I'm a 14 year old boy, running 40 miles a week, pr's: 1500m 4:23(indoor), 3000m 9:29(indoor). Started running 1 year ago, but don't really find my passion in these distances. I like to run longer, but everyone say stay at the short events. For the questions: Is my mileage good, why and why not? And should I chase my dream or stay at the short distances? And what is a good mileage for the 10k distance?
Total troll. No 14 year old would ever call himself a boy.
40 miles per week is a lot for a 14-year old. I would recommend doing a little less. If you want to run 5Ks or 10Ks rather than shorter distances, I say go for it. It's not the usual path, but do whatever brings you joy. I don't think races of 10K or less will harm your body. I'd avoid marathon training, however, until you are older.
I recommend doing strength workouts twice a week so that your body develops in a balanced manner. In particular, you should start learning how to deadlift and squat properly to ensure a strong posterior chain. Use light weights, focus on getting the form right, and gradually increase the weight over time. This is good advice for anyone, but especially for someone who runs a lot of mileage.
40 miles per week is just fine for your age. Assuming you are a freshman in high school, bumping 10 miles per week for the next few years would put you at 70 miles per week as a senior. That is perfect.
Now, for racing, focus on the high school distances. 5k and under. You can move up to the 10k after high school. Maybe run/race one for fun in the off season, but don't specifically train for it and don"t take it too seriously.
Do you have a coach? I'm not the type to say "just do whatever your coach says." My coaches tried to keep my mileage down because they said it would burn me out. I said screw them and did 70 mpw my senior year anyways. Broke through that year. Now in my mid 20s and putting in 100+ miles per week, still setting personal bests all the time. So don't listen to those who say your mileage is too high. It's really not.
If you don't have a coach for some reason, I would recommend getting one who actually understands how to develop athletes. Not just a local hobby jogger. An actual coach with results. Good luck!
aaaabbbbbcccc wrote:
Total troll. No 14 year old would ever call himself a boy.
+1
colorunner123 wrote:
40 miles per week is a lot for a 14-year old. I would recommend doing a little less. If you want to run 5Ks or 10Ks rather than shorter distances, I say go for it. It's not the usual path, but do whatever brings you joy. I don't think races of 10K or less will harm your body. I'd avoid marathon training, however, until you are older.
I recommend doing strength workouts twice a week so that your body develops in a balanced manner. In particular, you should start learning how to deadlift and squat properly to ensure a strong posterior chain. Use light weights, focus on getting the form right, and gradually increase the weight over time. This is good advice for anyone, but especially for someone who runs a lot of mileage.
+1 million on the dead lift and squats! But 40mpw is not too much for a 14 year old who is nearing the end of one year of training. For a 14 year old beginner, it's way too much. There's a lot of individual variation for kids at 14. Some kids can handle that level pretty easily, others not so much.
CoachB wrote:
colorunner123 wrote:
40 miles per week is a lot for a 14-year old. I would recommend doing a little less. If you want to run 5Ks or 10Ks rather than shorter distances, I say go for it. It's not the usual path, but do whatever brings you joy. I don't think races of 10K or less will harm your body. I'd avoid marathon training, however, until you are older.
I recommend doing strength workouts twice a week so that your body develops in a balanced manner. In particular, you should start learning how to deadlift and squat properly to ensure a strong posterior chain. Use light weights, focus on getting the form right, and gradually increase the weight over time. This is good advice for anyone, but especially for someone who runs a lot of mileage.
+1 million on the dead lift and squats! But 40mpw is not too much for a 14 year old who is nearing the end of one year of training. For a 14 year old beginner, it's way too much. There's a lot of individual variation for kids at 14. Some kids can handle that level pretty easily, others not so much.
I agree with this. I think 40 mpw is a little on the high end but is probably OK if he has been running for awhile.
run as much as you want.
dont listen to the others.
Run as much as you want to. Arthur Lydiard told me he'd had 12 year old boys in New Zealand who'd done 20 mile runs. He said the thing to do with young runners was to try to get them interested in how far they can run rather than how fast.