First I'll give you a little background.
In HS, I was mostly a sprinter/mid distance runner. Freshman year I ran the 100/200 in 12.2 and 23.8. The next year I ended up making the 4x4 team and ran 51.x while doing 0 mileage and training solely with the sprinters. I then changed to training with the distance runners and moved up to the 800 where I ran 1:57 junior year. Senior year I figured i'd move up to the 800/1600 range, but only managed a 4:35 and got injured at the end of the year. I did this off of around 27-30 miles per week my last two years of hs. I also ran xc my junior and senior years, with a pr in the low 17s off of still 30 mpw or so.
My first year of college I was injured/sick the whole year and didn't get to race or train consistently at all. I ended up redshirting.
Now the summer is starting, and I'm not sure if I should run cross country or not. My coach seems pretty undecided. He feels that I'm going to be a 800/1500 runner, and I am leaning towards doing it.
That said, I am going to be jumping from my usual 30 mpw to mid 60s this summer. What can I expect? Will I lose all of my natural speed, or will this just make me a better middle distance runner?
What do you think I should do? Go with the xc/base training route or train more like a 800 guy?
btw, I run in a pretty distance competitive DII league. I would like to run in the "baby nationals" at some point in my career. I think the 1500 is my best chance to do so.