RunningAHEAD - Topic: Off season running volume for HS cross country (page 2)

Jeff

Why is it sideways?

posted: 4/23/2009 at 3:17 PM

Quote from xenoplastic on 4/23/2009 at 3:13 PM:

I think 50 mpw is a bit excessive for a girl that age. That gives her about eight miles a day, a 10 mile long run, and one off day per week. That's a lot to be doing over the summer.

What?

xenoplastic

posted: 4/23/2009 at 3:30 PM
modified: 4/23/2009 at 3:33 PM

Quote from Jeff on 4/23/2009 at 3:17 PM:

What?

She's looking at building up to 50 MPW this summer. Let's assume she gets one day off per week and does one longer run. Let's say the long run is 10 miles. That leaves 5 days to do 40 miles, which is an average of 8 per day. She's going to spend more than an hour running six out of seven days per week towards the end of this summer. That's a bit much, IMO.

Doug B

posted: 4/23/2009 at 3:30 PM

she's 15.

MrH

posted: 4/23/2009 at 3:40 PM

50 miles is certainly at the high end for a high school girl. Try to do as much of the mileage as you can or grass or trails, and maybe trading some of the miles for time in the pool.

The process is the goal.

Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.

Jeff

Why is it sideways?

posted: 4/23/2009 at 5:09 PM

Okay. I didn't know that 15 year old girls were such fragile things that they couldn't handle running for an hour six times a week with their slow daddy. When I was 15, I worked construction for 8 hours and then went and ran for an hour during the summer. Of course that was only 5 days a week. The other two days I could usually be found on my mountain bike or back exploring the creeks and hollers. And also running. But then again I was a boy, so...

J Tyler

Meh, $5 is $5...

posted: 4/23/2009 at 5:54 PM

Dude, you dropped a "When I was 15...". Warranted here, but still... I concur though, 50 isn't dramatic if approached properly. Just build up slowly, listen to your body, and be active with injury prevention, and all should be okay.

Jeff

Why is it sideways?

posted: 4/23/2009 at 5:56 PM

Quote from J Tyler on 4/23/2009 at 5:54 PM:

Dude, you dropped a "When I was 15...". Warranted here, but still... I concur though, 50 isn't dramatic if approached properly. Just build up slowly, listen to your body, and be active with injury prevention, and all should be okay.

I know. Bad sign. Back when I was...

vengeancewins

posted: 4/23/2009 at 7:43 PM

Given her age and experience level... I would highly recommend AT MOST peaking at 50 miles/week. Given the fact that high school girls typically get injured more frequently and can not handle as high of mileage as guys can, she should be very careful in upping her mileage. Make sure to throw in some 100m strides 3 x a week and a tempo run every week or two. I personally also do 200m repeats like once a month to keep my speed. It definitely helps because speed is necessary for a 5k. Also make sure there is a long run that is no more than 25% of the week's mileage. These are just some tips I have learned over the past few years that have taught me to become a much better runner. I live by Jack Daniels Running Formula, but getting Brad Hudson's book is also an excellent choice. I wish your daughter the best of luck and happy running.

Jeff

Why is it sideways?

posted: 4/23/2009 at 8:40 PM
modified: 4/23/2009 at 8:49 PM

So, girls can play soccer for an hour a day, swim for two hours a day, play basketball for an hour a day, but they can't run for an hour a day? I'm seriously confused by this. We've got lots of women in here in various stages of life that run healthily for more than an hour a day (check andahuff's log, Candice C's log, for examples). There are women competing at high levels that run upwards of 100 miles per week for years. There are lots of girls that get injured on 30 mpw. There are lots, I'm sure, that get injured on 50 mpw. There are also a lot of people that see a little nagging injury as a sign that a certain mileage level is not for them. Or that don't listen to their bodies, or don't make adjustments. The first time I tried 70 mpw, I got injured. Same with 90 mpw. But, I adapted and adjusted. (Here I am, talking about myself again.) I just find it really hard to believe that a 15 year old girl, with a little bit of smarts and a little bit of patience and a lot of stick-to-itness, can't run for an hour a day. I know it's not normal. But I don't think that the point of athletic competition is to be normal. MTA: I DO recognize, though, that the decision to run 50 mpw is not a no-brainer and it might not be the best decision at this point in training for this pariticular person. I have nothing to say about whether this girl should or shouldn't run 50 mpw. But I do think that it is wrong to suggest that because she is a girl, she can't handle the mileage.

mikeymike

posted: 4/23/2009 at 9:49 PM

Some girls can, Jeff, some can't. The injury rate amongh high school girl soccer players is nearly 100%. You should see the shit my 9 y.o. can do in gymnastics and dance. It would kill most adults. She's spending 4-6 hours a week (formally) and a lot more on her own on it. She could probably easily run 50 mpw, right now, if she wanted to let alone when she's 15. There is some injury risk--girls at her gymnastics school have broken bones and had sprains, but there are risks with everything. To boot, between the conditioning they do in gymnastics and all the random running she does on her own, she probably runs 20 mpw and she's not even a runner. She's a high energy kid, we can't stop her. If and when she wants to turn her attention to competetive running I'll let her decide how many miles she can and will handle, not some yahoos on the internet. But I'd be really surprised if she couldn't run 50 a week by her sophomore year in high school and with a lot less injury risk than a lot of the stuff she does now. Especially if most of it were slow and with me.

Runners run

Purdey

Self anointed title

posted: 4/24/2009 at 4:28 AM

Quote from Jeff on 4/23/2009 at 8:40 PM:

stick-to-itness

Off season running volume for HS cross country (Read 1380 times)