Run-Down Forums

[Distance_Guru]

The problem with finding diamods in the rough is that these kids are usually used to poor training and coaching. So they have all kinds of bad habbits both in their racing and training. Even when you do find a kid that will give real training a chance many times they struggle because their bodies don't have the cumulitive life time base that it takes to do serious training and therefore they must be brought along carfully or they will not be able to handle the magnitude of the training stimulus.

_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

[Micah Ward]

Hey guys, I came in on this a little late but let me throw in my two cents worth on a couple of points. I have watched my daughter run cross country, indoor and outdoor track all through high school and through her first two years of college. She would say that cross country is her favorite and outdoor second with indoor being the season she could give up. She ran high school in Virginia and the indoor season was pretty big up there. Down here in Georgia there is no indoor season. I'm not sure about the surrounding states but I agree with Conway that it seems to be more of an eastern sport. On the transition from high school to college, it was rough for her. It wasn't until late in her outdoor season of the freshman year that she felt comfortable and she said that the same held true for a lot of the freshmen. Except for the Webb's and Ritzenhem's maybe the freshman year needs to be looked at as more of a transition year for most of the runners. Overracing versus underracing? Again, just based on the daughter's comments, she wishes she raced more often in college. She felt she was sharper in high school when she was racing more often. I am not a coach and I am definitly more of a "Spot" than a "Man of War" so take my opinions for what they are worth.

[Hammer]

In discussing the idea of overracing: In HS races keep kids motivated. In College the races take alot more out of an athlete (talking about XC) As a HS coach I alternate my schedule every other week we go to a big meet and on the other weeks we go to a small meet. In the small meets the races are over after the mile and the rest of the race ends up being an LT run (or run @ LT Pace) In the Big races the kids are pushed pretty much throughout the race.

On the weeks that we have a small meet the workouts are tougher. (even on the day before the meet)

Just some thoughts

[Distance_Guru]

That's an excellent way to workout a high school schedule. I like

_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

[Micah Ward]

I like that high school schedue too. Seems like my daughters high school schedule was similar.

On a similar vein, how often do you guys like to race? I am a 5K-10K runner and like to race about once a month...when I'm healthy:(

[Distance_Guru]

It depends on what kind of shape I'm in and what I'm trying to acheive. If I'm focusing on running really well in one race then I'll usually only run one maybe two race before hand and then the focal race and maybe one after, though many times after my big race is over I go into a recovery cycle. If I'm not in great shape but I'm not embarassing either I tend to race more often. When I'm out of shape I'll usually run one race to find out how bad I am (the 17 flat I ran a couple of weeks ago) and then I won't race again until I feel like I can go out there and not embarass myself, that usually takes me at least 8 weeks.

_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

[Conway]

You know this is showing me how much different sprinters and distance runners really are ... Sprinters/hurdlers want to race .. Often .. 8 weeks in between races for a sprinter would be murder !!!!

[Hammer]

When I am training myself I tend to be a "Road Race Whore." I like to race every week. But Coach Hammer and Runner Hammer always argue. Racing every Sat. guarantees that I will run @ a fast pace @ least once a week. Often in my training I will neglect LT runs (timed anyway, I have been training pretty close to LT pace) when I race I run hard, so that's good.

[Dan]

I think you basically have the distance events (steeple, 5k, 10k, etc.) and multievents (decathlon, heptathlon) in one hand and every other track & field discipline in the other. Cross country probably falls somewhere along the lines of group 1. The first group generally only competes 3-4 times per year per event, something along the lines of an early season effort, a qualifiying effort, a conference/district/nationals meet, and a state, national/world championship. The second group competes basically every opportunity they can get and use competition as a sharpening (and experimentation) tool. The basic difference is the toll the different events take on your body.

Dan

[Distance_Guru]

In a post on another thread I stated that there are more talented young athletes coming up then there are currently running for the US at the international level now. With guys like Webb, Ritz, Linclon, Tores, Cragg, Sage, and Jennings (although I've heard some really strange rumors about him flaking out) in college and moving quickly toward being as good and even better than the best Americans now, Goucher, BK, Meb, Abdi, ect. And I was wondering what the rest of you guys were thinking as far as the future of USA distance running on the male side. It seems to me like we might be on the verge of a running renaissance in America, but I've always been an optomist.
Also, I was really proud to see Khalid K win the London Marathon and do it as an American citizen. I know he is a naturalized citizen but at the same time if you go back a couple of generations so are the rest of us. I was wondering what everyones feelings were towards Nouch, his US citizenship, and the likelyhood of him represtenting this country in future championships.

_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

[Hammer]

America is a nation of immigrants. KK did a great job bringing the WR back to the USA. Hey we have adopted Meb K (lived most of his life in the US but not born in USA)

I think the Americans are doing a lot better than a decade ago. But I think we are all optomistic. I know my hearts been broken before (Holeman) so I am afraid to get to excited.

[Micah Ward]

I wish KK the best. He is a citizen not because he was born in to it but because he wanted it and went through the process to get it. Sometimes that is even more meaningful. I hope he wins a boatload of medals.

[Dan]

First, let me say that I'm about as un-patriotic as they come, for a variety of different reasons that aren't worth discussing here. Given that, I just can't get excited about Khannouchi setting records as an American. Sure, he spent a good deal of his formative years here, but so what? So have quite a few elite Africans (college and post-collegiate). Should we also take credit for Bernard Lagat???

Unless you discount the notion that East Africans have a genetic advantage -- which would be a scientifically unstable stand to take -- I don't see how it makes a bit of difference where the athlete grew up, so long as they had the genetic gift to start with.

Dan

p.s. And no, I don't see Denmark as the true world record setting country in the 800, even though Kipketer had lived there for about 6 years prior to that.

[Conway]

I too have trouble with naturalizezd citizens and records .. Just doesn't fit with me .. For example what was different about Sydney Maree pre and post naturalization .. Answer: absolutely nothing .. Except that his times suddenly became American .. I wish KK the best and think he is awesome .. But Americans STILL have not developed a quality marathoner in eons .. And KK doesn't change that ..

And Ironically USATF has him highlighted on their web site ...

[Distance_Guru]

What about Meb and Abdi? They are both either immagrants or first generation Americans, should we consider them non-American Americans?

_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn