15:58 XC 5k, cant break 10:00 2 mile (Read 75 times)

Different training?

Also, maybe because of training periodization you're still in a building phase, and your fast times are another month away.

Are you sure that the XC was an accurately measured course?  Very few are. 

This is very true but it would not explain why he's losing to guys on the track that he's beating by multiple minutes in xc.

I think Bill may be on to something with periodization--you can only peak a few times a year and you are comparing your peak xc race to an early season 2-mile track race that was probably run in a ho-hum dual meet. And if you ran decent mileage during the summer then you came into xc with a good solid base before you started doing hard workouts--you don't have that benefit in winter track. High school kids race too much--especially the ones who run all 3 seasons. It's really difficult to peak 3 times in a school year for xc, indoor track, then outdoor track.

You also may just be one of those guys who's got better endurance than speed. This could pay dividends if you decide to run in college and are racing 5k-10k.

I don't think the issue is your training paces. I suspect you just weren't fully recovered from xc when indoor started.

What does your coach say?

First thing is that most high school xc courses are very poorly measured so that XC two mile was most likely not two miles (same goes for the 5k). Regardless 15:58 on an HS XC course is very respectable by a junior. Second thing is I wouldn't panic, you will break 10 eventually, just keep at it. Sometimes you just hit a wall and it takes a little bit to get over the hump. Third thing is training pace is overrated, mileage and frequency of workouts is more important. As for what should you do during races and training wise, trust your coach; have a conversation with them

Hello, Im a runner from New England who is a regular XC and track and field runner. I have been running outdoor track since I was a freshman (2018 Spring season), and cross country since I was a sophomore (2018 Fall season).

 

During my first year of track as a freshman, I managed to run a 10:44 2 mile on the track, which led me to join the XC team the next fall. As a sophomore on the cross country team, I wrapped up my season with a 16:25 PR in the 5,000 meter distance. The following outdoor track season, I managed to bring my time down to a 10:18 in the 2 mile. This is when I started to notice that I was slower by multiple seconds in the 2 mile than kids that I would beat by multiple minutes in 5k races in the cross country season. I thought this was simply due to my lack of experience on the track, so thought little of it.

 

My junior season of cross country (Fall 2019), I ran a 9:46 2 mile on an XC course, and brought my 5k PR down to a 15:58. I was excited for the track season as I had broken my 2 mile time in both the 2 mile race and a 5k during this past XC season. However, now that I am back running for my first season of indoor track, I am struggling to break 10:10 in the 2 mile.

 

Is there a reason that I am so slow in the track 2 mile compared to my times in cross country in the 5k? What should I do during races, and at what pace should I be running during training runs to help me achieve this goal while still performing well in XC? (I typically run 7:00-7:10 during training runs, sometimes closer to 6:45)

Third thing is training pace is overrated, mileage and frequency of workouts is more important. 

 

I agree with your post but respectfully disagree on this point.

For most runners you can only effectively run two workouts a week.  If you are racing during that week, that counts as a workout.  I would agree with you that mileage is important for development but not at the sacrifice of effective training paces on intermediate runs.  You need to train all fibers aerobically for mitochondrial development.  That adaptation does not take place unless you do this.

The body always chooses slow twitch first and then progresses to fast twitch.  The motor neurons are like a light switch.  Either they are on or they are off.  There is no in between.  So if all an athlete does is run slow and run workouts fast those fibers are only being trained on fast days.  If that work is not done aerobically then you will have a problem.

You can use a strategy of running 100+ miles per week to fatigue the slow twitch fibers so the body has to rely on other fibers to train.  In that case you would be correct but a kid this age will not be training at a high volume.

In training a number of different paces need to be incorporated.  Easy days should be easy for restoration, but the bulk of running should be at a medium effort.  Neither slow nor fast. But more closer to fast than slow if that makes sense? 65%, 75%, 80%, 85% and longer intervals at 90% of estimated VO2 max pace should be hit at one point or another within a 10 day period.  They can even be in the form of progression runs where you are hitting several paces in the same training session.

Most athletes that run with other will hit these paces naturally without even knowing it.  Those that train on their own usually have to be a little more conscience of it.  The biggest mistake I have seen made is to race, do hard anaerobic workouts, and recover only..