The first phase into racing: A three-piece story

October 19, 2022

Here at Galileo Magnet High School, we have one of the most competitive Cross Country and Track teams in the state. We have runners that have spent a majority of their high school life running and breaking records from all over. Some even gained the popularity of colleges, runners such as Alex Gomez, a senior at Galileo. However, every runner that has started out knows that they're not born with the talent, it takes practice and patience.

Mark Bryant, coach of the Galileo Cross Country and Track Team has divided running into three phases. First is the “Running Base Phase,” second is the “Strength Phase,” and finally you have the “Agility Phase.”

However, to excel into the second or third stage of running you first must understand the importance of a Base Phase. Here, Bryant stated, “Running base is like the foundation of a house. You're trying to get to where you run more miles and hopefully at a faster pace but the ultimate goal is to build.” If following the steps of the base phase, you roughly take about eight weeks of solid training. By this point the ideal runner should be up to 25-30 miles a week.

This is why it is so important for Galileo's Cross Country team to train over the summer. “If you want to be a competitive runner in October through November you have to go through at least two of the phases in running. The base and the strength building phase, which you only receive by training over the summer. If you're showing up in September untrained you're not going to obtain the potential that you may want or need. Therefore we know for a fact that for you to be able to get through the first and second stage so you can advance and run is a minimum of 8 weeks or three stages, you're now looking at 24 weeks,” Bryant said in an in depth interview.

Training in the summer is crucial for runners who are trying to compete in the fall. “Missing one week of practice pushes you back two weeks behind.” Bryant said. Running in the summer also gives you valuable time to learn the fundamentals of running and how to care for your body when doing such a sport.

However, there are several other key factors that you must achieve in the first phase of running, such as preparing your body by stretching, doing basic core training, and yoga. This can increase the amount of strength your body can withhold while running and give yourself “flexibility” a key factor into running.

Even though many athletes struggle to accomplish the stages of running, Bryant said that the number one thing an athlete can do is to “keep going.” Running is a process that takes time and dedication to understand. It’s not like other sports where you're constantly working with other people and doing other tasks like football or basketball. Running is simply a mental sport, which is why it is such a rigorous sport. In the end, if you're a runner dealing with the struggles of improvement and self motivation, you're not alone. Continue to trust the process and push yourself into the big leagues.