4. Different Workout Schedules, Thirsty Thursday Saucony Thirsty Thursdays with Jack Daniels

very humble man it seems

This is probably my favorite jack daniels interview. Very good insight!

I graduated recently from high school in VA from a very successful high school program. Our solution was simple - race JV at wed. meets and varsity on saturdays. One race a week for everyone, with a midseason break for some more extended training.

Wed. meets are pointless if you use them as workouts. Just workout with your varsity runners and allow your less talented runners to develop at the wed. meets.

Whoops I meant for the one with two races to go like this

Mon - easy/"recovery"
Tue - easy
Wed - Race
Thu - easy/"recovery"
Fri - easy
Sat - Race
Sun - Long Run

To the guy with the sample schedules I would suggest moving the long run to the day after the race like Daniels and many suggest. That way there is two easy days between the long run and race on wednesday. I would have it like this.

Two Races
Mon - easy/"recovery"
Tue - easy
Wed - Race
Thu - easy/"recovery"
Fri - easy
Sat - Long Run
Without race on Saturday
Only difference is friday becomes a workout day and saturday becomes easy.
Or saturday simply becomes workout.
But remember like Daniels says every athlete responds diffrently.

Do a long run or steady state-run for 60-160minutes per day, for four-eight years. After that you can start doing speed interval workouts.

VA Coach,
Here are some sample schedules. One with two races and one without.

With Two Races
Mon - long run
Tue - easy run
Wed - Race
Thu - easy run
Fri - easy run
Sat - Race
Sun - easy run / rest
One Race (Try to make this most weeks)
Fri - Intervals (800's or K's at goal race pace) or tempo depending on time in season or switch with Monday.
Sat - easy run
Sun - easy run or rest

VA Coach,
I would just have 1 or 2 saturday meets before the championship meets. However, during the weeks they do race twice I would not do any workouts on top of that. 2 days of hard running is enough for high schoolers whether it consists of races, intervals, or tempo's. The formula of two hard days and one long run a week seems to work quite well for many pro's. Anyways you get much faster from aerobic development than from focusing on hard workouts. Keep the mileage up and peak them when it counts.

VA coach. You don't have to go to invitationals. Race the Wednesday meets.

VA Coach,
To answer your question on when to train your kids I think this summer is the best time. By September and October it is sometimes too late. With so many races per week one idea is to key in on certain races and use the others as your hard workouts, threshold, fartlek, hills etc. Also I have heard Coach Daniels say that to get in a good workout he would have his athletes stay after the meet and run more, maybe run the course again, or go to the hills and do some repeats. That way you can emphasize the weekend invitationals that are more meaningful races. Just make sure that you explain what the plan is for your racing schedule before hand. Kids like to race, but if they know ahead of time that they are supposed to take it easier or emphasize certain portions of the course, they will be more likely to follow through. Good luck this fall.
Karl

In the heart of Cross Country in Virginia my athletes are running a local race every wednesday and then we have invites on saturday. I wonder if coach Daniels would say to go hard tuesday for my better runners and then tempo the wednesday meet (which is essentially meaningless in Virginia). Anyone else have suggestions because I am always at a loss of when to train my kids when they are racing twice on such short rest

i am temporarily quenched as my thirst has been quelched