4 Ways to Supplement High School Training
This is the third part of a mini-series on Tips for High School Runners.
I believe it is best for young athletes to fully invest in their high school program, team and coach instead of working with a private running coach. But in some instances, guidance is normally not readily available in the high school. For example:
Strength and Conditioning
Nutritional Coaching from a Registered Dietician
Sports Psychology
Athletic Consulting
When these services are not available through the high school, student-athletes who want to improve their performance could seek guidance outside the school program to supplement their training with the team.
IMPORTANT: In many or even most situations, these services are not necessary to reach the next level of competition in college or university. These are suggestions for avid young runners who want more ways to improve their performances, or for young athletes who are struggling especially with proper fueling, relationship with food, and/or psychological hurdles.
Catch up on the previous topics in the mini-series:
Strength and Conditioning
Strength training is completely appropriate for high school runners, and in fact beneficial to running performance. (Read more here). Learning proper movement patterns and technique is crucial for both safe and effective strength training. Individual and in-person attention is very helpful for anyone learning the basic movement patterns for squatting, lunging, and dead lifts.
Nutritional Coaching from an R.D.
Fueling for performance and recovery is imperative for long term success as a runner but is unfortunately a very common struggle for high school and collegiate athletes. This could be the most important area to invest time and money in for young runners with big dreams.
When it comes to healthy eating habits and attitudes, social media does no favours for young runners. Images cause constant temptation for comparison of body shapes and types. A barrage of unqualified influencers preaching “clean eating” leads to overthinking, or worse - an unhealthy obsession with food choices.
The body cannot perform long-term without proper nutrition and adequate caloric intake. Injury is inevitable and often career ending for runners who struggle to fuel themselves properly. But food is more than fuel. Food is part of enjoying life and socializing. Learning this attitude toward food and nutrition is one of the best things a young athlete can do for their overall health.
Red Flags:
Under eating
Binging
Restrictive eating
Obsessing over food choices
Desire to eat alone
Restriction/Elimination of food categories (vegetarian, vegan, keto diets)
Restriction or elimination of any food categories makes proper fueling even more challenging. In these cases I emphatically recommend consulting an R.D. to make sure an athlete is getting adequate nutrition.
IMPORTANT:
Difficulty with proper nutrition is often not only an issue of misinformation (or lack of education), but also a psychological struggle that may be best approached with the guidance of a registered dietician as well as a licensed psychologist.
Sports Psychology
Mental training is generally under emphasized or completely ignored in high school running. A sport psychologist can teach athletes the skills they need to navigate pre-competition nerves, manage their doubts, process success and failure, deal with pressure from themselves (or from parents), build self-confidence and ultimately enjoy their athletic endeavours to a greater degree.
A sports psych may be a great resource for a runner who struggles to bounce back from a setback, failure or disappointment. I would also consider sport psych for runners who have little or no self confidence, can’t identify their strengths, speak negatively about themselves, suffer awful nerves or dread prior to competition, get stressed before big workouts, or no longer have fun in their sport.
Athletic Consulting
Academic advisors are common in high school, but athletic advisors are rare. This is why I offer consulting through Sifuentes Coaching. Consulting allows me to provide individualized advice to high-school runners and their parents without complicating the school team experience like coaching would do. (Read my thoughts about Private Coaching for High School Runners.)
Athletic counseling can provide:
Advice on how to maximize current training
Advice on how to prepare for races
Guidance in identifying strengths and areas of potential
Individualized recommendations on any of the topics in this series (recruiting, college/university choice, where to seek additional guidance, habits and skills that should be developed, and more).
Upcoming Topics in this Series:
5 Habits of Exceptional High School Runners - qualities that help student-athletes succeed in both HS and university and that all coaches admire in prospective student-athletes.
Connecting with College Coaches - how to stand out to college and university coaches.
Choosing an Institution - what to consider during the recruiting process.
Role of the Parents - what helps and hurts your child’s chances from the perspective of a coach.
Freshman Year - Tips for success and adjustment during the first year of college/university.
Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation.