HS Girl- Help Me Improve!!

Trial of miles miles of trials wrote:

Summer training went well. I peaked at 47 miles but most of my weeks in august were spent at 35-40. I had a decent season opener last week of 23:37. I have talked with my coach and he thinks that I am due for a breakthrough soon, based on the summer I put in. My stride has gotten more efficient and powerful, and my breathing has become much more controlled and effortless. Thanks for all advice. I took most of it into account. I will continue to bump after each race this season.

Awesome work. And I love when these threads are updated. Thanks.

For a Freshman girl. is it advisable to run doubles during XC season. 1 or 2 easy miles in the morning wth younger brother 13?

How many weeks and how many miles did the freshman girl do over the summer? How competitive is the team she is on/where does she stand?

If this was May, and the morning 2 miles could be accounted for by making the afternoon easier, $%%#! yes. But it is now September, most freshmen, didn't train enough over the summer and will end their season in about 6 weeks. The races should be the big new stress over those 6 weeks, so I would have to say, NO, without lots more information.

Give her a week off at the end of the season and then get the two of them out there. Just make sure they don't end up racing each other. Also understand that the odds of them both having the same level of interest for very long is unlikely.

Thanks --

~15 MWP during the summer

She is ~8 to 10th girl ~25 min 5k

Not the best team, 7th girl s not much faster ~20 secs

In my opinion no need to double at 15mpw.

You can/should do a strength routine something like 3x a week, plus your mileage. You will benefit from stronger abdominals and lower back. Don't worry about bulking up, it won't happen.

Don't do the strength workouts on your race weeks.

And.....How did your season end?

Trial of miles miles of trials wrote:

This fall is my senior XC season. I'm not particularly fast but I want to do as well as I can (given my mediocrity as far as talent goes) I begin summer base building in 2 weeks. My peak race is in late October.

1) what is a good goal to shoot for next XC season?

2) how many miles per week should I do in a summer of Malmo style program to reach this goal?

This is me:

5k times of 25ish freshman year, 24ish sophomore year, 22 junior year (I know I suck). I hit 22 on about 30 mpw last season. I ran a 6:10 mile in track this spring off of 35 mpw. I was thinking sub-21 would be a good goal. Is this too big of a leap to make?

SO SLOWWWWWW!!!!! Just stop and switch to a real sport.

It ended with a dip in the Troll Pond under the Troll Bridge.

Justa Wondering wrote:

And.....How did your season end?

Trial of miles miles of trials wrote:

This fall is my senior XC season. I'm not particularly fast but I want to do as well as I can (given my mediocrity as far as talent goes) I begin summer base building in 2 weeks. My peak race is in late October.

1) what is a good goal to shoot for next XC season?

2) how many miles per week should I do in a summer of Malmo style program to reach this goal?

This is me:

5k times of 25ish freshman year, 24ish sophomore year, 22 junior year (I know I suck). I hit 22 on about 30 mpw last season. I ran a 6:10 mile in track this spring off of 35 mpw. I was thinking sub-21 would be a good goal. Is this too big of a leap to make?

Hey there. It's me again.

I didn't want to post here in the fall because I didn't PR. I actually got up to a peak of 50 mpw, but I only consistently hit ~35. I was 6 seconds off from my PR in XC. I still don't know why. I think I might have gained ~5 lbs from a combination of puberty and overeating, so that might have held me back.

But things are looking up now. I got better eating habits in the fall after I realized weight gain mught have been the culprit for my disappointing XC season. I don't want to jinx anything, but I've set PRs in the following distances, all during practice, and only the 300 was a legit time trial:

200: 33.3 (during strides)

300: 50.4

3200: 13:40 (during a tempo run)

10k: 55:00 (during an easy run)

HM: 2:01:00 (during an easy run)

I don't know what the future has in store, but I am determined to rewrite my record book. I especially want to break that 6:00 mile barrier. Any advice?

Keep training consistently, and save your racing for races. Hills are usually a good idea. Your 200 pr suggests that you have the basic speed to go well under 6.

Be patient. It is not realistic to PR every race. It usually takes a full year of consistent training to see good results. Focusing on the shorter stuff and developing your speed would be a good idea for now. Keep it simple, enjoy your training and have fun! Don't worry too much about your diet. Keep it balanced and DO NOT count calories. Good luck!

Sunday: Long run (add 1 mile to it every two weeks) Up to 15 miles.

Monday: Recovery run between 2 to 6 miles (2 miles early progressing towards 6 miles late in the summer.)

Tuesday: *Speed Development only day.

This means things similar to 5 X 50, short hills, rope skipping, dynamic running drills, bounding up hills, plyometrics, controlled down hill running. Do these with long recoveries between each and in a progressive fashions...80%, 85%, 90%, etc. Consult a sprint coach and have him teach you about how to accelerate and run with "Classic form." This will feel like an easy day but it's very important and few distance runners take the time to do it.) This can be your secret weapon.

Wednesday: Recovery run between 2 and 6 miles

Thursday: *Fartlek run, 4 to 6 miles 4 X 200, 4 X 400, 4 X 200 or similar.

Friday: *3 X 1 mile at date race pace. Your recent 5K pace. Not your goal pace.

Saturday: Off or 2 miles easy

1 mile jog warmup, running drills, and dynamic running drills warmup daily.

Cooldown with an easy mile + 4 X 50 at 85% strides, Static Stretch if it works for you or active stretching.

*This means that you should substitute mileage if you feel sore, tired, or sick.

In fact taking the day off might be better yet!!!

This is not set in stone. If anything do less than you think you can, and substitute mileage if the speedwork/interval training too much. Running daily is important.