Training

How much should a high school runner run per week?

Mileage in high school is the single biggest variable in long-term development — and the single biggest cause of injury when it's wrong. The right number depends on training age, season, and recovery capacity, not on what the top kid on your team is doing.

First-year runners

Most freshmen should peak around 20-30 miles per week during cross country season — with consistent recovery days, not back-to-back hard sessions. The goal isn't volume. It's building a body that can absorb training for the next 6-10 years.

Second and third year runners

30-45 miles per week is a strong target by the second or third year of consistent running, assuming the runner has stayed healthy. Big jumps year-to-year are how stress fractures happen — increase peak weekly mileage by no more than 10-15% from one season to the next.

Experienced high schoolers

Elite-track juniors and seniors might handle 50-60+ miles per week, but only if they've built up to it over years and recover like adults. Most high schoolers shouldn't aim for this — strength and intensity quality matter more than chasing volume.

Signs you're running too much

Lingering soreness, dropping race times despite training harder, sleep getting worse, mood crashes, missed periods (female athletes), nagging niggles. These are not toughness tests. They're stop signs.

Key takeaways

Freshmen: 20-30 mpw is plenty.
Increase season-over-season peak by 10-15%, not 50%.
Strength + sleep beat extra miles for almost every high schooler.
Pain that won't go away = back off, not push through.