Coaches of distance runners ages 12 to 18 years. These runners may be cross country athletes, track athletes participating in longer events, or road racers. Secondary audiences: Serious distance runners in their teens. To a lesser extent, parents of young distance runners.
Larry Greene knows all about the challenges facing young distance runners. He won state championships in high school cross country and track, becoming a Florida state champion in cross country and the 2-mile run and finishing 10th in the national Junior Olympic Cross Country Meet as a senior. Greene's high school accomplishments earned him a scholarship to Florida State University, where he set the school record for the indoor 3,000-meter run and qualified for the NCAA championship meet three times. After college, Greene excelled as a distance runner. In 1984, he ran the fastest half marathon in the world (1:01:27) and finished 4th in the 10,000-meter run at the U.S. Track and Field Championships. In 1987, he finished 3rd in the half marathon at the U.S. Olympic Festival. Greene is a scientific and medical writer in South Florida. He received an MS in movement science from Florida State University and a PhD in exercise science from the University of South Carolina. He has coached distance runners at the youth, university, and professional levels. He has also served as the director of the Carolina Marathon Youth Cross Country Run. His leisure interests include running, cycling, and cross-country skiing. Russ Pate has been an exercise science instructor and researcher since 1972. He serves as a professor in the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina, where his research is focused on the relationship between physical activity and health in children and adolescents. Pate is a lifelong distance runner. He has a personal best time of 2:15:20 in the marathon and competed in three U.S. Olympic Trials Marathons. Pate has served as president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity, and the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance. He has been recognized with awards by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; the American College of Sports Medicine; the National Fitness Leaders Association; and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He has also directed two U.S. Olympic Trials Women's Marathons. Pate received a PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Oregon in 1974. In his free time, he enjoys running, reading, theater, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Part I: Running Fundamentals Chapter 1 Peak Development Chapter 2 Teen Physiology Chapter 3 Optimal Nutrition Chapter 4 Champion Psyche Chapter 5 Form Fundamentals Part II: Training and Racing Programs Chapter 6 General Training Chapter 7 Race-Specific Training Chapter 8 Program Building Chapter 9 Planning Training Chapter 10 Dealing with Setbacks
"It's all here! Science you can understand, nutrition that makes sense, how to race, and how to train, all spelled out for coach, parent, or aspiring young runner." Tom Heinonen-- Coach of University of Oregon Running Club, 2004-2014, University of Oregon Women's Track Coach, 1977-2003 "Authors Larry Greene and Russell Pate, in their acclaimed book Training Young Distance Runners, provide coaches with the latest scientific information to maximize individual potential in teen distance runners." Mel Williams-- Participant in More Than 100 marathons, Author of Nutrition for Health, Fitness & Sport "Training Young Distance Runners skillfully integrates sport science into the specific, age-appropriate design of youth endurance training programs. I resoundingly recommend this book as a 'must read' resource for all coaches of young runners." Dr. Jeffrey I. Messer-- Girls' Cross-Country Coach and Track-&-Field Coach, Desert Vista High School Professor of Exercise Physiology
