[melona_ice]

hello soompi-ers =]
i was wondering if any cross country runners can give me an idea of what they do in cross country, how hardcore it is, and how much endurance you need. And tips are always welcome

i was hoping to cross country at my high school this year but i have no idea what i'm getting myself into so i was hoping people would give me ALOT of advice, thanks

[kinein]

You run a lot, long distances, you learn about pacing yourself, and maintaining efficient form so that even when you are tired you don't slow yourself down by inefficient running.

Expect to drink lots of water, you'll be hungry ~ it will break down a lot of muscle if you don't include 2-3 weightlifting sessions a week or include some other type of exercise.

Long periods of meditation as the solo parts will involve having plenty of time to feel your body and thinkin about random stuff. As with any sports teams you'll make some cool friends but it is a fringe element in the sports community that won't involve a lot of fans or spectators. It is a endurance sport and you should enjoy running. Though a great way to do something active if you have no sports during that season and want to prepare for sports in other seasons.

Since I hate running for long periods of time for long distances I always went with other sports that fit my short attention span.

Tips : start running long distances everyday!

[sarah_luisa]

I'm n0t really a cross country runner.
But my fitness class (before school) usually run with the cross country team every tuesdays and thursdays
and they usually do laps first
then they run hills after

we do it in a public park. it also has trails.
so there's kind of variety of distance and hills

so maybe you can do the same.

[fast11375]

Think twice before you join XC. It is an intense sport to train. Every season, our team loses 70-80% of our fresh recruits because the workout is too hard for them. But I must say it i pretty satisfying after looking back and seeing what you have accomplished.


This is our team's schedule:


Monday- long distance
=Beginners: 30-40 mins of running at 8-9 mins per mile
=Intermediate: 50-60 mins of running at less than 8:45 mins per mile
=Really good ppl: 1 hour+ at less than 8 mins per mile.

Tuesday- Interval/Tempo workout
=Beginners: Run for 6 mins at 7min/mile pace, rest for 2. Repeat 6 times.
=Intermediate: Run for 9 mins at 7 min/mile pace, rest for 1 min. Repeat 4 times.
=Advanced: Run for 20 mins at less than 6:30 min/mile place.

Wednesday- Recovery run
= Beginner: 1-2 miles at confortable speed. Striders for cooldown.
=Intermediate: 3 miles at comfortable speed. Striders.
=Advanced: 5+ miles at comfortable speed. Striders.

Thursday- Hills
=Repeats of 300 meter uphill run at 1:20 to 1:00 depending on your level. We run up 300M and then jog back down, no rest.
(This hurts like hell and our coach doesn't let us stop, usually I can't finish the 12 reps.)


Friday, Saturday, Sunday off.

[Christinaisweird]

it's a killer if you are UNFIT, but it also kills if you are FIT
during this month you should of already done conditioning with all the incoming freshmens and all the upperclassmen
you also get these really cool t-shirts in high school.
those big mountains with high inclines, well yeah good luck to that.
practically the first week is a living hell and it just basically kinda gets better except for when your team or school goes to final otherwise if you're a fast long distance runner you'll enjoy it.
and yeah sunblock man

[mikuyamaguchi]

Ooooo I loved cross country in High School. :]

Basics of X-C.

You run long distances w/out stopping depending which team your on, such as varsity, junior varsity, and c-team.
It's based on your time on the first practice meet. If you do good, you'll either be on varisty or junior varisty. Don't
worry if your on c-team you'll eventually do better throughout the season. If you ever stop to walk, mostly likely you won't improve on your endurance and breathing. It only gets harder throughout the season. Even your
eating and fluids count as well. Eat healthy and drink plenty of water. No junk food.
If the coach catches you walking, he or she will make you run more miles. It's kind of crazy, but
it's so worth it. Cause it'll keep you in great shape.

From what I remember this is how the practice goes.

Monday- hard run/intervals (running hard/for sprints you have to be under a certain time/it hurts a lot like hell lol. i remember running 6 miles...)
Tuesday- semi-tempo (kind of hard run/no sprints)
Wednesday- hard run/ intervals (same thing for monday)
Thursday- semi-tempo (kind of hard run/no sprints)
Friday- easy run (the team/coach run together on a easy pace)
Saturday- race day (3 miles, compete against other schools, etc etc)
Sunday- FREE DAY

Then it repeats all over again.

Tips:
Don't eat junk food or fast food. Cause it'll hurt your running.
Get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, drink plenty of fluids, take care of yourself, and have fun with your teammates.
Good luck to you if your ever going to join X-C. It's an intense sport with some crazy work outs.

[yooniceland]

if you don't want to die in practice,
i suggest you start running now.
start from about 1 or 2 miles if you're not already a runner.
i usually do 4-5 miles a day. 7 on a good day.

my friends never came back for the second practice of cross country because they described it as, "hell"
i think when i first joined, some of them actually shook my hand and said, "welcome to hell"
the practices are hard at first if you're not in shape, but after a few weeks, it gets REALLY easy. (for the first couple of miles)

cross country is really good for your health, but make sure to drink lots of water.
one way to be sure that you're fully hydrated is when your pee is clear.

man... i'm glad im not doing cc this year. i'm too busy anyways. but i should probably work out more now, since i'm joining next year.

cross country is INTENSE. If you don't like pain, i wouldn't recommend it. oh... and frozen peas are your best friend... at least, it was for me. running with a sprained ankle and a knee is not fun.

[lovejyk]

You must ENJOY running. If you HATE running, you're going to hate doing this and not be motivated enough to work on bettering your time.

It's really competitive, especially when you're an upperclassmen and fighting for varsity spots. You're going to have to keep running ALL YEAR in order to not get worse. My friend took a break for a month and when she started running again, she had to work twice as hard to get back to where she was before her break.

[melona_ice]

thanks everyone for the advice!
well i enjoy running, and i want to get better.
i'm kinda scared i'll be the worst runner on the whole team though,
because i'm pretty slow and my endurance isn't that great, and i heard alot of rumors that almost everyone did summer running before they started cross country..

[kikuye]

Cross country was definitely my favorite sport.

The first week is absolutely hell because you're out of shape. Once you get to your second or third week it's not nearly as bad, your body gets used to the practices. Just endure the first week and don't quit!

I believe that this sport is DEFINITELY 80% MENTAL and 20% physical.

Tips

- STRETCH A LOT. . . Put effort into stretching because YOU WILL BE SORE. Also stretch before and after a practice
- ALWAYS ALWAYS warm up and cool down by jogging just enough to break a sweat.
- Before meets, my friends and I used to do this thing called "Carboloading" where you eat as many (good)carbs as possible the night before a x country meet for energy.
- DON'T EAT AT LEAST 3 HOURS BEFORE PRACTICE. You will definitely get sideaches or cramps.
- If you are lazy during training, you're only hurting yourself. Always push yourself 110% during practices and you will improve your time.
- LIKEWISE during practices sprint as fast as you can towards the end of your run. This is essential for the end of actual meets.
- Learn how to pace yourself and what strategies work for you. It's different for everyone. Don't sprint and loose your energy during the beginning of a course or try to keep up with someone going at a faster pace. However for myself, I found that it was more successful for me to get ahead of the pack during the beginning than to play catch up at the end.
- Get used to running up hills.
- Light shoes are your friend. I loved new balances.
-SUNSCREEN
- before meets and practices simple carbs are your friend. Complex carbs+ fiber causes your body to use its energy towards digestion which is good for loosing weight, but not good for course time improvement. Sipping sugars such as honey work well.

and there are more that you will learn yourself! Have fun!

T^T This makes me miss my cross country days.