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Anybody on here a running coach?

809 Views | 2 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Sooner Born
5StarShield
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AG
My son has been a competitive runner and is starting his freshman season of cross country. We were warned by other parents (of older kids) about the coach's program and his lack of flexibility and communication. Basically, he has a reputation of running them into the ground by doing too much tempo and race pace runs throughout the season. Many old kids were injured and/or chose not to return this year.

Below is this weeks work he has them doing (basically the same as all the others as he doesn't change it up).

Monday: 30-50 min. outrun 85%
Tuesday: 4 reps of 6min race pace, 2min jog, 2min rest
Wednesday: 30-50 min outrun 60%
Thurs: Tempo 7mins- easy, 2mins race, 30 min. (He has a meet this evening??)
Fri: 20-30 min 40%
(Varsity and JV run on Saturday)

I don't know running, but hoping to get some insight from others about this. Wife is very frustrated as we've already been sending my son to PT for injuries which is not common for him (calf, shin splints and weakened hips). He ran all summer so it wasn't like he came into the season out of shape. Wife wants me to talk to the coach about this but running was NOT my sport and I'm clueless. Many of the other parents have already gone down this road with the coach and have given up on him changing.

Anyway, anybody familiar with CC running have any thoughts?
zachsccr
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AG
Does he have 2 races this week? The Thursday/Saturday look like 2 races, and if he's actually racing them then that's a lot. It's hard to say over all without knowing where he was coming from training wise.

Also, some of his injury issues may be more growth/puberty/developmental related. It's important to keep that in mind too. Not saying the coach isn't wrong
5StarShield
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AG
They have only one meet a week. He's currently running on Thursdays but will move up to run on Saturdays sometime this season.

He's been running since the 3rd grade and has been doing a consistent training program the last 2 years. He entered this season with a base mileage of about 18 miles per week.

Part of our frustration, also, is he knows our son is running on Thursday (he placed him there) but didn't put any effort of modifying the runs to accommodate his race day. It's like he doesn't care. We're not going to have him run that morning and then race the same evening.

Other issues, he doesn't return emails/text messages. Didn't provide us with the season schedule until 2 days prior to the first meets (and originally had the day of the week wrong). I could handle all of that if I felt like he knew what he was doing though and cared.

Sooner Born
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That is a schedule written by a football coach who was told he also had to coach cross country. I lived the same life when I ran XC in high school. Tell your son to run relatively easy all three easy days...like race pace +90 or +120 secs. If he does that for those three days, does the two workout days and then race day, it seems manageable.as long as he's properly warming up and cooling down.

If the coach gives him grief about "loafing" on the easier days, especially Monday, then you've got something to complain about.
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