right. I'm a little kid who just started high school. In 8th grade, I was considered "fast" and I absolutely ate everyone on the track team in terms of long distance running. But going into high school has changed everything. I'm in a new place, and what used to be amazingly good at my old school is what I'm finding to be mediocre, or 'meh' at best. I ran at a track meet today, and I did rather poorly. My two events are the 800 meter and the 1600 meter. I ran a 2:34 800 and a 5:46 1600. These scores used to be amazing at my other small school, but now they are just not good enough. Simply put, I've been immersed in real running now, but I find that I've just not been able to keep up (no pun intended). Despite the work I put in during all the practices, my actual times just don't reflect it. My coach this year is mean and unapproachable, so instead, I'm going to the ever-so-friendly smogon community. What do you guys know about running, be it a new way to practice, stretch, or a specific way to run (actually, I don't know the 'proffesional' way to run, I just kinda move my legs and arms in whatever way happens to be comfortable at the time), that could possibly help me to improve? I'm rather desperate, especially after today's performance. Please give whatever input you may have, because, as I said, I'm desperate. Whatever you may know is fine.