Be Great at Cross Country Running
Do you want to be the kid who smokes everyone else in the cross country meets? Well this article will teach you the basics of successful cross-country running.
Steps
- Train. Stay in good physical fitness during the winter (possibly by running indoor track) and the spring (possibly by running outdoor track).
- During the summer, run at least five days a week. Build a good cardiovascular base.
- Starting in August, during a regular training week, you should be running at least 5 miles a day at a decent fast pace, a hills workout on Saturday (8-10 miles in the hills is a good workout), and at least 2 tempo runs (20-40 minutes).
- Give yourself a break if needed. If you feel yourself burning out or getting injured, rest is your friend. During the season, every week you should be taking at least 1 day of rest.
- Work on your breathing. Learn how to take deep breaths to get the most oxygen to your lungs.
- Always stretch before and after running. To prevent soreness and injuries, remember to warm up and stretch before you begin training or a meet. Cool-down by jogging slowly for at least 7 minutes, then stretch.
- Remember always to have a good diet. Be sure to eat a healthy, balanced diet, and consume an adequate amount of protein within an hour of working out. The night before a race it is traditional to have pasta, as has lots of energy for your body to use during the race.
- Start running meets. Usually meets start in September and run through October and November.
- During a race, pace yourself and run relaxed (do not confuse this with slow). Be sure to have a fast enough start that you won't be slowed by the pack, but not so fast that you run out of energy. As you run pace yourself don't speed off too fast at the start so your out of breath by time you're halfway. Go at the same pace through out your race until you see the finish line, then go into an all out sprint (if you can't go any faster near the finish line keep your pace).
- Don't push yourself too hard on recovery days. It's fine to push yourself in a race, but listen to your body during training.
- Don't feel you need to win all the time. Have fun running and don't get all "I need to beat you!" This will get people annoyed and it's not a very healthy mindset to be in, anyway.
Tips
- Pump your arms on the way up hills
- Keep motivated - Without motivation and discipline, you will never do anything good in your life. Most of the people who read this article will not be the best because of a lack of self-motivation. Don't fall in with the crowd.
- Train! When the time comes, if you haven't trained then you won't be used to running long distances.
- Do not over-train. If something hurts, ice it, bathe it, and take a rest day. All you do running with an injury is hurt yourself.
- Get a good pair of shoes. You'll be running lots, so consider it an investment. If you're serious about racing, consider investing in a pair of spikes.
- Do weight training and calisthenic exercises. They will help you run more than you can possibly imagine.
- Have fun!
- Make sure you stretch before and after. Try and keep a steady pace throughout the race, and towards the end, push yourself to the best of your abilities.
- If someone is in front of you, slowly reel them in. Focus on them and just concentrate on getting closer.
Warnings
- Watch your footing.
- Don't get trampled at the start of the race
- If you think you've injured yourself, be sure to have your doctor check it out and follow his/her advice.
- Avoid blisters with ankle socks.
- Don't overtrain.
- Avoid injuries.
Things You'll Need
- Running shoes
- Running clothes
- Sports bra (optional)
- Water bottle
