LEAH- I'm assuming you mean miles per hour (not minutes per mile) here.
Are you a track or cross country runner? Is there a reason that speed should be important for you?
Either way, most teenage girls hit their atheltic peaks at a young age--somewhere around 15 y.o. So it could be that you've hit your athletic peak and your performance is going to naturally decline a bit (or, if you took a break from running consistently, that could have also caused a slow down).
However, that doesn't mean that you'll always run slower. (Although first I have to say that 9mph is still quite fast for the average person.) If you're in a sport, talk to your coach about tips that can help you improve speed. You can also check out our running for Speed Workouts: teens.sparkpeople.com/resource/cardio_running_speed.asp
Hope that helps,
Coach Nicole
LEAHBAKER 11/11/07 9:53 P
i've been running for a long time now and started at a 12-13 minute mile and am stuck at around 9. what's the smartest way to improve? thanks.
