Cross Country Training?
I am in 8th grade and want to start running XC next Fall and track in the Spring for highschool. I started running about 2 miles on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays before school is this an "ok" way to get in better shape for running next year? The only running I did before starting this was running the mile weekly at my middle school. My best time was about 6:20 for the mile. Should I be able to be in good enough shape to run next year? I heard from somebody that the average time for a 14 year old boy on the mile is 5:55 do you think I can get down to an average time by the end of a school year?
Answers:
I'm a 100m Sprinter... what is the best way to increase my speed and knock off a second on my time?
Your mile time is very respectable & running 2-miles 3x a week is a good start. I'd gradually increase your running to 4 days a week by summer's end and try to average 5 miles per run.just add 1-2 miles per week during the summer. I wouldn't try to do too much speed work...just distance. When the season starts, you'll have a nice solid endurance base and will be fresh & ready to start with the team's workouts. If you want a good self time-trial look up a 5k race in your area (see link below) & try it out (that's the HS race distance) Good luck!- Mike
How long does it take to get in good shape for cross country?
you should run more. if your school has a track team you should do distance.2 miles 3x a week is a great start. After school gets out for the summer, I would add a longer run one day a week, maybe Saturday morning, of 6 miles or more to build your endurance. a XC course is just over 3 miles, so you want to be up for that.
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