High milage for a high schooler...

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High milage for a high schooler...

XC-PA

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 11

High milage for a high schooler... Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 11:16 am

Is it good or bad? 40 to 55 vs 60 to 100 weeks for a high schooler.

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: High milage for a high schooler... Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 12:18 pm

60 to 100 mile weeks for a high school runner?! Wow, I'm no expert, but everything I've ever read would recommend against that kind of mileage at your age. Too much stress on a skeletal framework that's still maturing/hardening, I believe. I would guess that 40 to 55 miles a week would already put you at the very high end of the mileage spectrum for a teen competitor, but that begs the question of...what are you training for? Your XC-PA name would imply cross country, and isn't cross country all ~5k's at the senior high level? So I'd think 40 to 55 would even be overkill, and that you'd want to save a lot of time/energy for speedwork. That's my 2 cents.

XC-PA

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 11

Re: High milage for a high schooler... Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 12:40 pm

Right now i am running 45+or-miles. Plus speed work and lifting each week. There is a team that i run agenst and over the summer they are running 80 to 100 mile week. there are the state champs in pa and on the Harrier super 25 National Rankings thay are #8 aftar a bad race at the Foot Locker team.

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: High milage for a high schooler... Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 12:53 pm

Well, it's hard to argue with success like that. Clearly, they're doing something right, but I'm not convinced that it's the 100-mile weeks in the summer that's doing it. That kind of training just doesn't seem to fit logically with the sort of racing you're doing. What does your coach think? I know that Runner's World has a high school runners forum that might be a good place to share opinions, and I've only recently learned that there's a whole host of other sites dedicated to the Foot Locker championships, etc. that might have good advice specific to high school age runners.

XC-PA

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 11

Re: High milage for a high schooler... Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 1:21 pm

My coach is not for the high miles. But for gitting a good bace in the summer and them not as much miles but work on sum speed work and hills. So that is what i am doing.

mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367

Re: High milage for a high schooler... Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 1:49 pm

I agree with OldManRunner. I don't think these other runners are getting much of a return on their investment in 80-100 mile weeks. I would guess it's more an indication of their level of committment and drive. That is, if they have the fortitude to run 80-100 mile weeks then they are probably putting in some impressive interval, speed session that are really making the difference. Great motivation is difficult to provide through coaching or training. So, I'd suggest you not worry about increasing your milage beyond 50 mpw and instead focus on improving the quality of your current workouts. Evaluate what your doing and look for areas where you can improve upon by getting the best bang for your buck. There are ways of doing this without necessarily having to train a lot faster and longer.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: High milage for a high schooler... Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 2:17 pm

You sound like you might have already decided to go for 80-100 miles per week, and are looking for validation. I'm not qualified to say, but I agree with the other posters that it does seem pretty high. If Running With the Buffaloes is to be believed, even most top college runners don't do that much mileage. If you do decide to go for it, make sure it's because you're confident it will improve your race times, and not simply because it seems like a tough challenge. Lots of runners like to brag about their high mileage, but at the end of the day it's only your race times that actually matter, right? Check this article about training methods used by top high school running coaches: http://www.runningtimes.com/issues/01may/coaches.htm They recommend boys start out at 40 or 45 miles per week and work up to 60 or 70 by their senior year.

XC-PA

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 11

Re: High milage for a high schooler... Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 3:23 pm

The highist i ever ran in a week is 67.1/2 at xc camp. I am not going to go any higher than that.

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