Run-Down Forums

[msujedi]

I am a high school XC coach. The boys and girls teams I coach ran very well this year. However, not one runner ran a PB at the Regional race. And, that was the race we were all hoping and training to peak at. While courses and weather conditions vary, I don't beleive that either of these was a factor.

What recommendations do you have for training for two 5k races per week while trying to peak, and sustain that peak for the two final weeks of the season?

[Dan]

My first guess would be the scheduling is what needs attention. Two hard efforts per week leaves next to no quality training time, and few people truly train through races (i.e. give it a low enough effort to not lead toward burnout), so the only tapering you can do at the end of the season is cut back the number of races. That doesn't leave you much to work with, assuming you want to run well at district/regional/state/whatever.

If the scheduling is beyond your control, then I would suggest alternating who runs each meet. No one runner should be racing twice a week in XC (even TF is pushing it for any extended stretch), so the key is developing enough depth that you can rotate things more or less evenly without any humiliating showings. It also gives more runners the opportunity to step into a varsity roll and perhaps grow from the experience, giving you more depth down the road.

Dan
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[Eddd the Sailor]

[Dan]

Sure, it helps, but it also hinders. When conditioning is low, any hard effort will improve things. But later in the season when you're trying to get some specificity in your training, over-racing makes that next to impossible and leaves you with little to come down from in terms of a taper.

Dan
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