Cross Country

Sage Creek veterans, it still stings that we didn’t have our track season, but we have to begin to look forward and be optimistic.  This could be another great season so if you have been slow to get moving, let’s get started, now.  There is an old expression, “You only get out, what you put in.  if you want more, give more.”  Think about goals, it will get you out the door to run.  As you begin your off-season program, what do you want to accomplish with your teammates and by yourself.  We have a boys’ CIF title to win back and a girls’ state title to defend.  

Here is what I know about this season, right now.

Organized Summer Program

This is not expected to happen this Summer due to the virus situation.  It is the same for all sports under the umbrella of the Foundation.  So, everyone has to take it upon themselves to run by yourself or with friends or family.  Other teams will have an advantage over another so if you are running, you are doing the right thing and it will pay off.  You control how good you will be in this sport, to a large degree, so let’s find a way to push ourselves and encourage one another.

You can never expect to succeed if you only put in work on the days you feel like it

What about the Fall Season

Be prepared to have a different kind of season. What does that mean, I am not sure.  The season may start later, we may have fewer races, particularly, large invitational sized races, there may not be any, at least in San Diego.  Concerns about crowds and distancing may force us into some very unique racing situations, but everyone would prefer something over nothing.   Some of the other coaches have decided to wait a little more before setting up a schedule.  I will wait at least another month, probably because we still don’t know very much. Just like we don’t know what school will look like, we don’t know what that does to Cross Country. Be permanently flexible

What would the Summer Training Plan look like, on your own? 

Usually, more miles is better as arule of thumb.  Run where you are safe.  Run for at least 20 minutes, if you have been running 30-40 minutes per day, then work your way up to fifty minutes.  A warmup of 5-10 minutes is a good idea, but you can also just begin your run slow, use the first ten minutes to warmup and then work into the pace.  I would suggest that you run 5-6 days per week, if you want to run 7, that is fine, but if something is sore or hurts, take a rest day or two to minimize any long term setback.  If you are a third or fourth year runner,  take a day off every third week.

Sample Week for Varsity

Assuming you are fit right now. Boys pace under 7 min/mile. Girls under 8 min/mile.

If that pace is too fast, then work hard and try to get there. JV boys pace 7 min plus, girls 8:30 plus

-Try to run 8 strides after your run, while you are still warm, recover at each end. 15 seconds/stride

-Always stretch afterward, as well.  You want to lengthen those muscle fibers again, they shorten after hard effort.  Use ice for sore muscles.

-Always try to pick it up at the end, particularly if the run is out and back. Try to run the way back faster, and finishing uphill is great for you.

-Incorporate hills in your runs, they don’t have to be steep, but they improve form and strength.

Sample Weekly Schedule

Day 1- 40 minutes of running, then finish with 8 strides of about 15 seconds in duration, not sprint pace. 

10 min warmup, 40 min run pace for varsity boys under 7 min/mile girls under 8, then 8 strides= 6-8 miles

Day 2- Try to find some hills to run after your warmup or run your warmup to a hill that you can run up for 30-60 seconds at a strong pace, then jog back to down and repeat, not a steep hill. Run 4-6 times.  Then run for another 20-30 minutes at a moderate pace.(If your normal runs are hilly, then repeat Day 1)

Day 3- Repeat what you did on Day 1, and get ready for a harder workout Day 4.

Day 4- Hard day, tempo time.  Definitely warmup for about 10 minutes, then run hard for at least 20 min. Then cool down for 10 minutes of easy running.  How fast should it be?  It should be hard to talk, 30-60 seconds slower than 5k race pace.  Every two weeks add two minutes and hopefully by the end of summer you are up to 35 minutes.  If you have to start with just 15 minutes of tempo running, then you will still get up to 30 minutes and that is fine.

Day 5- Repeat Day 1 and 3. Day 6 will be a long run, you could do it on Day 5, if necessary but it has to be slow if you ran hard the day before.

Day 6- Long Run day, How long?  It depends on how long your regular runs have been.  If you are only running 40 minutes, try to stretch it to an hour.  The pace is talking pace, which means you can talk while running.  Ideally for Varsity, we want to get you up to an 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes.  But you have to work up to it, every three weeks add 5-10 minutes.  During the season, we want to be able to run 1:20-1:30, usually on the weekends, if the pace is easy.

Day 7- Day Off or a lighter recovery day, maybe easy for 20-40 minutes, a “Shakeout Run”.  Another possibility is to train in the pool swimming or running or bike ride.

Can you run twice a day? 

Sure, but you have to build up to it and think about the purpose of the second run.                                                It can be a great tool to help you start to get the recovery process going and it only needs to be 20-30 minutes long.  If you run hard in the morning, get out late in the afternoon for a short run at a very easy pace of 20 -30 minutes.  The next day, you will get going a little quicker.  Another scenario, if you have run hard the afternoon before, get out the next morning for a short run to loosen up, a “Shake Out” run. This is only advisable to seniors and maybe some juniors and try it once a week for a few weeks and add another day if it works for you.

I am optimistic because it is a better feeling than being pessimistic and we can only control what we can control.  Let’s be hopeful.

Good luck getting started!

Text, email or call if you have any questions.