Forums >Running 101>How do I train for cross country? (highschooler)
Hi! I’m trying to join my school’s cross country team, and I’m fairly new at running. I have about 4/5 months to train during the summer, and I want to work on improving my endurance and times (my current mile time is around 9 minutes, I know, it’s bad) My school team doesn’t do cuts, and they’re very inclusive to all levels of runners, so I don’t have to be amazing when the season starts, but I still want to be very in shape and prepared! I want to shave my time down significantly and I want to be able to handle long distance! (ex. 3 miles) I’m just not sure how to train/where to start/how often I should train/what kind of running I should be doing? Any advice?
One day at a time
Can you ask the coach to suggest a schedule? Our high school's coach gives the incoming freshmen a recommended running program. Sometimes there are also "captain's practices" where team members go on runs together during the summer.
Good luck, by the way! My three kids all ran XC and loved it. They ranged from very slow to very fast! The slowest kid got cheered on as much as the kid who won races. We found that parents cheered for everyone, no matter what team they were on.
Are we there, yet?
Summer cross country training is primarily running as many miles as you can handle within reason. First you might as well get used to running 5-6 days a week because that's what you'll be doing in HS. Second, start out short and easy. The most common cause of injuries is trying to run too far and too fast before you're ready. For specific suggestions, it would help to know what you are doing now for training and how long you;ve been doing that, i.e. a little history so we know your background and current level of fitness. A simple mile time doesn't tell us enough.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
The same answer most of us give to this question every year:
run a lot.
but don't do too much.
and not too fast.
For a real newbie, you might want to start out seeing if you can run two miles without stopping. It doesn't matter how fast you go, just don't stop. If you're not sure about pace, try this: walk as fast as you possibly can, until you can't walk any faster, and then break into a jog because it's easier than walking that fast. Then run your two miles at that jog. As the weeks go by, you increase the distance and the speed a little, by School you'll probably be running 3+ miles at 9:00 pace or faster.
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
Old , Ugly and slow
I would also find a park or some trails you can run on a few times a week.
if you can already run a mile you should be able to build up to several miles in a few month.
Does practice start in the first of August. ?
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
Definitely talk to the coach. Most have a summer training schedule. Also, ask about any running camps. They will often have them in the summer and they can be invaluable team building experiences. Sometimes some of the team members will get together and run together in the summers. Join in if you can.
Otherwise, work on building your weekly mileage as suggested by others on here. Right now it is not about how fast you are. It is about building your easy mileage. Once practices start the coach will have plenty of hard running for you to do. The goal for now is to get in shape.
Another thing you can do is to just make sure you are very athletically active this summer.
Sure, it's a good idea to get some running in. But depending on what's available to you in your area with friends or pick-up games, or whatever. Maybe do some mountain biking or road biking. How about ultimate frisbee or pick-up games of touch football? Soccer? All these involve a serious amount of cardio, and the conditioning you get from them will do a lot for strengthening you up for the season and preventing injuries.
You want to come into the XCtry season in good shape, but also fresh - not burned out or so used to running that you're going to be sick of it half way through the season.
Good luck with it. Enjoy your summer. And shoot for just being in reasonably good shape so you can start your cross country season in the fall eager to be there and set to take on the challenge.
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First, congratulations on a great decision!
Most of the answers are already here, but to reiterate:
Talk to your coach (or, at least, upperclassman)
Make sure you have good shoes
Be consistent; get out there 5-6 days a week. Getting out the door (even for 10 minutes) is the important part.
Don't worry about how fast/slow you run. Really. take it easy, esp. if it is hot. If you feel like pushing it up a hill or the last five minutes of a run, go for it! If not, just keep plugging away. Time on your feet adds up.
Have fun!!! Find a friend (or several). Go to a park. Or trails.
Be safe. (heat/lightning, people, overuse, snakes/critters/ticks, etc.)
Good luck!
Just run.
Start with just easy running until you can build up to running 5-6 days a week. than start to add easy pickup to some of the runs. Don't kill yourself with speed or hard workouts now. Summer is for building your base. Make sure to do some stretching and strength training to prevent injuries.
And have fun, if any of your friends are running, run with them. I met two guys that are still my closest friends in the first days of Freshman year cross-country.