Sagarin wrote:
newname, although I didn't start running until age 17 and didn't start "training" until Fall cross country of senior year (45-50 mpw), I was totally unfamiliar with how other preps trained, had never heard of "The Harrier" or "The Runner," had never heard of Kinney's, and otherwise had a coach who didn't advise doubles, long Sunday runs, or high mileage. The summer before senior year, my mpw was roughly the same as Flagpole's. So I believe him.
My PRs adjusted for 5,500' to sea level were roughly 15:23 xc and 9:15 for 3200. I do remember looking at the TFN prep lists and was just blown away by guys like Scott Fry, thinking I just didn't have the talent.
My longest run was probably 10 or 11 miles and it felt like 20. As an aside, do you think all your heavy training as a prep led to a decline in health?
A) I started running in 6th grade ... cold turkey. Knew nothing about it. But if you want to be good at something you do it. We ran 2-4 miles in the AM three times a week and nothing else. However, I started getting The Runner that summer right away.
We were poor, but I bought The Complete Book of Running and Running the Lydiard Way and Running to The Top. I had a few other hacky books too. I read TaFnews when I could find it at a friend's house and other mags at the library.
So, my point is that you don't need to be super smart or super aware or rich to be aware of these things. I can see how you didn't know better because you started at 17, but I don't know how people could not deduce that 5-7-10-15 mile runs weren't better than 2-3 mile runs completely on their own, if they ran from 9th grade to 12th grade. I am not talking about Steve Flagpole, just anyone. This stuff was common practice in the mid-60s (just ask Marty Liquori) and was old hat 20 yrs later.
Our swim team used to swim 30 mpw in just five days.
I never said that I didn't believe him, I just said that the lack of the internet was not what was hampering the flow of information.
B) Looking at the lists, you were right, you didn't have the talent that Scott Fry had. Neither did I. No amount or approach in training would have made me an 8:50 2-miler like him.
C) I had different coaches through those yrs. None of them ever had us run "high mileage" ... I figured out all that on my own. I don't think I ever ran high mileage actually. I never ran more than 83-85 miles until Senior Summer. Like Malmo says, "You aren't even in the game unless you are doing 80 mpw."
D) Of course every doctor I saw suggested that running 80 mpw caused the decline in health. And, as you know, there is NO WAY I can prove it did not. but it is my opinion that IT DID NOT. Otherwise why don't 100-120 mile weeks that many HSers do consistently do them in as well? Also, once you have quit running for so long, why wouldn't the problem alleviate? Just my opinion based on long-term experience, no way to prove it.