HS boys, early season training

I should add that the #5 guy will essentially be doing his tempo days with the other kids easy days, as his tempo pace matches up pretty well to the other runners easy pace.

He'll do about half the volume of the top guys on the "quality" days, but try to do it at a decent pace. His wu and cd runs can be as easy as he wants (he usually does them with the girls).

This guys is really my main concern. We are very thin this year. After him, we just have a few first year runners and a 3rd year runner who is still struggling to break 15 min for 2 miles.

Its August and your workout frequency is 3/week that is pretty high. I coach HS and I never go to 3/week and we have managed to win 3 state titles since 02 and have been on the podium in the other years. We run the same volume as you just structured differently. I would take the cruise intervals and hills and just alternate them from week to week. I would work the long run in on a day other than Sunday since I assume you dont see them on Sunday.

Again workouts by themselves are fine but 3/week is a huge amount of work for the majority of high schoolers. Thats 3 times a week you are reminding your 3-7 they aren't were they need to be...

That progression run is a great; as you can probably work that were your top 7 hit a portion of it together and than add on more for your studs. I would save the track portion for later in the year and just hit 1200m-1600m and if you bother to do it let them roll.

Just my two cents after coaching HS for 14years.

Rizzo, what state are you from?? also are you suggesting 1 workout a week in addition to the long run and a meet??

I don't see the point in a 20 min wu to stretch and run six miles. Why not just run eight and then stretch afterwards? Three workouts per week is fine so long as they don't redline the hills or the progression run. If they start to go real anaerobic early on the hills, you will have a bunch of athletes peaking in September.

VA

yea, our week goes:

Monday - Long run

Tues- easy

Wed or Thursday - Workout-Alternate bt hills/fartlek/tempo

Friday - easy or pre-ment

Saturday - Race/Time trial/Workout

sun- most guys and all girls no running

If they run their long run at an honest pace it is just a valuable as a stuctured workout just takes a little longer to see the benefits.

I have two major luxury where I coach, the kids are driven so not a whole lot of junk miles being dropped and I dont have to run my good kids at weekday meets.

Rizzo...I can see why you've won so many state titles. Nice balance to your weekly schedule.

Thanks for the input.

A couple of notes

1. it is hard for us to do long runs at the time that practice is scheduled. Today it was 106 degrees. That is another reason that we run 20 min then take a break for drills then run another 6. It gives the kids a chance to get water. I don't really feel comfortable sending them out for more than 40-50 minutes at a time in this heat and I feel that even 50 is pushing it.

2. I have always sort of wavered on the 2 or 3 workouts per week issue. For us, we have had better results with three, but the friday one not being too bad. The hills usually aren't that hard either (except for monday, the kids really suffered in the heat for that workout).

3. When the weather cools, we do start doing long runs as a team. We usually do them the day after dual meets.

Your post hits on some of the most challenging parts of coaching HS; its a little different everywhere you go and some of the biggest challenges are complete beyond your control.

Good luck with the season!

Yes. Everybody has their own issues.

As I said, it is rare for us to be able to run for over 1 hour continuously until mid september or so. I started doing interrupted runs the second year I coached here in the valley. It was acutally Bruce Edwards (German Fernandez's coach) who put me on to the idea. I think that ideally, my early season schedule would include 1 long run that build to a stiff pace, 1 cruise interval session and one hill repeat session. If we were racing that week, we'd probably leave out the cruise intervals.

Any ideas on way's to help #5 close the gap? Thursday, he ran the distance day with the top guys and was actually pushing the pace.

RE number 5:

#5 will close the gap when he is fit enough to close the gap, and not a moment sooner. Bring him up gradually. For next year, you should read Scott Simmons' book "Take the lead"

mother clucker wrote:

RE number 5:

#5 will close the gap when he is fit enough to close the gap, and not a moment sooner. Bring him up gradually. For next year, you should read Scott Simmons' book "Take the lead"

True

However, last year, he was running pretty even with the guy that is #3 now. #3 has really kicked up his training and his belief in himself. #5 has probably run as much as #3, but breaks down mentally and ends up jogging with the girls while #3 hangs with #1 and #2 on the distance days.

Rizzo, I'm in my eighth year as boys and girls CC coach at a small, rural school in PA. Over the years, our training has become a lot like the schedule you suggest. The more I opened it up with more quality aerobic days between hard workouts and racing, the more successful we've been. Like you, I can usually hold the varsity runners out of weekday meets, so I have some flexibility.

I was hoping that you could be more specific about your training cycle. Now I use a 2 week cycle alternating between 2 and 3 workouts/races per week. I've always wanted to go to 2 per week, but I'm afraid I'll rob the kids of the fitness they'll need to race well. What has your experience been?

Also, what do you do on the easy days--just mileage? Strides? What do you consider easy pace? Would you do a cut down on an "easy" day?

I wouldn't mind an email if you have time.

jb.guzik@yahoo.com

BUMP--just hoping this gets noticed