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Workout #1 : Run

Custom
Planned Time: 0:30:00
PREMIUM: Welcome to my Summer Cross Country Training Program. Let's start by doing a 30-minute tempo run. Begin to run at an easy pace, about as fast as you would during any warm-up for a race. After 5 or 10 minutes of easy running, gradually accelerate toward a peak speed halfway through the workout, holding that peak for 5 or 10 minutes at most, then gradually decelerate, finishing off with about 5 minutes of easy running.

Workout #2 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Cross country is a sport that lends itself well to goal setting, because of the effort required to train for distance races and to compete well in them. Setting a goal involves not merely selecting a time to better or a race to run, but also deciding what you expect from your participation in the sport. Is your goal fellowship with other runners, including those on different teams? Is your goal a PR (Personal Record)? Is your goal victory, or at least placing high in a specific race? Or maybe you are just out to have a good time?

Workout #3 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Have questions related to your training? You can ask them by going to my InterActive Bulletin Boards, available online through halhigdon.com.

Workout #4 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Strength training is important for both conditioning and injury prevention. I lift weights and/or use exercise machines regularly in the off-season when I am not racing regularly, but I limit strength training during the competitive season. Light weights and high repetitions seem to work best for runners. Do not overdo strength training if you want success as a cross-country runner. I recommend next to no lifting toward the end of the season before your most important races.

Workout #5 : Run

Planned Time: 0:56:00
Interval workout: 10 x 400 meters, 400 meters jogging between. Warm up by jogging a mile or two, then stretch. Pick a pace in this first week that you can handle easily. I suggest the same pace that you would run 3200 meters in a track race. If you finish this workout running slower times than when you started, you obviously picked too ambitious a pace. Complete the workout by jogging a mile.

Workout #6 : Run

Planned Time: 0:30:00
Run 30 minutes easy. Please note the mileage estimates. They are based on my assumption that you will average 7:00 miles in most of your workouts. If you run faster or slower, your mileage totals may be somewhat different.

Workout #7 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
If you have a specific period of time in which to achieve a specific goal, you can plan accordingly. You cannot predict weather or difficulty of course. But you can plan almost every other aspect of your training so you will reach the starting line ready to perform to the best of your ability.

Workout #8 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Summer running is the critical foundation for fall cross-country and distance success year-around, claims Mark Bloom, editor of The Harrier Magazine. You can't succeed as a cross-country runner unless you train 12 months of the year.

Workout #9 : Run

Planned Time: 0:30:00
Today do a 30-minute fartlek run. After 5 or 10 minutes of easy running at the start, you pick up the pace and sprint for maybe 10 or 20 or more seconds, then jog or even walk for a near equal time until partly recovered, then sprint again. These speed bursts could be anywhere from 100 to 400 meters, or longer. They could be up a hill or down a hill or on the flat. They could be at top speed or at the pace you might run a 5,000 meter race or from this tree to that tree.