Getting Slower Instead of Faster

by Janice
(Huntington Beach, CA, USA)

I am a female high school runner. As a high school freshman I ran a 5:20 mile. As a sophomore I ran a 5:11 mile. My junior year I was sideline due to a growth spurt.

Now as a senior the best I can do is a 5:28 mile. Is it over for me? Did I peak too soon?




I am about 5 inches taller than when I was a freshman and have had 2 stress fractures along the way.

I am fully healed and have trained hard for the last three months, but my times are bad.

Any ideas?


Answer by Dominique:


Hi Janice,
Thanks for your question about your speed.

I would not worry too much yet.

As you write you have been growing and you have been battling injuries.

Growth takes a lot of energy out of you and can cause slow down, for a while.

And it does take a while to get back into top shape after a year of sitting still. Three months of hard training is good, but you probably need a little bit more consistency and more months of training.

You might just find that your breakthrough is around the corner!

Best of luck.
Kind regards,
Dominique

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