Should I just quit?

What were practices like during XC because your description just sounds like it is only for indoor track? How long are your practices if your runs are only 2-3 miles...? Assuming this is high school so practices are at most 2 hours long? Definitely need more mileage if practices only consist of 20 minutes of actual running. I find it odd that the rest of the practice is an hour and a half of calisthenics unless weather prevents more time on the road or track? Could just talk to your coach about his overall training philosophy? Maybe your coach is just trying to make it fun since the indoor season just started. Manage your time better and get some mileage in the morning. Get your long runs in on the weekends.

just double wrote:

What were practices like during XC because your description just sounds like it is only for indoor track? How long are your practices if your runs are only 2-3 miles...? Assuming this is high school so practices are at most 2 hours long? Definitely need more mileage if practices only consist of 20 minutes of actual running. I find it odd that the rest of the practice is an hour and a half of calisthenics unless weather prevents more time on the road or track? Could just talk to your coach about his overall training philosophy? Maybe your coach is just trying to make it fun since the indoor season just started. Manage your time better and get some mileage in the morning. Get your long runs in on the weekends.

Practices during XC were only an hour and a half at most and ranged from 4-6 miles from progressions to easy runs. Though my XC coach was a little clueless at times, he knew for the most part that in order to get faster that you need to run...

My practices are from 2:30-4 like my XC ones but we basically take 30 minutes to warmup with 800m and stretches and then like 20 minutes of standing around doing nothing with the remaining time finally doing a minimal amount of running with lots of CrossFit training.

I’ve tried to reason with him and tell him the workouts I would rather do such as the 1k’s on Friday and at first he was open to let me running what I wanted since I still had a post season race left and thought the XC coach was still managing my training, but after that he’s completely closed off from me doing my own separate workout. He said I could add on a few extra reps like today I did 4x200 instead of the rest of their 2x200 but I was really limited on time just because so much of it is wasted with warm ups and everything else.

Indoor’s been a joke for the past 3 years ever since he’s taken over the program and it’s really spoiling my love for track. I thought about doubling in the morning but at this point I barely get enough sleep as it is with 6 AP classes in my junior year.

Here's some helpful advice to keep you on the team while giving you some better training:

Stay with your coach, run his workouts and keep your snowflake mouth shut.

Run 30 minutes easy every morning, no exceptions. Well maybe if you feel like crap, then go ahead, but you're not allowed to skip a run because you're tired or cramming for a test.

Feel free to bump the easy morning runs to 45 minutes if you feel like you've "plateaued".

Just stay on the darn team.

You sound like a pretentious douche. Why are you wasting your time on this site if you are swamped with APs?

I've realized that OP is probably one of those kids who watched zak levit on YouTube too much and were highly influenced by him.

Ok here’s some actually helpful advice:

If you think your coaches workouts put you at risk of injury, tell him you are gonna take indoor off, and find a good middle distance off-season program to follow.

If you aren’t worried of being injured, but just feel the quality is crap, supplement his workouts with lots of mileage (I.E morning runs/ extra reps)

What some people on this website don’t realize, is that a lot of HS coaches phone in the coaching aspect and negatively effect their athletes because of it.

Last year I went from running a 2:08 indoors on my own training plan, (no, I didn’t peak to early. I wasn’t even doing intervals at this phase of my training) to a 2:16 outdoors following my distance coaches training plan hitting all of the paces and mileage they demanded.

That hurts really bad because I know I could’ve gone under two my junior year and that gets you recruited where I live.

As someone that’s in basically the same spot you, I wish you the best!

Djdhsbsjsk wrote:

Stay with your coach, run his workouts and keep your snowflake mouth shut.

POD

Going to Harvard wrote:

You sound like a pretentious douche. Why are you wasting your time on this site if you are swamped with APs?

Crazy as it sounds I still have free time when I’m taking a dump :0

Makes sense. I’ve had to supplement my running since my freshman year but it’s just gotten really hard now that I’m a junior with time constraints. I really just don’t have the extra 45 minutes to spare to run an extra 5 miles that I did 2 years ago but I really wanna break 2

you should be running 6 miles in that 45 minutes. And you should be doing that 45 minutes every day. With a long run 90+mins once a week on your own. Cmon dude you got this!

You also need to understand that unless you are insanely talented, you are going to need to sacrifice a lot of time in order to break 2 minutes. I know you can do it, but you can’t let yourself get that “Oh I just don’t run because I don’t have the time” mentality. Lately I wake up at 5:00 in the morning so I can either

A) Get to the school early and go on a 3-6 mile run

B) Get a 3-4 mile run in on my treadmill.

I am not a morning person. I really really suck at getting up. But to me, getting under 2 minutes will all be worth it

VoiceOfReason wrote:

You also need to understand that unless you are insanely talented, you are going to need to sacrifice a lot of time in order to break 2 minutes. I know you can do it, but you can’t let yourself get that “Oh I just don’t run because I don’t have the time” mentality. Lately I wake up at 5:00 in the morning so I can either

A) Get to the school early and go on a 3-6 mile run

B) Get a 3-4 mile run in on my treadmill.

I am not a morning person. I really really suck at getting up. But to me, getting under 2 minutes will all be worth it

School takes priority over my running unfortunately. And for now I just can’t squeeze out an extra 45 minutes on top of my already almost 2 hour practices after school to just run extra mileage

Dont be stupid wrote:

you should be running 6 miles in that 45 minutes. And you should be doing that 45 minutes every day. With a long run 90+mins once a week on your own. Cmon dude you got this!

A long run every Saturday does occur by myself but I’m talking about on the weekdays.

Some good advice given but clearly the OP just wants to be told that he should quit because his coach isn’t great. Too many excuses and unwilling to manage his time better.

If academics truly suffocate your time (it really shouldn’t, I’m personally in 2 AP and 3 college classes right now, and I can get my daily work done in 2 hours at the most) talk to your coach and tell him how you think you’d benefit by running more mileage at practice. Lots of coaches are understanding and want to help their athletes so it’s worth a shot.

Just Quit wrote:

Some good advice given but clearly the OP just wants to be told that he should quit because his coach isn’t great. Too many excuses and unwilling to manage his time better.

This. If you really want something then you will find the time to do so.

StopTheExcuses wrote:

Just Quit wrote:

Some good advice given but clearly the OP just wants to be told that he should quit because his coach isn’t great. Too many excuses and unwilling to manage his time better.

This. If you really want something then you will find the time to do so.

Yes and I’m trying to make more time but quitting and running on my own...

Run a little more on your own. Either before/during/after practice or in the mornings.

But I would say see this transition season as a great break between the tough training and racing of xc and outdoor track. You can't burn on all cylinders year round. Your body and mind need a break. Try to enjoy the strength conditioning. Think of it as base for the outdoor season.

Also, why wouldn't you run the 10 minute tempo he assigned? You seem frustrated with your coach...maybe he's frustrated with you being uncoachable?

Ask him more questions about the whys on each workout and his philosophy. Maybe you just need to believe more into the system he is designing as opposed to resisting it.

Another thing to think about is that a lot of schools do not have indoor programs. Be grateful for that. Maybe the coach only has a few indoor races planned because he doesn't want to burn the team out before outdoor starts.