Cross Country 101

Types of Meets: 

There are generally three types of meets during the season.

League Meets: Races against the 16 other schools in the Peninsula Athletic League (P. A. L.).  These meets determine the end of year league champion.

Invitationals: These are typically larger meets against more teams from around the Bay Area and the State of California.  They do not count towards League standings, but offer some intense competitions in preparation for the Championships. 

Championships: These are meets that determine League champions and qualifiers to the Central Coast Section meet, which then determines qualifiers for the CIF State meet in Fresno.  

The Basics: 

Team makeup:  The Varsity cross country team is usually made up of seven runners. The top five runners are the “scoring” members and the remaining two have the important job of displacing the scorers on opposing teams. Only the varsity level is limited to seven competitors in a race at the PAL level.  Most of the other levels usually have unlimited entries, but that depends on the meet.

Levels of competition: There are a variety of levels (varsity/junior varsity/frosh/soph/open) in most high school invitational cross country races. Each level competes in its own race and is scored separately. For the regular season P. A. L. meets there are Varsity Boy/Girl; Open Boy/Girl and Frosh/Soph Boy.  The P. A. L. Championship adds a Frosh/Soph Girls classification.  The CCS and State meets are only at the Varsity level.  A complete Varsity team must be entered before any other classification can compete.

Scoring: Races are scored by assigning a point value for the place a runner finishes in. If a runner finishes first, he/she will earn 1 point. Finishing 55th would usually earn 55 points. Cross country is similar to golf in that the lowest score wins. A perfect score is 15 points, with the top five runners occupying the first five finishing positions of a race. While only the top 5 runners “score” for their team, the sixth and seventh placed runners also receive a score. Their points can be valuable since they may increase the score of an opposing team by placing in front of that team’s top five runners. The score of the sixth and seventh runners might also be used for tie breaking. Runners who do not have a team of at least five runners are removed from the results for scoring purposes. 

·       If a meet allows more than seven runners in a race, the runners that placed eight or higher within their team are removed from the results for scoring purposes.

·       In the event of a tie between two or more teams, the place of the sixth place runners are compared. If only one team has a sixth runner then that team wins. If all teams have only five runners, then the score of the top 4 runners is used.

Race length: High school cross country races range from 2 miles to 5 kilometers.  Courses are more or less difficult due to terrain differences, so it is tough to compare times. The Championship course at Crystal Springs is 2.95 miles long and is our historic standard for assessing performances. 

Spectating at a Cross Country Race: The best way to watch a cross country race is largely a matter of personal preference but there are two predominant strategies. Start/Finish: Since the often the start and finish lines are typically close to each other, spectators who prefer a less arduous spectating experience can watch the start of the race and then move over to the finish line to get a good view of the finish. Multiple locations: Since many courses are on a circuit, it is usually possible to walk/jog/run between multiple viewing points on the course in order to see the runners as many times as possible. Since courses don’t change over the years, it is advisable to ask more experienced spectators about ideal viewing plans. Pacing is not allowed. Pacing is running alongside an athlete (even if you are not on the course) could be considered pacing and result in a disqualification. No assistance may be provided to the athletes during competition...don't hand them water or snacks.  Do not cross the course in front of a runner! Cheer on all athletes. 

Team camp: The team usually sets up a base of operations with tents, food, etc. This is a good place to find your athlete after their competition. Bring them a cold water bottle and a light snack.  

Running Terminology:

XC - Abbreviated form of Cross Country, also sometimes CC

P. A. L. – The Peninsula Athletic League in which Hillsdale competes. Comprised of 17 schools from Daly City to Menlo Park

Section or CCS - The Section championships qualifies runners and teams for the State meet.  Typically held two weeks before State. 

State - The State championships are held the last weekend in November. You must qualify at CCS to compete at State. 

Athletic.net - Website that has our historic meet performances

PR Personal Record (time). Also seen as PB Personal Best (time). 

Splits Times -  associated with standard checkpoints in a race or workout. Ex: mile splits.

Kick - The sprint at the end of a race. Runners all have different abilities to kick.

Strides - Moderately fast runs lasting between 50-200m. The focus is on form during these runs. Often done barefoot and on grass. 

Fartlek - Swedish word for speed-play; includes faster running mixed with slower running

Hills - Workouts where a runner runs up a hill fast and jogs down then runs up again

Intervals/Repeats - Type of workout where a set distance is run repeatedly with a recovery jog between; for example 6 times 400 meters with 100 meters recovery jog

Negative Split - Running the second half of a race faster than the first half. This is generally considered to be a good thing and most PRs involve negative splits. 

Warm-down - Slow, easy running done after a workout or race to help you recover more quickly. No good racer fails to do a warml-down after a race.

Recovery Run/Day - Slow to moderate running to recover from hard workouts or races and/or maintain aerobic conditioning.

Top 5 Spread - the time difference between a team’s first place and their fifth place runner. A small Top 5 spread is taken to be a sign of team strength and cohesion. Pack running is ideal.

Pack up - When a group of runners (often from the same team) run together in a race.

Starting Box  - At invitational meets teams are usually assigned to a specified portion of the start line given by a box number. This is a wide area, where there is jostling as teams start and try for a good spot. Please do not false start. 

Tempo run - A sustained pace that is challenging - not quite race pace - you can speak a few words at a time, but are not chatting in full sentences. About 75-85% of race pace, sustained for 20-45 mins

Finish Chute - The area immediately following the finish line. Depending upon the method of timing, the chute may be narrow and be cordoned off by flagging. This is also a place to meet/find your runner and to observe runners in various emotional and physical states. Keep your hands up, keep breathing, keep walking.