Effective Cross-Country and Track Workouts
As a four-year varsity runner for Clarkston High School, I've had the unique pleasure of engaging in a variety of running workouts. My coach, Michael Taylor, always believed that "A race is won or lost in practice." And since winning is a lot more fun than losing, here are some workouts that are guaranteed to aid your runners come race day.
The Distance route
A classic-- Simple, effective early in the season, and kind to the slightly injured runner. This is the most basic type of workout, where runners are assigned a familiar route, usually along sidewalks and roads, and are tasked with keeping a moderate pace for anywhere from five to fifteen miles. Runners should generally choose routes around three times the length of their race. Runners typically benefit most from these workouts when they are tasked with holding a specific pace through the entire workout, and the miles built up through these workouts will prevent injury in other, more intense workouts, some of which are listed below. This kind of workout is aerobic, which means that the lungs, due to the moderate pace, are able to get enough air to keep the body going. This means that most of the stress and pain is focused on the leg muscles as they continue to wear and tear for somewhere around an hour, unlike the...
Interval Workout
The interval workout is, in my experience as a runner, the most difficult, beneficial workout for the runner mid-season, after getting in shape with the aforementioned distance workouts. In an interval workout, a set amount of distance or time is determined that the runner must run for. These distances or times are shorter than the distance workouts, commonly four-hundred meters, half miles, miles, two miles, and so on. However, these distances are run multiple times with an interval of rest in between, hence the name "Interval Workout." It is generally advised to allow for at least the same amount of time resting as running. As an example, a workout could be five repeat miles at five-forty pace with six minutes of rest in between every repeat. These workouts are typically run on a track where timing and supervision is easy for the coach, though there are many instances where it may be more beneficial to run these repeats on a hilly course, sandy beach, or any other alternate course for more varied training. Due to the difficult nature of these workouts, injured runners may find it difficult to cope with their injuries and should cease running immediately if said injuries begin to aggravate.
Team Lane Drill
One of the more interesting workouts my coach has ever baited us into, the Team Lane Drill is a great way to build both strong muscles and team unity. This workout is performed on a track with teams of eight. The teams themselves don't compete, so consider one single team for the following explanation. All eight runners take one of the eight lanes. The runner in the innermost lane is the pace-setter and no runner is allowed to pass him in any of the other seven lanes. The coach issues a pace he would like the pacer to run, usually a moderate run, and the eight runners begin running around the track. The goal of the workout is for all eight runners to remain side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder for a few laps around the track. The trick of the workout however, is that every two hundred meters, the runners hit a turn around the track and the runners in the outermost lane must sprint in order to remain shoulder-to-shoulder with the pace-setter in the innermost lane. obviously, the outermost runners run the hardest, so in order to keep things fair, the runners will all transition one lane outward after every turn. The outermost runner will transition into the innermost lane and become the pace-setter, giving him a much-deserved break. This is a surprisingly difficult workout, and as runners begin to fall behind the pace-setter, don't be surprised to find fellow teammates offering encouragement to keep the group together, hence the team-building aspect of the workout. Multiple eight-man teams may be running at any one time in order to allow an entire cross-country/track team to participate in the workout.The Pacing Day
Here we are, after months of difficult training and hard workouts, a competitive meet is just around the corner, or more specifically, tomorrow. But what to do? No coach wants to waste a day of practice with easy jogging, but with competition the following day, it would be foolish to run a tough workout and tire the runners. The answer? Make it a pace finding day! When running in a meet, it's important for runners to be confident in their ability to hold a planned pace and reach a goal time. Therefore, the day prior to a meet, it is often wise to issue an easy interval workout where each runner attempts to run their "race-pace" for a short distance, possibly a lap or so. In this way, the runners are not left tired-- they're left with a strengthened knowledge of the pace they would like to run in competition the following day in order to achieve their individual goals.
Obviously, these are only a few of the many workouts available to the Cross-Country/Track coach. Try to get creative with workouts, changing the distances, paces, and routes in order to keep your runners engaged in their sport. Also, avoid running the same type of workout too often, as muscles tend to grow and strengthen less when they're challenged in unusual or new workouts. Meets truly are won in practice, so give your team a running start with the above workouts and some of your own, original creations.
