This forum seems to have a lot of experienced runners, and I need some advice.
I coach in a small school with a fairly low-key athletic program, and frankly, I'm over my head with one of my runners.
He moved here recently and is the only kid I've had that is really talented. I thinks he could get a DI scholarship, and I don't want to mess it up for him.
Since November, he's been running apr. 55 miles per week. The first 2 months were just easier runs with one 90 min. run once per week. I also had him do light lifting, 30 min. swims, and 15 min. abs/lower back exercises twice per week for cross training.
In mid December, he started doing 6-8 mile AT runs once per week, and we bumped it up to twice per week a month later. The past three weeks have been one tempo and one fartleck.
His best AT so far has been 6 miles at 5:12 pace. His easy days are around 7:00 pace, and his medium days are in the mid to low 6's. I think he's getting some good running in, but we recently went to two indoor meets and he ran the 1600 in 4:42 and 4:40.
The problem is that it seems like he can't get much faster turnover, but he said that he has run the 400 in 53. It seems like he's in much better shape than 4:40, but I don't know what to do with him at this point in the season.