All about running XC

Running Shoes & Gear 

• All athletes should have a good pair of running shoes. A good shoe may cost around $100- $160, and should be purchased from a specialty running store (e.g. Road Runner Sports or Fleet Feet). Big5, Dicks, Walmart, and Sports Authority are not specialty running stores. Good running shoes bend at the toe and not in the midfoot region. We do not recommend minimalist shoes such as the Nike Free Run. 

• Road Runner sports offers memberships that give you discounts on shoes. Fleet Feet will offer you a discount for being a student. Please go into one of those stores, ask them to analyze your stride and recommend a type of shoe for you.

• Want to geek out on foot strike? Read more here.

• Runners will benefit from having a good running watch. Any durable watch with a stopwatch function will suffice. There are several on Amazon.com under $15. 

• An excellent resource for running shoes is the Runner's World Shoe Finder.

• Competitive runners may benefit from purchasing a good pair of racing flats. These are lightweight shoes meant for racing, and often improve times by several seconds per mile in an XC race. Flats and spikes are not to be worn during practice. In California, metal spikes are not allowed in high school XC races.

Safety 

• Athlete safety is of first priority. 

• We run all over Fremont - in trails, on the roads, in parks, as well as on campus. While out on the roads on a run, vehicle safety is of the highest importance.

• Athletes are taught to be aware of their surroundings, and to be safe on the roads during practice. This includes obeying and abiding by all traffic laws and traffic signals. They can pause their timers at signals so as not to worry about how their pace is being affected.

• Ear buds, headphones, etc., are not allowed during runs. Hearing is critical for safety on the road.

• Students may bring cell phones on a run for tracking, but may not look at them at any time while in a street. They must be on a sidewalk when checking their run stats. It is recommended to have an arm or hip case or pouch to hold the phone.

• If students have to be on a road, they must run against traffic so they can see oncoming cars.

• Failure to follow street safety will mean the athlete has to do future workouts on the track until coaches can be convinced that street safety will be followed.

• DO NOT talk to strangers when out on a run! Please report any suspicious persons who attempt to engage with the team during practice immediately to a coach and to the MSJ administration. 

• Athletes who are injured are encouraged to see the coaches as soon as possible to address the issue. 

• MSJ has an athletic trainer who will be helping injured athletes on site.

Hydration & Nutrition

• Runners need to be adequately hydrated throughout the day to maintain good health and optimal athletic performance. On a warm day or before a hard workout or meet, if you didn't have to go to the restroom before coming out, you aren't hydrated enough.

• Water is a the best source of hydration. Sports drinks are junk food. We don't exercise long enough to need electrolyte replenishment. Caffeine should be avoided.

• Student-athletes need to be eating adequate, well-balanced foods each day. That means not skipping meals, avoiding junk food while in season, etc.

• Recommended to eat a good meal of about 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein the night before and morning of a meet or hard workout.

• Runners should fuel up on a light snack with carbohydrates an hour or two before a workout or a race. 

• 30-45 minutes after practice, athletes should re-fuel with quality nutrition (with some protein!) that helps them re-hydrate and replenish essential nutrients.

• I'm not a fan of "fad diets". Some people will say "eat this to run fast!" Really? What's more important at the end of the day is that the runner is properly fueled with healthy, high quality material, whatever that might look like.

Mileage, Workouts vs. Recovery, & Training Structure

• All athletes on the XC team are expected to follow the coach's workout plan.  Doing your own workouts in addition to what is prescribed at practice is a good recipe for injury!

• Practices are structured such that alternating days are "workout" days where the purpose of the run is to maximize training benefit. Our workout runs generally fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Interval workouts: These are structured and repetitive routines where one runs at a strenuous pace (see pacing, below) for a particular length of time or for a particular distance. For example, one might do six repeats of 800 m (half mile) at race pace with a 400 m jog recovery in between. 

  2. Tempo runs: In a tempo run, one runs for a particular distance/time at an elevated pace; the purpose is to build aerobic capacity in running fast for longer, sustained periods of time. This is not as fast as race pace, but it is fast enough such that it is difficult to hold a conversation. This is a good article with more in-depth stuff on tempo runs. 

  3. Time trials: We sometimes use time trials to most closely simulate racing conditions and to get a feel for running race-type distances (2-3 miles) at one's maximum ability. Sometimes, these are used to determine varsity rankings.

  4. Progressive runs: In a progressive run, one begins at a moderately easy pace and gradually picks up the pace as time goes on. Typically, in a progressive run there are defined pace structures for particular checkpoints, i.e. hitting tempo pace at mile 2, or finishing at 10k race pace.

  5. Fartleks and sprint points: I have grouped these together (although some might say there is a nuance of a difference) since both involve going out for a run with periodic infusions of elevated pace. For example, one might go for a five mile run at a moderate pace, and throughout that run, one might accelerate to race pace for 30-second intervals every three minutes. 

• Recovery days are structured in staggered/alternating days from workout days. On a recovery run, we still run! The point of a recovery run is in its name - to recover from a difficult race or workout done the day before. Taking recovery days as actual recovery days (going out for an easy run) is just as important in a training regimen as the workouts themselves. Proper recovery prevents injury, burnout, etc.

• Generally, Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays are "workout" days. 

Strength and Core Work

• Running isn't just about legs that move fast - it is a whole body effort, involving one's back, core, etc. Therefore, having a strong core is an essential part of running well and preventing injury.

• Distance runners doing strength workouts with free weights should aim for less mass, and more repetitions. 

• We will do core work as a consistent part of our practice routine at least a few days a week. Runners are encouraged to do additional core work as they so choose.

• Need inspiration? Fleet Feet has put together this awesome 10-minute core work circuit for runners!

Race Day

• All athletes participating in cross country are required to and expected to participate in all meets, with the exception of anything one might miss class for. Injured athletes still show up at meets. They just don't run. Failure to participate in a meet may result in removal from the team. 

• All athletes should arrive at the meet venue no later than 60 minutes before the race start to ensure adequate time for warm-up and stretching. See the information below for meet schedules.

• Transportation to and from meets is the responsibility of the athlete. Coaches will NOT help to organize transportation from campus to an off-site meet venue. 

• All runners must wear MSJ-issued XC uniforms in cross country races. 

• Parents my not transport other students to meets. Ideally, parents all transport their own children to meets. There is a form you can fill out with the district to allow driving. To do this, you must go to this link, click on volunteer opportunities, and then put in the driver information where requested to do so.

Pacing & Running Jargon

• Using a Race Pace Calculator is a good [but not foolproof!] way to metric how fast you might race at different distances. 

• Read this for a full-out runner's vocabulary glossary!

Stretching, Warm Up, & Cool Downs

• A proper warmup routine is critical in mitigating injury and maximizing the benefit of the workout.

• Warmup is part of practice! It is not acceptable for athletes to show up late unless they have arranged this ahead of time with a coach, and those who do come late are expected to have warmed up and be ready to run.

• On race day, warmups and stretches are the responsibility of the athlete. If these things are important during practice, they are ever so more important when you're about to race!

• There are two general stretching routines that one might follow (read this for more information and also this for examples):

  1. Static stretching involves holding a stretch position in place for an extended period of time. Typically, we recommend static stretching after a run or while resting. Static stretching is a good way to improve overall flexibility.

  2. Dynamic stretching uses active motion to (a) prepare the body for running [or other high impact activities] and (b) to train one's muscles in engaging in the types of biomechanical movement that are critical to running. We typically incorporate dynamic stretching into our pre-workout routine.

• After a hard workout or a race, it is important to have a proper cool down. It seems counterintuitive to go for a run after finishing a hard run! But the purposes of a cool down jog are as follows:

  1. To bring your muscles back down to a rested state. Sometimes, after an intense workout or a race, muscles tend to be very much so tightened up. This also applies to one's heart rate and breathing rate.

  2. To maximize blood circulation to deliver oxygen to and remove lactic acid buildup from muscles. Right after strenuous activity, there is a lot of lactic acid that has accumulated in one's muscles. This can be a huge cause of soreness the next day!

Divisions & Making Varsity

Cross country is a co-ed sport. As it stands, there are two divisions for girls (JV and Varsity) and three for boys (Frosh/Soph, JV, and Varsity). 

• How is varsity decided? Traditionally, varsity athletes exemplify the highest levels of competition and experience in the team. However, equally important as these are one’s character, leadership skills, and commitment to the team. Such things are harder to quantify but are an essential aspect of what it means to be a varsity athlete. It is not simply a matter of being in the top seven times in a time trial. One must also demonstrate exceptional leadership skills and strong work ethic to be considered for a varsity spot. At the beginning of the season there might be some amount of shuffling divisions. In some cases, we will letter > 7 people if there are more than seven athletes who deserve varsity recognition.

• How are team captains decided? Team captains are solely decided by the coaches considering elements such as character, leadership skills, commitment to the team, and setting a good example for the other athletes.