I am a HS asst. coach supervising a summer CC training program. A rising 8th grader has been training with us and I can tell she is a natural. She has been trained mostly as a sprinter but has run a sub 6 mile. She has been doing 4-5 mile runs with girls (and some boys) 2-4 years older than her and never seems worn down after the run. I won't be coaching her until she comes to the HS as a 9th grader but I hope to keep her mileage low and continue to develop her speed. She does soccer in the fall but is consider CC this year. She is also planning on trying a few open 1 mile and 3 mile races this summer.
A few questions:
1. How common is this ability at this age?
2. What times were other top HS girls running at this age?
3. Could this just be a temporary level of fitness that diminishes once puberty occurs? (as a result of changes in body composition)
Any insight would be appreciated.