Attending a cross country running meet is an exciting experience. Parents, siblings, teammates, friends, and fans are screaming and cheering nonstop as the runners go past them. Cross country meets are also a place of work for the coaches whose teams are participating. A race is a test for both athlete and coach as to…
Archives for cross country running
Speed as a Primary Physical Component in Cross Country Training
Despite what it is intuitive to the training of cross country runners, absolute speed is a critical primary physical component to five kilometer (k) racing success. Many studies have linked the 40 meter maximum velocity performance in a runner to success in events all the way out to the 10k. Speed generally involves three…
The Athlete Profile – Part 1
Track coaches use the disciplines of physiology and psychology to develop successful athletes. This can be difficult in part because coaches usually work with large groups of athletes in their training group. The application of unique training and psychological stimuli within the training group is called individualization of training. To do this effectively is critical…
Shifting the Cross Country Training Paradigm
Cross country running does not require a great deal of skill, a fact that makes physical conditioning of vital importance. With little need to work on skill development, more and harder training is often seen as the only path to success. Unfortunately, this path usually leads to injury, immune system problems, psychological burn-out, and a…
The Secretions of a Winner
It has been jokingly said that 83% of statistics are made up on the spot in conversation. Coaches do this all the time, as they say such things as: “give me 110% effort today” (huh?), “slow the second lap down to 95%” (again, huh?), or the classic line; “sports is 90% psychological and 10% physical”. …
Finishing the Race
One of the most frustrating aspects of analyzing cross country running training is the post-race reflection of an athlete’s sub par performance. Even the really great performances have something sour that catches the coaches’ critical eye. As in any analytical, cause-result relationship, the result is more obvious than the cause. One of the more…
Aerobic Capacity and Aerobic Power
There are several critical aspects to aerobic fitness in all endurance sports, including cross country running in particular. For instance, aerobic capacity is an important factor, and is defined as the maximal oxygen intake in liters per minute for an athlete. It is a true measure of individual work intensity, and its measured value…
Maintaining Fitness throughout the Championship Season
The championship season in high school cross country can be a long and drawn out affair in the United States. The time period between state sectional meets and the Footlocker Championship race can last up to eight weeks for some runners. Maintaining fitness, both aerobic and anaerobic, is critical to racing success, yet energy systems…
Hydration and Carbohydrate Replacement
While distance runners should be concerned about fluid replacement every day that they are in training, the summer heat puts these concerns at the top of the list. Like so many issues in sport training there is no shortage of anecdotal information about hydration, and then there is the scientific research. The goal is to…
Performance Comparison in Endurance Athletes
After the race or key workout is over, it is time for an athlete performance comparison by the endurance coach. All too frequently coaches simply analyze performance on the basis of what they have witnessed their athletes did in regard to pacing, strategy, placing order, and how the final time compares with past efforts in…
Daily Use of a Sports Psychology Tool
For the most part coaches interact with the athletes they coach by using the herd mentality. The herd (training group) is seated in front of the coach, with similar words of greeting spoken to each, and then the same workout is explained to all. Usually time is short, and athletes are many, so more personal…
Hill Training for Cross Country Runners
Winter and summer training periods are the ideal time in the annual plan to develop effective hill racing skills and to use various forms of hill training to develop strength in cross country runners. Most geographical locations in the United States possess ideal physical changes in topography which are suitable for hill tactics and training. …