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Runner's Forum: High School Cross Country

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    midfielder3

    I will be entering grade 11 next year so I need to step up my cross country running.  I will not only be racing against many skilled gr. 11 students but also the gr. 12s and even some returning gr. 12s (gr. 13s).  All the races will be around 7km (4.35mi) long and most of them are quite hilly.  I've been working really hard this summer to be prepared come late September when the first preliminary races start.  What kind of distances should I be working on?  I have a good 5km (3.11mi) route mapped out around my house, and great 10km (6.21mi) hilly road loop.  I can run both these quite easily but I need a way to focus on running 7km as fast as I possibly can.  Any training advice to improve my 7km speed?

    As I am a fairly new runner, any tips would be very appreciated.

    Thanks, Tom

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    andrewjtoland

    Do lots of hill workouts. And mix them up, too. Golf courses sometimes have lots of short hills, which makes for good intervals. But then you need to find the biggest hill you can, and run up that as many times as you can. You'll notice the benefit when everyone else is dying on the hills and you're gliding up effortlessly. 

    • CommentAuthorFree MemberRNHanson
    • CommentTimeAug 22nd 2007
     
    RNHanson
    If you’re after increasing speed, I would suggest some interval training.  Generally, determine the pace you are shooting for and then do repeats of approximately a quarter of the distance at that speed.  Since you said you would be racing 4.35 miles, mile intervals should work well.  If you know any of the courses you will be running, try doing the intervals there.  Go beyond the race distance: 6 or possibly 7 intervals.  All of your improvement will come from the last runs.  Don’t do intervals more than twice a week and allow two days in between an interval day and a race day (depending on your coach’s philosophy, you still have at least one Long Slow Distance run on at least one of those days).  Usually once a season begins, it can be hard to get in two really killer workouts in a week without impacting your performance in the short term; it depends on your goals.  You also will not want to work your body that hard for extended periods to help avoid injury.  I would suggest 2 to 3 months before toning it down a bit.
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    midfielder3

    What exactly do you mean by intervals?  How long of a break should I take in between each mile?  And if I'm on the trail would I just keep jogging but at an easy pace, or take a complete stop/walk?

    Like I said, I'm fairly new at this.  Thanks for the help!

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberwarriorsxc
    • CommentTimeAug 24th 2007
     
    warriorsxc

    For a 7km run, you should be averaging 6 miles a day at least. In high school, I did

     Monday- easy mid distance run 6 to 8 miles

    Tuesday- tempo run 5 to 7 miles

    Wednesday- easy mid distance run 6 to 8 miles

    Thursday- hill workout (5 repeats of a quarter mile hill) about 6 miles

    Friday- easy run 4-6 miles

    Saturday- long run 8-10 miles

    Sunday- off

     It's a good combination because you can get the hard workouts in and still have recovery time. Don't hammer the runs though, you will get worn out and be burnt by the time the season begins. Speed workouts are key but the further you run, the faster you will be able to run shorter distances. (ie for college 8K races, we average 13 miles a day)

     Hope this helps! Good luck out there, have a great season

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberway2fast
    • CommentTimeSep 17th 2007
     
    way2fast

    Im a huge fan of the tempo run its good for learning how to maintain a fast pace up those hills

    good luck

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