One of the biggest – and maybe the biggest – concerns for cross country coaches is “How am I going to keep the new athletes injury-free?” We all know that shin splints, tight IT-bands and Achilles tendons, and tight hamstrings can all be a problem for new athletes.
I put this group of athletes – who either didn’t run track or haven't done a sport prior to joining the cross country team – into the...
If you’re a high school coach, you know that excellent cross country races in October and November are directly related to runners putting in intelligent training in the summer.
I want to help you help your athletes with training that will a) keep them injury-free and b) have them fitter for the first important meet of the cross country season than they’ve ever been. Plus, I want to save you time in planning a progression of...
What are strides? And why do cross country runners need to run strides to race faster?
Give me a few minutes and you’ll have the answer to both questions.
Let’s go!
A Stride is a Quick, Short, Controlled Sprint
A stride is simply a quick, short, controlled sprint — anywhere from 70m to 150m — that’s faster than your race pace and much faster than your training paces. To be clear, this is not all...
Cross country is a simple sport, and so it makes sense that cross country runners need fun cross country workouts that they can do in any environment.
I’m going to share the best high school cross country workouts that every cross country runner should run in the summer. Several of these workouts should also be done during the cross country season as well.
This article is primarily for coaches, but any serious...
Here’s what you should do after your last in-season meet to get ready for NXR or Footlocker
If you’re running a post-season race – either NXR or a Footlocker regional race – you want to do everything you can to race well.
The problem is most runners try to get back to “normal” training after their last in-season meet. That’s not the best idea.
Why? Two reasons.
1. You’re...
If you’re a serious high school XC runner, then you’re no doubt excited to have your best races of the year in October and November.
Here are ten keys to remember that will help you race to your fitness level in the biggest meets of the year.
1. You Don’t Need an A+ Race
If you want to help your team advance to the next meet, or to place high at the state meet, you don’t need an A+ race. You simply...
