Jonathan Dalby – Training Freshman

Training freshman distance runners requires extreme conservatism and patience. Start with building a foundation of continuous running (15-30 minutes), establish consistency, and emphasize process over results. Avoid specialization, encourage multi-event participation, and let older team members model positive habits.

Philosophy: Conservative, Long-Term Development

The best gift you can give a freshman is consistency. Show up, be there, commit to the process, and let them see that staying with it works. Most freshmen arrive undertrained or completely new to distance running. Regardless of background, treat them conservatively.

Josh Romine is the archetype: started as a freshman placing 13th in a freshman-only race, went on to place second in state XC, and now runs for Duke. The temptation is to load him immediately with 50 miles per week. Instead, the approach was patient development with room to grow across four years.

Two Key Principles

  1. Don’t specialize early. Even during track season, we typically train freshman toward the mile, giving them stimulus across 400-2-mile. If they have a specific goal (state meet qualifier, New Balance Outdoor), we might specialize, but most of the time we build versatility.

  2. You don’t know their ceiling yet. Conservative early loading preserves that upside. If you push a freshman to 50 miles immediately, where do you go in years two and three?

Progressive Milestones for Freshman Runners

Building the Base Foundation

Goal 1: Achieve one continuous 15-minute run without stopping
– Some freshmen are intimidated by “30-minute run” or “Starbucks and back” (3 miles)
– Start with choice: 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or 15-30 minutes
– Many will walk during early efforts—that’s fine for freshman newcomers
– Celebrate when they hit this milestone; they’ve done something they haven’t done before

Goal 2: Complete five runs of 15+ minutes in one week without stopping
– Build consistency week-to-week
– Focus on the process, not pace
– Once achieved, celebrate again—this is a real accomplishment

Initial Training Phase

No intensity work until: The freshman can run at least 30 minutes continuously for five days per week

  • Once this base is solid, introduce basic workouts (not intense)
  • Strides, easy fartlek, relaxed tempo work—nothing hard
  • Emphasize form, breathing, feeling, and enjoyment
  • Avoid stopping the group for walk breaks; instead, let them self-regulate pace

Role of Older Athletes

Peer modeling is powerful. Older team members teach:
– Nutrition and sleep habits
– Proper training attitude
– What progression looks like
– How to handle setbacks

This is often more effective than coach instruction.

During-Season Approach

Cross Country Season

Freshmen focus on building aerobic base and work capacity. Most of our freshman cohort comes through our middle school program (about 80%), but all are treated conservatively:
– Long runs form the backbone
– Easy runs for volume
– Minimal to no speed work until fitness base is established

Track Season

Avoid event specialization. Train freshman toward a mile capability so they can run anything from 400 to 2-mile. This provides:
– Variety in stimulus
– Different race experiences
– Data on where their strengths lie

If a freshman shows specific interest or has a concrete goal (qualifying for state in the 2-mile, making New Balance outdoor in the 800), we might adjust, but general approach is variety.

Practical Workouts for Fresh Runners

  • Easy runs: Primary focus
  • Progressive runs: Start easy, gradually increase pace mid-run
  • Relaxed tempo work: Not hard intensity; just comfortably fast
  • Strides: Short acceleration bursts after easy runs
  • Fartlek: Unstructured speed play to build work capacity without feeling “coached”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Running them too hard too fast on the easy days (gets them injured)
  2. Doing intensity before base is ready (limits adaptation and motivation)
  3. Specializing them early (cuts off learning and development)
  4. Ignoring the cultural element (consistency and mentorship beat any workout)
  5. Expecting immediate results (freshman development is a 3-4 year project)

Key Coaching Points

  • Talk to them constantly through IWI (their blog/message board)
  • Teach fundamental stuff: sleep, nutrition, recovery, why we do easy runs
  • Build team culture where younger athletes see the path
  • Be patient with their improvement curve—development comes in waves
  • Focus on creating runners, not racing results in year one

Success Indicators

A successful freshman class shows up, stays healthy, improves consistency week-to-week, and develops ownership of the process. Time goals can come later. By their senior year, if they’ve stayed consistent for four years, they’ll surprise themselves and you.