Overtraining and burnout are real risks for us as young women athletes. In distance running, they’ve even earned a nickname: The Footlocker Curse. For nearly 40 years, no high school girls’ national cross country champion won a collegiate title. We talked to three athletes who’ve lived that story firsthand—former Harvard runner Sarah Naticchia, coach Sara Slattery, and Olympian Molly Huddle—to share five crucial things every high school athlete and coach must know to protect athletes’ health, longevity, and joy in sport.