Forming Running Groups for Practice
Questions and requests arise frequently from athletes and parents about the formation of running groups at practice. The coaches form running groups to create focused and efficient practice sessions and are tailored around the current fitness level of the athlete. Here are a few things to consider about training groups:
- Based on performance in most recent events (meets and practices.)
- Based on pace and what you can currently do; not potential but what you have now.
- Groups are fluid and change; groups can change in the midst of practice.
- Sometimes groups get combined; sometimes gender based; sometimes combine groups when we don’t have enough coaches.
- Based on pace and fitness not favoritism.
- If you are in a group that is too fast you are more likely to get injured; also not fair to slow down a group if it is too fast for you; also not fair to expect a person to keep up; we have you at a certain pace for a reason; while you may be very fast, you cannot go all out all of the time; we are building strength and endurance; every practice is not a race.
- Not just about being fast/slow but about level of fitness; you might be just as fast as someone across 400 meters but the other person is going to hold that pace for 3 miles.
- Group formation is not based on which groups your friends are in; we do warm-up and cool-down activities together and this is the time to socialize.
- If questions ask a coach.
- We all run at different paces at different points in our lives; goal is to get better and continue to improve.
- Practice is not the place to prove yourself or go for the “win”; meets are the place to show what you got.
- If you are a new athlete to practice you will sometimes get placed in the lowest group. Since we don’t know you or your fitness level we have to start you with the easiest workouts. Please understand we know the group dynamics and will move you to the appropriate group once we see evidence of fitness. You might even get moved groups in the middle of practice.
