HS COACHES: Summer Base Building for a Rising 9th-Grader -- Input Requested

Brave New World wrote:

Doubling is not necessary when you're only running 35-40 miles a week. The athlete would be better served aerobically to get those miles on single efforts. The longer you spend running at aerobic threshold, the more benefit!

You are missing the point. Doubling at the lower mileage trains you to know that doubling is just something you do all the time no matter what. It doesn't matter that you are running lower mileage or higher mileage. You are going to go out and run twice a day even if it is only a couple of miles. It is a commitment to being the best runner that you can be. In fact starting the doubles at the lower mileage will make doing doubles that much easier and get the body trained to keep doubling as the mileage increases.

I'm more concerned with physiology than psychology. Your model is putting the cart before the horse, and doesn't provide appropriate stimulus for what this dude is trying to achieve. Its science.

I don’t advise doubling for underclassmen/women, and, even if it establishes routine, at such a low level of overall mileage, it’s unnecessary.

These kids are nineth graders for crying out loud. The adjustment to high school, athletically, academically, and socially is a huge change, and they are at a critical juncture where they need more sleep than they are typically allowed. Plus, they typically start eating “more poorly” than they did before high school. Patterns change. Puberty kicks in. Every kid handles it differently.

No hurry here. No need to grind them down. I’ve seen just as many frosh “phenoms” who succeed as juniors and seniors as those who burn out or get injured. That’s my opinion, fwiw.

A fool proof plan is something like 30-35 min, five days per week, w/a long run working up to 45-60 min. One day off w/perhaps some cross training like swimming. Getting an incoming frosh to do even that is a great start. If they can handle it, have fun, and enjoy some success, then they can start exploring the “500-mile per week summer” and on up...

I really disagree with doubling at the HS level, with maybe the exception of a state-level talent later on in high school. Your real goal with a rising 9th grader is to get him interested in the sport... and being in decent shape is part of that. You have won if he is still doing it in 12th grade and if he turns into a lifelong runner.

I'd ramp up the mileage more than that unless he's got a history of injury. He could get up to 35 miles a week by the end of the first month pretty easily.

I'd have him do single until he gets there.

webby wrote:

Thanks, giver of input. How did your daughter end up doing in XC this year? I'm curious to hear if you think the summer training built up her confidence and made it easier for her to train without strain once she joined the team.

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She ended up running 19:45 and was the fastest on the team. The running culture at the school isn't strong so she's the only real "runner" of the group. The rest are kids on the cross country team but not really runners. We maintained a 6-7 mile long run most of the season on sundays (running 7 days a week) which turned into a 4 mile shake out run the last 2-3 weeks because she was a little banged up with all hard workouts (which were new to her).

you do all 35 minutes barefoot or just some? Is it at a slower pace? is it for strides? on a football field?