CROSS COUNTRY

TRAINING PROGRAM

PHILOSOPHY

My training philosophy is based on a three(3) day on and one(1) day off training program for younger runners. I firmly believe that a drastic increase in mileage is unnecessary and is in fact harmful to the physical, mental, and emotional well being of younger runners in the United States. It has and will continue to be my goal to gradually increase both mileage and intensity as each runner matures from year to year. I therefore suggest the following guidelines for a fall/cross country training schedule.

Age Group Mileage Amounts per day and 3 day cycle

10&U - 3 miles/9 miles

11&12 - 1 x 4 mile run with others of 3-3.5 miles/10-11 miles

13 - 1 x 4.5-5 mile run with others of 4 miles/12.5-13 miles

14 - 1 x 6-7 mile run per week with others of 5 miles/15-17 miles

Sept. 1-14. Easy runs of no more than 3 miles. The 11&12 group may run one (1) run during the 2nd week of 4 miles. Always follow the 3 day training/on and 1 day no running/off cycle. Heartrate should only be between 160-175 bpm to accomplish this easy/aerobic training.

Sept. 15-30. One day of the 3 day cycle should be a type B workout and the other days easy/aerobic. By this time the runners should be at the mileage rates suggested per day and per cycle.

October 1 - Nationals. Continue the 3 day on 1 day off cycle as follows:

Any variation of this sequence may be used for scheduling conflicts except the following. Type A workouts may not follow a type B workout during a 3 day cycle. You may have 2 x type A and 1 type B workout per week or 2 x type B and 1 type A workout per week. Always allow one(1) off day and at least one(1) easy day following the last type A or B workout of the previous cycle before attempting the next type A or B workout. All other runs must be easy/aerobic or heartrate(HR) of 160-175 bpm. That's all!

IMPORTANT NOTES

All Type A & B workouts should have a 1/2 mile warm-up (WU) and cooldown (CD) for the 10 & under group, a 3/4 mile WU and CD for the 11 & 12 group, and a 1-1.5 mile WU and CD for the 13 & 14 group. Include 4-6 build-ups at the end of the Type A WU! All Type A & B workouts should be done with the wind! Stretching should take place after the CD or easy run. No stretching before the workout! You may a bit after the WU.

HIGH SCHOOL ADAPTATIONS

Many coaches and parents have asked me to continue my program of development for age group runners to reflect the basic needs of a high school program. It is with this goal in mind that I provide the following recommendations in order to continue to improve a runner’s performance. These recommendations should allow adjustments for individual/team needs and differences while at the same time improving the chances of a running career beyond the high school level.

I would suggest that adding five(5) - ten(10) miles to the above general weekly recommendations for high school boys would in most cases be appropriate due to three factors;

1. General physical strength differences with girls.

2. Many high school boys races are 5K while many girls races are in the 2 mile - 4K range with some 5K races.

3. Men’s collegiate cross country races are 5 miles or 10K in length while the women’s race does not go above 6K.

Obviously the biggest challenge for a coach next to getting the best athletes out for cross country is the need for their athletes to run before actual school practices are allowed. My suggestion would be to target August 1st for everyone. Any running the athlete does before that is gravy! In general the three(3) day on one(1) day off training cycle is impractical due to high school practice times. I suggest one(1) day be taken off each week. I would not recommend two(2) rest days back to back except for illness or injury.

Aug. 1-14. Always follow the 3 day training/on and 1 day no running/off cycle if possible. Easy runs of no more than 3 miles the first 3 days. Take a rest day. Easy runs of 3.5 miles the next 3 days. Take a rest day. Easy runs of 4 miles the next 3 days. Then a rest day. Stay at 4 easy miles the next 3 days. One of these days may be a 4.5 - 5 mile day. Generally heartrates need only be between 155-170 bpm for girls and 150-165 bpm for boys to accomplish this easy/aerobic training! These heartrate zones should be slowly attained by about 1 mile and maintained for the duration of the easy and/or long run. After the run allow the HR to reach 90 bpm before going inside to stretch.

Aug. 15-31. Two days of the next seven(7) should be a type B workout with at least 2 easy days between the type B workouts. The other days are easy/aerobic days with one day off for the week. The next week you may change the second type B to an A. Continue the mileage progression suggested above until the weekly mileage and long run goals are attained. I would suggest a 10-20% decrease in total mileage in all training areas every 4th week for needed regeneration before starting to increase the mileage again.

Sept. 1 - State. As most meets take place on either Thursday or Saturday I would recommend the following schedules with those race days in mind;

Food for Thought

I think it is extremely important that your runners can see variety and improvement which is why I would show them the same workout one time every 3-4 weeks. They are getting in shape and will usually notice drastic improvements from the same workout before. What a psychological benefit! All Type A & B workouts should be done with the wind! Stretching should take place after the CD or easy run. No stretching before the workout! You may stretch a bit after the WU. I would recommend 3 easy miles the day before the races and then 6-8 X 180 meter build-ups with easy 20-30 meter walk between. I also think mimicking race WU/CD is extremely important. That is why on Type A days I would always suggest the same WU/CD of 1-1.5 miles with 6-8 strides at the end of the WU. Whatever you choose to use on these Type A days should be exactly what you do on race days! Type B workouts should have about the same 1-1.5 mile WU/CD without the need for strides. If you have access to a pool I would substitute a pool WO for an easy run.

Racing Comments

The schedule above would suggest that I prefer meets on Thursday. Nothing could be further from the truth! Having races on Saturdays allows the runner to become accustomed to racing on the exact day of the week and around the same time as their most important races of the year, the regional and state meets. Racing on Saturday also allows you to have a bit more say in their weekly schedule. The need to have fun and enjoy running is very important. I do not believe in racing more than once a week. Racing more than once a week is very taxing both mentally and physically. Therefore, if more than one race is scheduled for the week I would use one as the workout that should be scheduled that day and really have fun with it. I wouldn’t care about the individual or team placement. In fact not racing a week around midseason would be wise in my book. I would also only emphasize 1 or 2 races to use as benchmarks during the season along with the regional and state meets.

Parting Thoughts

Of all the recommendations that I can make the most important is for coaches and parents to have a positive attitude at all times. Always find something good about the workout or race to emphasize. Secondly, they are just kids let them have some fun! Running can be fun!

Type A Workouts

1. Races

Notes: Each mile/kilometer needs to be timed and recorded. Full recovery (HR to 120-130 bpm) between each mile before starting the 2nd set. The on part needs to be a touch faster than 1 mile race pace and the off part should be a touch slower. In other words they slow down but not much! The mile/kilometer times should be almost the same for that particular WO and should gradually get faster as the season progresses.

4. 5-8 x Repeat Hills - If possible find a hill approximately 150 -200 meters in length. Start on the flat at the bottom and run up the hill and at the top continue running for another 50-100 meters. This teaches the runner to finish the hill and to continue the pace. Too many runners are satisfied with having made it up the hill that they get beat on the top and lose the race at this point. Walk/jog back down and start again.

5. Good Terrain with Known 100 Meter Marks or Track:

A. 10-12 x 400m with each 100 meters at the same/equal pace with the same recovery between each 400m or 2 Sets of 5-6 x 400 with full recovery between sets:

1. First time set pace per 400m and allow 90 sec recovery between each 400m.

2. Second time use same 400m pace but only allow 75 sec recovery between.

3. Third time use same 400m pace but only allow 60 sec recovery between 400’s.

B. 5-6 x 800m with each 100 meters at the same/equal pace with the same recovery between each 800m:

1. First time set pace per 800m and allow 2 min recovery between each 800m.

2. Second time use same 800m pace but only allow 1min & 45 sec recovery between each 800m.

3. Third time use same 800m pace but only allow 90 sec recovery between 800’s.

Note: These 400m & 800m workouts could also be monitored by allowing the heartrate to return to 120-130 bpm before starting the next interval.

C. 10-12 x 300m with each 100 meters at the same pace. Walk 100m and repeat or 2 Sets of 5-6 x 300m with each 100 meters at the same pace. Walk 100m and repeat. Full recovery between sets and then repeat or 3 Sets of 4-5 x 300 m with each 100 meters at the same pace. Walk 100m and repeat. Full recovery between sets and then repeat. These should always be done with the wind for the 300m part.

D. As in 2. A, B, C and D above can be done on the track only if it is too muddy to be done on the grass or roads.

Type B Workouts

1. Hill Repeats - Find a course with some hills and run everything easy except for the uphills and the tops.

2. Fartlek - 10 sec hard, 10 sec easy, 20 sec hard, 20 sec easy, 30 sec hard, 30 sec easy,...up to, 90 sec hard, 90 sec easy, and then 80 sec hard, 80 sec easy, 70 sec hard, 70 sec easy, 60 sec hard, 60 sec easy,...down to, 10 sec hard, 10 sec easy and then CD. At first just do this one up to 80 sec hard then 80 sec easy and go back down.

3. Indian Running - In groups of 4-6 get in single file and start running. The last person in line surges to the front and becomes the leader. As soon as they get there the new last person surges to the front.

4. Cruise Intervals - 3/4 or mile repeats at a pace 30-45 seconds slower than mile race pace. Take a 30 sec break and then repeat enough to get a total of 2.5 - 3 miles.

5. Speed Sandwich - Run 20 sec blazing and 2 min easy for the entire workout.

Remember to WU & CD for all the above!

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