As the summer track season is about to end, it is again time for cross country training. But before you join any race, you do have to prepare yourself for the training. This is whether you are new to the sport or you are returning to it. Before you start with the training, it’s crucial for you to speak first with your coach regarding the training that is most suitable for you, your fitness level, and your age.
You do need to take a break.
If you had been into a long and tiring track season, it is high time for you to take a short break whether it is for a week or so. You always have to think about your body and what it needs. It is important for your body to rejuvenate both physically and mentally from doing intense work on the track. This means that you start the cross country season with having a fresh body and mind.
You have to check on your running gear.
Do you think you need to replace your old trainers or your previous cross country spikes? Spikes are important for cross country running. You have to check on the length of spike and the amount of mesh found on the upper part which are the two elements that have to be considered for shoe selection. You won’t feel comfortable just wearing them around. You can have blisters by wearing them in a sprint of just thirty minutes in the mud. The spikes can be worn on muddy or grassy race courses when there are no gravel or pavement areas. Those that have no spikes can be worn on races that are done on dry grass and dirt areas that may or may not have pavement areas.
You have to start again from taking a break.
Always think about getting back to running in a gradual manner. You need to allow two weeks to get back into running form again. You can start with some easy runs and light training sessions. You might get injured when you get back to running right away. You certainly don’t want this to happen at the start of the season. You need to listen to your body and when you feel something funny in it you have to take a break. It is normal for you to feel muscle tightness once you get back to running after a long break. That’s why you need to get a massage from a sport masseuse or a friend to deal with the knots.
You need to do endurance training.
Cross country training is totally different from track training. You should aim for a higher weekly mileage, and all your training sessions should focus more on building endurance and one’s aerobic foundation. You have to be sensible when you’re upping your mileage. Training is in fact about quality and not quantity. You have to speak to your coach about the training program that suits your age and your fitness level as well as your partner’s. You have to think about the fartlek runs or what are known as interval runs and hill sessions to be able to build all your runs.
Make it a point that you run with a group.
If you are thinking about training, consider doing so with a group. It is quite advantageous for you to run in a group whose members have the same speed as yours. You can all work together to surpass the long training sessions during those cold winter nights. This will give you the drive to keep on working until the end of the training session. This also means training and at the same time socializing. When you have a group to run with, you will become more familiar with the different aspects of cross country races by having the right people with you.
You need to develop and strengthen your core.
The unpredictable terrain of cross country will be able to test your strength and endurance and at the same time drive all your weaknesses. Often in training core work is forgotten or taken for granted. It is a major element in training and it is going to put you ahead of the pack. This is especially true during the end of the races. You need to talk to your coach to come up with a core program as well.
Always do warmup exercises and stretching.
Warmup means a couple of laps to a few miles of running or walking. This depends on how long you have been running. The best method is to walk briskly for about 5 minutes then you can run at your comfortable pace for a few minutes. This can increase your heart rate and cause you to sweat off. After you have warmed up, you do need to stretch. Stretching is also more likely to lessen your probability of getting injured.
Make sure that you train specifically.
Just like any distance, one of the major goals in training is to prepare one’s body for training that will suit the specific demands for the event. It’s better to replicate the course and all the potential conditions during training time. That’s why you have to gather enough information about the course conditions as soon as possible. You can find the course map and profile on the site usually. You may need to ask about the typical weather condition and figure out if this may have an impact on the terrain. If for instance you know that the course is a bit hilly and twisty then you better run some of the faster sessions on this terrain.
It’s better to prepare for a fast start.
For you to be physically and mentally and even emotionally ready for a fast start, you have to replicate it while on training. You can try 2 to 3 times 300-400m sprint at the start of your interval sessions. All the quicker intervals can help to elevate the blood lactate levels. This can make your workout more challenging but it can force the body for it to become more efficient especially at buffering the lactate.