byLarry EderCross country racing in the U.S. for high schoolers are mostly around 5k. The difficulty of courses is up to the local coach who developed the course.
Early season races are ways to check one’s fitness and figure out what works and what does not. In your first race of the season, get out well, and see how you can run the course. Remember to increase your pace over the last 800 meters.
After the race, remember to cool down and write down how your race went.
Eric Avila, photo by PhotoRun.net
Week 3: Getting the Habit Started
Make sure you’re doing your runs on a variety of surfaces–dirt, grassy fields, sand, road, track. It’s good for the feet and helps you use your feet in a healthy variety of ways. You’ll be a little sore this week as your body adjusts. Drink your liquids, sleep, eat well, and hang out with your friends.
Monday, September 5, 2016: Warm up; 5 miles easy running; 2×150 yds relaxed strideouts on grass, jogging back to the start after each, no rest in between; cool down.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016: 1-mile warm-up; 20-min tempo run; 1-mile cool-down. To determine your tempo run pace, add a half-minute to your present mile pace for a 5K. For example: If you currently run 19 min for a 5K, that’s 6:10 pace. Add 30 seconds to get your tempo run pace of 6:40 per mile. Recalculate your pace as your fit- ness improves, about once a month.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016: Warm up; 5 miles easy running; 2×150 yds relaxed strideouts on grass, jogging back to the start after each, no rest in between; cool-down.
Thursday, September 8, 2016: 1-mile warmup; 3 hill repeats (run 200 yds uphill, turn, jog downhill to start; repeat twice more, no rests); 1-mile easy cool-down.
Friday, September 9, 2016: Warm up; 5 miles easy running; 2×150 yds relaxed strideouts on grass, jogging back to the start after each, no rest between; cool down.
Saturday, September 10, 2016: Race day. Warm up, listen to your coach, race, cool down.
Sunday, September 11, 2016: Easy 7-mile run on grass or dirt with friends.
Week 4: Training Gets Rolling
This week, runners run daily for main sessions. Advanced athletes should add a 20-25-minute session (3 miles) of easy running on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Do these runs at the opposite time of day that you do your hard workout.
Monday, September 12, 2016: Warm up; 5-mile run; 3×150 yds relaxed stride- outs on grass, jogging back to the start after each, no rest between; cool down.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016: 1-mile warmup; 20-min tempo run, 1-mile cool- down. To determine your tempo run pace, add a half- minute to your present mile pace for a 5K. For example: If you currently run 19 min for a 5K, that’s 6:10 pace. Add 30 seconds to get your tempo run pace of 6:40 per mile. Recalculate your pace as your fitness improves, about once a month.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016: Warm up; 5-mile run; 3×150 yds relaxed stride- outs on grass, jogging back to the start after each, no rest in between; cool down.
Thursday, September 15, 2016: 1-mile warmup; 4 hill repeats (run 200 yds uphill, turn, jog downhill to start; repeat 3 times, no rests); 1-mile cool-down.
Friday, September 16, 2016: Warm up; 5-mile run; 3×150 yds relaxed strideouts on grass, jogging back to the start after each, no rest in be- tween; cool down.
Saturday, September 17, 2016: Race day. Warm up, listen to your coach, race, cool down
Sunday, September 18, 2016: Easy 8-mile run on grass or dirt with friends.
