John O’Malley began coaching cross country & track at Carl Sandburg High School in 2003. His cross country teams have qualified for the Illinois State Meet every year since 2003 - including State champs in 2015 and runner-ups in 2014. He is the only U.S. high school coach with two different Foot Locker national cross country champions - Dylan Jacobs in 2017 and Lukas Verzbicas in 2009 & 2010. His 4 x 800 meter relay teams have been All-State every year since 2012 - including first place finishes in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2017. His 2016 team holds the 4 x 800 Illinois State meet record with a time of 7:37.36. In this EvelChat John & Derek discuss many issues around the topic of endurance training for high school athletes, including: Objectives and views of coaching at various levels of coaching in the United States Priorities in high school coaching Proper developmental protocols vs. optimal training for success in high school Metabolic vs mechanical / speed approaches in endurance training Volume as a base metric for high school endurance coaches Demands & stresses on the US high school athlete Beginning a grade 9 endurance athlete Polar approaches to training in endurance training Using extended endurance runs Being “fast” vs. being “fit” Balancing being competitive against providing appropriate programming Long term impact of “The Grindfest” vs. prioritizing rest The realities of preparing US distance runners for collegiate competitive demands Culture vs. instruction in the US educational system The realities of child preparation post-COVID The problems with classic stage loaded / metabolic-only approaches in endurance training John’s approach to 800m training 800m training in US high schools Organizing extended runs in training