Courses

In high school cross country there are only so many different courses that you can run on. My team runs on about six different courses throughout the season. Some courses we may only run on once but other courses we will run multiple times.

This year we are running on the same course in Iowa City four times. Running on the same courses multiple times in your season can be a good and a bad thing. It can be a bad thing to run on the same course many times if you don’t like that particular course. The Iowa City course that I get to run on four times this year is not one of my favorite courses. It always seems to be really hot when we run on that course. The course also has very little shade and by the time you start running your race the sun is normally setting or is about to set so the sun shines right into your eyes. It’s hard to run with the sun in your eyes because a lot of times to avoid the sun in your eyes you have to look down and it makes it hard to see the where you need to run on the course and to see who is in front of you.

A good thing about running on the same course all the time is that you become really familiar with the course. When you’re really familiar with the course it can make it easier to run because you know where you’re going and you normally know where the mile markers might be and know how close you are to the end.  If you know the course it also helps you to know when you should start sprinting at the end. Running the course for the second time can also help your race because you can know where and when you struggled on the course the last time you ran it. If you know that you slowed down a lot during one part of the course the next time you run the course you can try to speed up or keep your pace at the slower parts.

Running the same course is good for your race because you are more familiar with the course. It can be nice to run the same course if you run faster races at the course. It’s not very fun to run the same course a lot if it’s a hard course or if the course has a lot of hills.

Pack Running

Running in groups is a great strategy to use when you are racing. If you are running in a pack during a race it can help not only your race but the other people in your packs race as well. Running in a group for practice can also be very useful because the people you run with in practice you can also run with in a race.

            If you are on a fairly large team it can be easier to create packs to run in. If you have a few people on your team it can be a good idea to form a group to run in. I haven’t done much pack running in races this year but the few times I have I have found it very helpful. In my races I always try to find someone on my team who I can try to keep up with during a race. If I try to follow someone on my team who is in front of me it encourages me to run faster to keep up with them. This year I am very lucky to have about six people whose times are very similar to mine and who I can run with in a pack. In one of my races I ran in a pack for part of my race with two of my teammates KD and KC and we all encouraged each other to run faster and to pass other racers.

Running in a pack helps not only your running but also your teammates running. When you are running in a pack everyone helps to encourage each other to run faster and to stay in the pack. In a pack it also seems easier to pass other racers. Someone in your pack can take the initiative to speed up your pack for a short distance in order to pass some of the other racers.

It is also important when you are in a pack to make sure that none of your pack members are falling behind. If one of your teammates starts to fall behind you can try to be encouraging and to tell them to try to stay up with you for the rest of the race. If you are falling behind, other teammates encouraging you can help you to stay with them for the rest of the race.

Running in a pack can be a very useful and helpful race strategy. If you have a group of people you run with in practice you can also run with them in a pack during a race. Running in packs helps not only you but your other teammates by encouraging each other to run.

Varsity Races

In high school cross country most meets have three different races. There is normally a freshman and sophomore race, a junior varsity and a varsity race depending on the meet. For the last two years I have ran the freshman and sophomore race and this year I have ran both varsity and junior varsity.

Varsity races seem to help people to run faster times than in other races. Varsity races have the fastest people and the races start out the fastest as well. Because varsity races have the fastest people and start out faster than most races, when you run a varsity race you also want to start out faster than you normally would. If you are used to running in a junior varsity race or a freshman and sophomore race and it is your first varsity race you may be surprised to find how much your time has dropped since last race. Running with faster people seems to help encourage you to want to run fast as well, especially if you are used to being in the top half of the race and now that you are on varsity you find yourself in the bottom half.

Dropping your times by running a varsity race for the first time is always good but another good thing is not having as much people in the race. Junior varsity races have unlimited entries for the race so you will see schools that have a whole bunch of people all lined up to run the same race but in varsity races you can normally only run seven varsity runners though sometimes it is ten.

My first race this year I ran in a varsity race. In this varsity race you were allowed to have ten varsity runners so I was able to run in it. It was only my first race of the year so I didn’t really have any previous times to compare my time to but I still felt like I started out the race faster then normal and was running the race faster. Since then I haven’t ran another varsity race but I am running one today. I am running on a course that I know very well and I hope to see improvement in my times.

Even though you want to run faster with the faster competition of a varsity race and look forward to improving your time it can still be important to make sure you aren’t running the first half of your race faster than you are capable because you don’t want to die out for the last half of your race.  

Morning Runs

              Sometimes it can be nearly impossible to find time to run. Many people have busy and chaotic days and find it difficult to run that day. Because it’s important to run the majority of days in a week in order to stay in shape and because your day can be very time consuming it can be necessary to give up a few hours of precious sleep in order to run.

                On Friday my school had the homecoming dance and didn’t have time to run after school. My cross country team decided to have morning practice so we could still get in a run for the day without inferring with homecoming plans. I had to wake up at 4:30 to go to cross country practice at 5:00. By having cross country practice in the morning instead of in the afternoon it allowed us to be make sure we were able to run and still have time for our other plans.

                Running in the morning can have some downsides. A negative thing about running in the morning is that it is still very dark outside. If you have to run in the morning it is a good idea to make sure you are running on streets that have lights so you can see or you could always just run inside at a gym. It is also nice to run with other people in a group.  When it’s dark outside it can be kind of creepy to have to run by yourself. My cross country team likes to run on a trail that is located near our school. The trail can be very creepy when it is dark because the trail doesn’t have very many lights and hobos sometimes sleep on the trail. My coach claims he saw a hobo on the trail the last time we had a morning run. I would not want to run on our trail by myself in the morning so I am glad to have my other teammates to run with.

                A positive thing about running in the morning is you don’t have to worry about needing to run for the rest of the day. It is nice to know that you already ran that day. On Friday I was really excited to able to come straight home from school and not have to worry about going to cross country practice. Though you may have to lose some sleep it can be necessary to run in the morning.

Mix Up your Running

If you run many races and, or are on a cross country team it’s important to make sure you are not always running the same thing every day. In the summer when I am preparing for my cross country season and don’t have anyone to coach me I have to make sure that I am mixing up what I need to run each day. It is not useful to run only three or four miles every day because you won’t be getting anything good out of it when your season starts. It is important to have some variation in what you run. I normally will run long days, intervals, tempo runs and recovery runs.

            Interval runs are needed to help you to improve your speed. In the summer I will normally run 400 meter intervals but during cross country season I may run 200, 400, 800 or even 1,000 meter intervals. If I want a more anaerobic exercise I will run 400 meter intervals with about three minute rest time for each interval and will run anywhere between eight and twelve intervals. In practice this year many times we run 400 meter intervals and have the same rest time as running time. In practice we will also run 4 sets of 5 200 meter intervals where we will have a three minute break between each set but during the first set we will have a minute break between each interval and decrease that time by 15 seconds each set until the last set when you only have 15 seconds of rest between the intervals. The 200 meter interval workout is normally more aerobic and helps with your heart rate.

            When I run long runs I will run anywhere from about an hour to an hour and a half or six to nine miles. I run at a slower speed in which I am able to talk while I’m running but am not completely out of breath. In my opinion long runs are very relaxing. Recovery runs are similar to long runs where you are also running at a slower pace but are not running for as long of a distance, more like three to five miles.

            Tempo runs are runs that you normally run on the track where you are running at a constant speed that is faster than long days and recovery days but a little slower than your interval pace. When I run tempos I will run them anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes and I have a certain time that I try to meet on each lap. If you want to be a successful runner it is important to make sure you are running a variety of different types of runs.

Meet Days

         Everyone wants to run a good meet. It is always exciting to have a PR (personal record) in your race. It's important to feel good and be energized on a race day so you can have a PR. You don't want to be tired, sick or sore. Part of running a good race and getting a PR is by feeling energized and being ready for your race by being well prepared for your race that day. The first step to prepare for your race is to get enough sleep so you're not tired and groggy. It's also very important to start the day with a fulfilling and healthy breakfast. I have a meet today so for breakfast I had oatmeal with slices of apple in it and I added some brown sugar, honey and cinnamon.
       The day of your race you also want to make sure that you aren't constantly thinking about having to run in your meet later because  you don't want to be stressed and extremely  nervous when you run. Races can be very stressful, nerve-racking and scary because you may feel pressure to run a good race and get a good time. Some people may think that one of their meets doesn't really matter and they don't care how well they run or what their time is but I think its important to make every race count and always try to do your best. You want to run good and do well in your meet because you have been running all summer and all cross country season to prepare for races and you want to make all the hard work you put in count. So you shouldn't constantly be thinking about running your race because you'll just stress yourself out and it could make you run worse.
            Next thing needed the day of a race to prepare for your meet is a good lunch. You don't want to run your race on a completely empty stomach but you also don't want to eat too much food and be overstuffed when you're running. You also need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Don't wait till ten minutes before your race starts to chug a ton of water. You should start drinking water the day before your meet so you are hydrated for the next day. If the temperature for a meet day is supposed to be really hot make sure if you arrive at your meet and still have a while before you need to start getting ready for your race to find some shade so you don't overheat. And the last thing needed to have a successful meet day is to make sure to run a good warm up and cool down before and after your race. It is important to warm up your muscles before your race and to cool down after your race to help to prevent from having any injuries.