In a simple distance training scheme it is effective to longitudinally separate the season into three different segments of time and the workouts cross country coaches use in each. Early season is a strong preparation time characterized by general running, athletes not focused on their best event (all training together), and races that are interesting…
Archives for distance runners
Protein for the Win – Protein Needs of Cross Country Athletes
Low fat, high carbohydrate, low calorie intake, carbohydrate cycling, vegetarian, vegan, junk food! What else have coaches heard from their endurance athletes regarding nutrition? Today we will focus on the importance of protein. In the last few decades cross country runners have increased their awareness in how nutrition affects performance, but with diet fads, advertising,…
Five Basic Workout Themes the Cross Country Coach Should Use
Cross country training can be rather complicated and confusing for a coach just getting started in the profession. Many times, a new coach will start by merely constructing a training program that looks pretty similar to what they ran in high school. Pretty soon it becomes apparent that circumstances and location are different, so adjustments…
October Training for Cross Country Athletes
For cross country runners, October is the time of racing in big Invitationals and preparing for the championship meets to follow. For a cross country coach, October is especially stressful because it is the month of capacity training schemes and sequences which are the hardest to master because the training effects are so individualized. Already…
Strength Work vs. Intensive Work in Cross Country Training
Are the cross country runners on your team getting better each day, or are they just getting tired each day? It is surely not the same thing. Lots of different workouts will leave even the fittest distance runner tired and exhausted, but was it a proper stimulus for the time of the season? Today we…
The 3 Most Important “Fuels” For Successful Distance Running
The ability of skeletal muscle to re-synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during exercise and recovery after exercise ultimately depends on the diet of the cross country runner. Today we will focus on the 3 most important “fuels” for successful distance running. Fat and carbohydrate (CHO) provide the majority of the metabolic fuel for ATP re-synthesis, with…
Growth and Development Issues in Distance Runners
Most cross country coaches’ work with athletes that have not yet reached absolute physical maturity and awareness of growth and development issues in their distance runners. Many of these same coaches have teams with both boys and girls on them, which raises the concern of different rates of development. Even coaches that have a program…
Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment of Running Injuries in the Middle Distance Athlete
Running injuries of the leg and lower back are the most common types of acute or chronic ailments found in distance runners. Aches and pains are common in runners training in excess of 15 miles per week, but these transition to injuries when the ailment is severe enough to reduce the number of miles run…
The Four Stages of Team Development
The start of a cross country (or track and field) season brings plenty of excitement for both athletes and coaches. The anticipation of all of the adventures that are about to occur is what makes activities such as this so much fun. Even teams that practice all summer seem to shift their level of anticipation…