"Novice" times?

[MotheTrackrunner]

Hello! I'm new on here. My name's Mo. I'm a junior in HS in South Jersey and I do distance. I started running back in August 2012 for XC and a couple months ago I started Indoor track. I know I should've started as a freshman.. or sophomore but I just couldn't find the sport I enjoyed. Now I have.

Anyway, here are times.

1600m 5:49.72 1/2013

3200m 12:43.03 1/2013

5000m 22:35.XX 9/2012

I can defiantly get the 1600m down by ten to fifteen seconds this Thursday. I know I can. I'm 100% positive.

My goal is to break 5:30 by an early Spring track meet, and ultimately break, or if anything run a sub 5:10 by the end of this season. Do you think these are reasonable goals?

[26mi235]

Well, the 1600 is clearly an improvement on the 5k (even if the 5k was an XC course) because I can still run a 22:35 5k but not 5:50 for the mile. Since that is the only measure of difference with some training, it is hard to know very much about how you might progress. If you are like many kids a little bit heavy for optimal running you will get a bit faster as you run more. You are still at the point where you are training to get fit enough for hard training which can take a while if you are not one of those few 'naturals' out there.

[aaronk]

I hesitate to interfere in the training of a high school kid, as I'm sure your coach is doing all he/she can to bring you along.
But here's a few questions you might want to ask yourself.

1. WHY am I running?? Because I like running, or to find a girl, or to just make a team...ANY team.....or to make myself a better, more disciplined person?? Some other reason(s)?

2. How did I FEEL after my three races?? Was I totally spent, writhing on the track in pain, gasping for breath....or did I jog off, talking with my friends, totally relaxed?

3. Is my intent to become an Olympian by 2016...compete on a Division 1 college team in a couple of years...or just get faster as I progress in training, establishing a solid "base", and let the times improve naturally??

In conclusion, and I would talk this over with your coach (and with yourself!), but I would advise you to become a STUDENT of the sport, start reading Track and Field News (if you aren't already!), listen to your coach, don't be afraid to lose (you can finish LAST in a race, and still get a PR--personal record), and just ENJOY yourself!!!

P.S. Forgot to ask, but are you a boy or a girl?? You didn't say! It would make a BIG difference in your expectations. If you're a girl, and running 5:49 for your first mile race, that's pretty darn good!!

If you're a boy, here's one example of why you shouldn't lose hope: Jim Ryun, once the high school record holder in the mile (in the 60's), ran his first mile in 5:38. Less than one year later, he had run 4:07.6. But not every boy is a Jim Ryun!! It's good to use him, and others, as inspiration, but NOT as someone you MUST emulate!!

Again, I say, just have FUN!! It's a GREAT sport!!

[PDJ551]

The posters above have given you excellent advice. I would like to add to that.

I'll be entering my 45th consecutive spring track season as a coach. What compels me to continue to do this is that I truly believe that all kids can improve. You must be patient. One would love to improve with every successive meet, but it rarely works out that way. There will be times when your performance plateau and others in which you will even run slower. But you will have break throughs, sometimes when you least expect it. Remember that you are the one determining your fate. And no one can determine what your limits are.

Good luck. Listen to your coach. Don't sneak out to do extra workouts. Listen to your body. Also if you don't eat right and sleep right you won't perform to your max. It's a wonderful sport. And don't get too crazy about the numbers (times). There are many variables that determine your time and letting the numbers rule you will be wasteful time wise and emotionally. The great thing about the sport is that you can still be running when you get to be my age. I wouldn't have believed that when I was your age because I never saw any "old guys " still out there, but now there's a lot of us. And always remember to have fun.