Alright, track for the high school starts tomorrow. I have a big problem however, and that is the coach has no clue what he is doing, and I know I will not make any progress with his system. He is one of the football coaches and thinks he is a track genious, but really knows nothing. I will post what we do on a weekly basis, and any comments on what I can do in addition to help me improve, would be greatly appreciated. A typical week looks like this:
Monday: Typical track warmup, 2 mile jog through cross country course
Tuesday: 2x5x40m with 30 seconds recovery between reps, 5 minutes between sets
Wednesday: 4x400
Thursday: 2x4x100 with 30 seconds betwen reps and 5 minutes between sets
Friday-sunday: off
Now, obviously, the workouts are ridiculous, but is there anything I can do extra or what not to improve upon it? He expects us to go 100% on every run, even the ones with 30 seconds rest in between, and I will be running those at about 75% (although it is hard to hold back when everyone is trying to go their fastest speed every time).
We have no direct speed work, basically a bunch of crappy workouts thrown together.
Any opinions or comments on what I can do (extra speed work or tempo on the weekend) to improve upon this schedule, would be greatly appreciated. I am in a terrible situation (terrible coach, asphalt track, etc) but I would like to make the best of it.
Besides trying to enlighten your coach, which probably doesn’t work. Just don’t go 100% on all the reps, if you can’t keep your form during a particular interval because you are too tired, just back off and jog the rest of the way.
On the upside, the work he’s got you doing is more resembling a 400/800 program than anything else. Make that a 6-7 mile run on monday, and then your marks in the half-mile should go up If you don’t injure yourself first
Change Tuesday to a very weird extensive tempo session by going 75% on the runs.
Change Wednesday to an odd MaxV session like this. Do a slow buildup for the first 50m, then do “floating sprints” (i think thats what they’re called) by going all out 20m (MaxV) then back down to a quick jog for 30m or so and then back up to 95-100% for another 20m etc. Do that so that you’ll have done a total of 80m full out and 320m at a a quick jog for each of the 400m. That’ll leave you at a volume of 320m of MaxV mixed in with 1280m of quick jog. Its not the best protocol in the world, but its better than what was there before.
Change Thursday to an extensive tempo by running at about 70%
Then on Friday you can actually do a true speed day. This day can vary as you progress throughout the season. Early on in the season you can use it for short speed work and accel dev. At about the middle of the season use it to develop MaxV. Then later in the season as you approach your peak use it to work on your speed endurance.
Saturday you can have an optional tempo or pool session, just dont overdo yourself. Feel free to take this day off if you feel like you’re accumulating fatigue.
Take Sunday off.
Also, another thing to consider is if your physical fitness level isnt where it should be yet you can follow your coach’s workout schedule as a kind of General Prep phase. Then once you feel that your fitness level is where it should be then you can modify it for your needs.
Here is an idea. Why dont you do research, and make your own plan up. Have backing on it too. Then, after you do that, present it to your coach. See if he lets you do your own thing. Also, have other people with you, and say that you all agree that you would like to do it. This way its more against him, and then he can also cant accuse you of “not being a team player” or something. If there is a problem with the track, find another one, and see if the coach will lets you, or your group, use it, saying its better or something like that. If he doesn’t let you, go to the administrators with your plan and group of people, if you have others who agree with it. Might piss the coach off, but thats just something your going to decide on doing yourself. Just something to add in, or try.
Yeah, while it sounds like it would work, I know for a fact my coach wouldn’t listen to any of it. One of the football players that runs track did the football workouts the other day and he told the coach he thought they were better, and our track coach got real upset. He thinks he is a genius but doesn’t know what he is doing.
American HS football coaches seems to have the biggest egos and are the most stubborn people in the HS athletic system here…They are just too arrogant to admit that what they are doing is wrong…sigh…
If you don’t injure yourself first 