Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Real Fast HS Runner in Wisconsin
BoilerTom, I thought about your post when I attended my daughter's middle school XC meet today. You're right! The winning girls were tiny. The fast guys could have been mistaken for HS sophomores. My D is tiny, only 68 pounds in 7th grade. She's not the fastest girl YET, but she's working on it!
Keep encouraging her, and give her some advice!
I'm realizing it's rare for middle school kids to get ANY semblance of coaching. I actually like it when my son's practices are cancelled so I can give him a proper workout to do. Their typical practice is the coach saying, "go run the library route..." which might be 1.5 miles. No guidance on pace or effort, or anything. Tell me why such a practice would take 1.5 hours? It's very frustrating, especially when we compete against other teams that you can tell receive coaching and the kids are enjoying the success from that good coaching.
Keep encouraging her, and give her some advice! I'm realizing it's rare for middle school kids to get ANY semblance of coaching. I actually like it when my son's practices are cancelled so I can give him a proper workout to do. Their typical practice is the coach saying, "go run the library route..." which might be 1.5 miles. No guidance on pace or effort, or anything. Tell me why such a practice would take 1.5 hours? It's very frustrating, especially when we compete against other teams that you can tell receive coaching and the kids are enjoying the success from that good coaching.
+1. I laugh now when I realize how sad my elementary school coaching was. It was basically, "go do 2-3 of these laps." I recently went online and figured out how far I actually ran then, and it was <2km. Maybe by gr7 or 8 I'd run 2.4km.
High school I found was much better. The coaches actually cared, and tried to help the runners, no matter what their goals, whether top 20 or to beat more than 20 people.
Sulphur Springs 50km-- Ancaster, ON-- May 28, 2022
Tally in the Valley 12 hours-- Dundas, ON -- July 30, 2022 (Support SickKids Toronto)
Stokely Creek-- 56km-- Sault Ste. Marie, ON-- Sept. 24, 2022
Tiefsa
I've coached both HS and middle school CC and Track. The biggest difference is just focusing on making it fun for the middle schoolers and gradually working them into the sport of distance running.
I don't want to run them out of running. Running is tough, but if you teach them the basics (pacing, work on form, easy compared to hard workouts) they really like it.
The best part is when I was coaching middle school, we really improved a ton over the eight to ten week season. You could tell other teams did the same stuff all the time. We gradually added mileage, but still kept it fun. At the conference meet all of our kids would really run soo much better than the other runners with the basic coaching. (run some laps on the track) Plus, practices were really short. Warm up - stretch - run - stretch - do a quick fun activity that involved running - Done!
Distinctively Juvenile
One day at a time
Yeah, I'm just happy my daughter is having fun at this point. She told me she likes how she feels when she runs. Huh, I can't relate! The coach mixes up serious practice with fun ones. The day after each meet, the coach lets them play some kind of game that involves running.
The hardest part for the HS coaches is that the fast middle school kids often decide to focus on soccer when they reach 9th grade. It's frustrating to see a runner with a lot of talent switch away from XC/track.
The remedy to this is Girls On The Run, sure it's not about competition but at least there is a group out there trying to cover the elementary to middle school years in areas with little institutional support. If you have the time, even just to be a buddy (running the end of season 1-5K with a girl) please do it. I guarantee it will be the happiest running day you have that season.
<www.runningahead.com/groups/veggies/
Molly Seidel just won the Footlocker CC National Championship. It was an awesome race. Check it out.
See the race here
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The girls race today was exciting, but the boys (about half an hour later) was at least as exciting.
Just like Tief, I'm referring to the Footlocker Cross-Country (USA) National Championships, run today in San Diego.
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
The girls race today was exciting, but the boys (about half an hour later) was at least as exciting. Just like Tief, I'm referring to the Footlocker Cross-Country (USA) National Championships, run today in San Diego.
Yeah. That was a wire to wire race too!
My sister has run against her at the regional meet! She (Molly Seidel) is stupendously fast. If I remember correctly, she won the 2 mile at that meet by at least 10 seconds and she was not working hard. By the way, she's won the Div. 3 State CC Meet four times, so... yeah.
Very impressive field of runners and great races to watch! Just making it to that race sounds like a great accomplishment.
I could watch both the girls and boys races over and over again...
another local girl (Fons from Franklin) came in 15th in the same championship. she's only a Sophmore and is already the 2-time state champion in her division. (though she obviously would have lost if she had to go up against Seidel.
Thought this thread should be bumped
Dave
Ha-ha - somebody in 2011 already knew what would happen 10 years later
paces PRs - 5K - 5:48 / 10K - 6:05 / HM - 6:14 / FM - 6:26 per mile
rectumdamnnearkilledem
This thread is the best. Proud to be a WI girl.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay