress your body to make repairs that enable you to reach new levels of fitness, but not so much that you aren't nearly 100% before the next workout. Another thing could be you are doing easy/recovery runs too fast and not amply recovering.

You are far too young to consider quitting, especially since you love the sport. Even if you don't reach lofty goals or improve at the pace you expect, you are building what is the base for a lifelong sport. Unless you have specific experience in another fall sport (soccer/football), you also can't replace the experience of being part of your school's team.

I had a kid quit two years ago who had a similar profile as you. In 8th grade he ran a 4:55 mile. In 9th grade he ran 4:45. He looked like he could become something really special and was better than all his classmates.

Then, in 10th grade in XC he still did well, but two classmates pulled even with him. In track, these two classmates (10th graders) ran 4:31 and 4:33. This kid I am talking about ran 4:38.

He was still progressing and was an excellent runner, but quit before XC that year. He just couldn't handle not being the best on the team, even though I think he would have been in the 4:20's for the mile before leaving high school.

So ... from a mental standpoint, take some baby steps. Are you getting better? If not, talk this through with your coach.

One final thing -- sometimes it is just a matter of finding your event. You might be a 400/800 runner in disguise. I've had plenty of kids who looked great in middle school XC who weren't much at the HS level, but were excellent 800m runners in track.

Do not quit. My guess is that you are still maturing. The years spent running before you mature, help, but maybe half as much as those spent after. Most likely, you have only about a year invested. The rest of HS is what really counts.

More importantly, the experience you have so far can teach you something that many never learn. As edward teach wrote, racing your workouts doesn't work.

This was my first thought, as well. It sounds like you are leaving your races on the track in your workouts. Are you following your coach's training plan or are you adding in workouts of your own. Are you hitting your training paces?

To whom are you comparing yourself? Those times, especially the 7th grade times, indicate plenty of potential. Are other kids ON YOUR TEAM that were around your level progressing ahead of you? Have you grown a lot lately? Have you talked to your coach about what's happening with you and how you feel about it?

I disagree, however, that you should push the mileage up even further. If you are chronically overtrained, more training is not the solution. Especially if you are consistently running every training run too fast!

Post your recent paces for easy runs, long runs and a few workouts.

Thanks for responding. My recent runs are:

easy run: 7:20 per mile

long run: 7:20 per mile

8x800: 2:34 average, 3:30 rest (Did once during this season)

16x400: 1:15 average, 1:30 rest (Pretty much done every week for the entire season)

Recent 3 mile xc race: 18:43 approximate splits (cant remember them exactly off the top of my head) : 5:30, 6:45, 6:35

The only speed workout that my coach has us run every week for the entire season far are 12-16 400's at around 75. Other than that, I might do another tempo, but I listen to everything she says. It really bothers me how my workouts set myself up to think I will be able to race fast, but I just go into oxygen debt about 5 minutes into the race, even though my first mile is only ~5:30.

I have a faster pr, but could not do that 8x800 workout.

Your splits are your problem

5:30, 6:45, 6:35

Go out at 6:00, then get faster the second, and all out for the third.

try running progressive. Your current race strategy is awful.

Based on your race times, your EASY runs are way too fast. I would expect that from a mid-16 runner. Slow down your easy runs and you will see improvement.

shouldiquit wrote:

...even though I would do anything to be a good runner. I have tried quitting many times before

Why I want to quit: I feel as though I am unable to compete with the other more talented kids, and am a competitive person, so its not like I can just "run my own race and compete with myself."

Why I don't want to quit: I love running

I'm really confused by what you're saying here. You love running, you would do anything to be a good runner, and yet you actively TRY to quit?

And do you FEEL you are unable to compete with other kids, or do the results say are that you are unable?

You have so many more miles ahead of you. I think you're overthinking your situation. Just keep training and racing, and the times will follow.

Why do you love running? If it's just for racing and fast times, then you won't make it far. You have to love the process. Once you do, you'll suddenly find yourself crossing the line faster than you ever did.

My two cents....

I've not read your post but yes

That's Great!

I say yes. Crossfit is what the cool kids are doing. They are SWOLLEN and RIPPED and SHREDDED

Well, there it is. Your race strategy sucks AND you left your race in the track during your workouts. That 400 workout is 6-8 seconds too fast for an R pace, which you should only be doing at the end of the season when you are peaking.

Your 800 workout is even worse. That should be a threshold or interval pace workout and thus even slower. Based on your race times I'd have you running 800's right around 3:10. Are you running the splits your coach is assigning you? Is she assigning everyone the same splits for these workouts? Beg out of a workout the week of your next race and run your easy runs at 7:45. I bet you PR.

It's simple:

If you love it, stay.

If you don't love it, leave.

Bye.

Don't quit man. I worked so hard my 9th grade year and ran 20:20 in the 5k. Kept working hard for 3 more years now I'm a bubble varsity guy on a D1 team as a freshman and run long runs at 9th grade PR pace. If you like it just put in the work and the rest will take care of itself. However, 60 miles a week is too much. Focus on just running more quality 40-45 mile weeks.

I was like you back in the late 70s, worked hard but wasn't reaping the rewards I wanted. Others who worked less seemed to be improving more than me. Other factors were that none of my neighborhood friends ran and I had begun dating a girl I really liked.

I quit running, got a job, hung out more with friends, and spent more time with my new girl friend. Nobody but a few guys on my team really cared, but I felt guilty as hell - only for a week or so. I went from unhappy, to very happy.

My advice is to stay if you feel the rewards are worth the effort put in. Quit if you'd rather do something else. It's your life, your choice.

I returned to running at about 23 years old and very much enjoyed it until age 55, when a bout with cancer forced me to retire.

Just looking at your schedule and thinking back to when I was 15. I could run a 1:58 for 800m and a 4:08 for 1500m and was pretty good for Scottish level at least.

One absolute key piece of advice is to watch out for your mileage. At 15 it is very easy to burn out and so I wouldn't recommend doing anything above 25-30 mpw tops. Think quality all the way!

No need to do 16 x 400m. Instead do 8 x 400m : 65s or less. Even start with 6 if the time is too quick to average. Also, try maybe 4-6 x 800m but again at a quicker pace of say 2:20.

Where are your hill reps? Get in 10 x 200-300m hill reps on a tough gradient.

Try a pyramid session of 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 800m, 400m, 200m, 100m with emphasis on speed and quality.

Where is your tempo run? Aim for 4 miles at about 5:30 pace.

Where are your 100m/200m intervals? Try 2 x 8 x 200m at 31s or 3 x 8 x 100m at 14s.

Are you doing any weights at all?

Key thing for me is that your body is just not used to running quick enough in training so when it comes to racing, it's confused.

Best of luck