Training young distance runners

257 Pages·2014·6.612 MB·English

by  Laurence S Greene

Training Young
Distance Runners
Third Edition

Training Young
Distance Runners
Third Edition
Larry Greene
Russ Pate
Human Kinetics
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Greene, Larry,
Training young distance runners / Larry Greene, Russ Pate. -- Third edition.
pages cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Running for children. 2. Marathon running--Training. I. Pate, Russ R. II. Title.
GV1061.18.C45G74 2015
796.42'52--dc23
2014024311
ISBN: 978-1-4504-6884-8 (print)
Copyright © 2015, 2004, 1997 by Laurence S. Greene and Russell R. Pate
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Notice: Permission to reproduce the following material is granted to instructors and agencies who have purchased Training
Young Distance Runners, Third Edition: pp. 175-177. The reproduction of other parts of this book is expressly forbidden
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E6148
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
Part I Running Fundamentals
1 Peak Development 3
2 Teen Physiology 19
3 Optimal Nutrition 39
4 Champion Psyche 61
5 Form Fundamentals 77
Part II Training and Racing Programs
6 General Training 95
7 Race-Specific Training 155
8 Program Building 173
9 Planning Training 191
10 Dealing With Setbacks 215
References 233
Index 235
About the Authors 243
v

Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the outstanding staff at Human Kinetics for their continued
support of Training Young Distance Runners, Third Edition. Special thanks to
Human Kinetics’ Tom Heine and Amy Stahl for your encouragement and helpful
advice to improve this new edition. Thanks also to Coach Paul Baur and the run-
ners at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, who did such a great job of dem-
onstrating the technique drills and the stretching and strength training exercises
in chapters 5 and 6.
Larry Greene and Russ Pate
In so many ways, this book is inspired by the valuable lessons I learned from
my former coaches: John Mixon, the late John Brogle, Malcolm Coomber, and Al
Schmidt. I am forever grateful to you all.
Larry Greene
I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to two groups. First, I am
privileged to work with a remarkably talented and committed group of colleagues
in the University of South Carolina’s Children’s Physical Activity Research Group
(CPARG). The faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students who comprise CPARG
are collectively responsible for any and all of my research accomplishments. Second,
it has been an enormous pleasure for me to work with a tremendous group of
people for over three decades in conducting running events under the auspices
of the Carolina Marathon Association in Columbia, South Carolina. Thanks to both
wonderful groups!
Russ Pate
vii

Introduction
• At what age should kids start training for competitive distance running?
• What limits, if any, should coaches set on the distances young runners cover
in workouts and races?
• Which training methods are best for helping young runners develop endur-
ance, speed, strength, and good form?
• What sorts of foods are ideal for ensuring optimal growth, health, and per-
formance in young runners?
• Do girls and boys have different training and nutritional needs?
• How can coaches and parents help young runners boost their motivation,
willpower, self-confidence, and other aspects of mental fitness for distance
running?
These are just a few of the questions that motivated us to write the first edition
of Training Young Distance Runners, which was published in 1996. Our goal
was to provide coaches, parents, and young runners with the best information
and training guidelines, because we knew that a well-researched resource would
lead to many positive outcomes. For example, as young runners ourselves, we
experienced the unparalleled feelings of satisfaction and confidence that come
from working hard to accomplish performance goals in cross country, track,
and road racing. That hard work and dedication in our youth served us well in
our personal, family, and professional adult lives. We also knew that the spirited
teamwork and camaraderie that made running so much fun in our youth are the
foundation of true friendships, some of which last forever. And from our work as
exercise scientists, we knew that sound training and nutrition in the teenage years
set the stage for a lifetime of physical fitness and good health. We were motivated
to write the first edition, as well as this new edition, by the desire to share these
great gifts of running.
When we wrote the first edition of Training Young Distance Runners, few
books on the subject were available, and the Internet was in its infancy. In doing
research for this third edition of the book, we were awestruck by the vast amount
ix