Cross training for Cross Country?
Posted by Ray Gill
Filed under Cross Training Answers
I am trying to figure out my training plan for cross country next season. I’m a frosh boy and my pr is 19:07. I want to get to 17:40′s for most of next season. I was thinking about 50 miles of running and about 100 miles of biking each weak. Will this be a good plan or will biking work the wrong muscles for running. Either this or more running and less biking.
Yeah i am not just gonna do easy slow runs to get the mileage up. in the 50 i am counting speed days and stuff. And where i live i can’t run a mile without hitting a hill. On my normal routes there are mile long hills with 10% grades. (where i do my speedwork)
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40 to 50 total miles with some quality running is about what you need. The biking can be used as a recovery day, once or twice each week. I don’t see the benefit of doing 100 miles on a bike.
It is very possible to run too much, your race is 5K, you don’t need to do marathon training it will not make you faster for the shorter races.
You only need to run enough distance to condition your cardiovascular system, and then you need to run at race pace or faster, if you only do long distance work you will be able to run for a very long time, but not at a fast pace.
i just read the first answer. I agree about the biking.
but i disagree about the training.
first, crosscountry involves hills often, they’re not all golf courses.
:_)
so start with long distance training. but 50 miles of just long distance is probably over kill.
you then need strength work outs add to your milage(say your road runs are 30 miles a week?)
add some hill work on some days. steep hill! that has a nmae, like killer hill, or monster mountain! on other days do some fartlek training, where you might sprint for a distance, walk-or-jog, sprint and repeat. ok so a couple months of milage. then a couple months of strength add to it. then we hit the track for some speed work! interval training. like 4 x 400 4 x 800, 2 x miles. depends on how saddist your coach is. and the times are challenging. you can walk, or in my case, jog a distance in between intervals. my coach often had me run 16 x 220 at race pace, then 16 more, jogging acorss the infield between runs! insane! LOL also at this point, you might reduce the milage distance, but run faster! and, a couple 10 k runs a month doesnt hurt. a 5k crosscountry is no 1500 on a track!
it IS long distance. you Do need to put in the miles. but also, strength and speed work, gradually added in. ride your bike to school and back. thats my 2 cents. want change back?
Way too many miles. Your body will actually become weaker from that many miles. It’s only a 3.1 mile race- focus on 3-4 miles when you’re doing a speed workout, and 6-7 when you’re doing a long run. Don’t over do it!