IS MY COACH WRONG??

Yes, they're wrong. Just run an 30-45 min in the morning easy

Yes, you will peak early unless you keep your miles up. As your coach if you can extend some team runs, or just run longer cool downs at the end of practice. Run a 12-mile long run and another medium run (or double) the other weekend day. Just don't drop your mileage. Aim for over 50 miles/week up until the week of your biggest race (state?).

Doing some speed work at this time of the year is OK as long as you watch your pace. Don't hammer workouts. Run them more in the 3K/5K pace or slower. Run them in "waves", starting your first few reps slower (maybe CV pace) and increasing the speed each rep. Learn to run within yourself - fast but relaxed. Ease into it over the first half of the season. You want to peak at the end of the season.

You can't change the workouts, but your coach cannot control how you run them. She might yell a bit, but so what?

I agree, you can't do just her workouts at this point. You've worked too hard all winter to just piss it away now.

As the previous poster stated, be sure to control your paces on the reps. It wouldn't hurt you to do some of the shorter reps

(100-200's) at near goal 400-800 pace for improved efficiency, but be sure to focus on relaxation at these efforts.

Keep up a regular long run at relaxed effort, and if at all possible, continue doing some weekly running at threshold pace.

All the Best!

That’s actually really helpful, thanks! Yesterday, I was hammering the workouts and dropping 43’s which probably wasn’t smart. I’m just really frustrated at having an overweight sprinter coach who thinks he knows squat about distance running. No wonder our school record for the 2 mile is a measly 10:08!

She’s basically training you like a long sprinter.

Alan

Yes, I agree this is wrong. I also agree that it is too early for the huge rest, but, you can make this work for you.

I would not say you will peak early because this set up will not allow you to peak at all. For distance, even toward the end of the season you should always at least be maintaining your aerobic capacity.

The good news is that the volume is low. I like what the preceding poster said. Run them within yourself and a little speed at this point is not a bad thing. Once or twice a week you could run these workouts as prescribed by the coach. Get your additional mileage in during the morning hours.

As an example Thursday you could have done that workout. Basically long strides 80-90% effort. Friday would be easier to back off a little. Do the workout on Monday and go for 6-8 miles after. Does she have to know?

Make sure you are running some miles at a medium effort. If you are always jogging around in the AM recovering from her sprint sessions you will not do well with that strategy either. Throw in a tempo as you had over the winter at least once every 10 days. When competition begins racing counts as a workout so reduce the quality days for that week. Most distance guys are slugs on the track with these kind of workouts compared to the sprinters. It should not be too hard to back off now and then as needed.

Daniel88 wrote:

She

Well there's your problem

Very helpful, exactly what I was thinking!

Any other people with different opinions out there?

This answer is always yes, your coach is wrong. It's best to let her know in front of the whole team, at a meet while her husband and kids are standing there. Then spit at her feet and tell him how useless he is, storm off and go run your 11:45 3200.

That is far from my world class coaching!))

It is so frustrating when coaches like him think they know it all simply because they have coached for 25+ years and produced school records such as 10:08 and 16:30 for 5k. Would love to break all those and show him!

If a 43 second 300 is "hammering" then you have a big problem....you are slow! So you desperately need the speed work! your 3200 time is horrendous for someone who hits 50-60 miles per week. honestly. I'm not saying this as an insult, but rather to point out that you really need that type of training. it will be better for your development long term anyway. No college coach wants to recruit a 9:50 2 kid who can't break 2:10 in the 800.

Also, did you ever stop to think about the TEAM for a second? Maybe your coach needs you more in the 800 and 4x8. Or maybe on the 4x4. You are being selfish.

Listen, I totally get what you are saying but let me give you some more perspective:

1) That 3200 time is from LAST year when I was doing 40 mile weeks at a different school. I am probably in 10:2XX shape right now

2) I am the fastest 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 person at my school, and my 400 is a "blazing" 58 and change, that shows you the depth at my school.

3) I am just frustrated because I don't want this to end up like XC where I peaked in mid-September and never PR'd again.

Thanks for the feedback but this is what I'm dealing with!!

I'm old coach that ran heavy in the 70's.' Have had good luck with several state champs and top Footlocker finalists. Its tough to figure what a coach is looking at down the road. The first week he/she may just be looking at form and stride etc of everyone. As a personal undercover coach I have to deal with the HS coachs. I would have my runner call me or text immediately after practice of what they did and rests etc. I could work with your coach so far. Say Friday you guys do a few 200s or whatever, with long rests...sounds good to me. So I tell my runner, tomorrow, do a easy 3 mile shake out run. Eat this and that and I want a nap at around 3. At 6pm meet me at the golf course, will be doing 4x1000, 200,200 100. Early in season I might do bpm on him at even 4:00, then send him on the next 1000. Strict documentation and journals kept. Its hard to figure what I have planned down the road also. Maybe eventually you can suggest something like 2 repeat miles at 600,300, 300 200,100,100. We just work around the coach and use his workouts the best we can. You probably know what you got to do...so do it. Think, plan, advance/ go to negatives, document . Target the big dance races and make darn sure your gonna peak when you need to. Get it done.

You proved his point, dude. You can score more points being on the 4x800 and 4x400 and an open event as opposed to being a 3200m specialist.

If you don't get your 400 down to sub 53, your RUNNING CAREER will peak early. As in not even the local D3 school will be interested. You will be a high school also-ran. You need to develop some fast twitch muscle fibers.

Makes sense

Should I show my coach this thread?

I think you have the reason to, but judging by your coach's god awful training they will just brush any sentiment expressed from this forum off. Even though Letsrun has many highly knowledgeable people regarding running, your coach will just likely say "Why would you listen to random strangers on the internet" even though many have excellent resumes in the field if they were to reveal themselves. That being said, regardless of what happens you should just do some base mileage runs in the morning to keep up with aerobic development maybe even Sunday long runs if your team never does any.