During my first year of XC my PR was 24:52, my second year I ran a 19:29, and going into my third year I want to run a 16:45. Is this a realistic goal? I mean, what would I have to build up to over summer to have any chance at this?
During my first year of XC my PR was 24:52, my second year I ran a 19:29, and going into my third year I want to run a 16:45. Is this a realistic goal? I mean, what would I have to build up to over summer to have any chance at this?
Just run 50 plus miles a week over the summer and let the chips fall
I agree with the above poster, run 50 mpw over the summer and you should improve a lot. You seem to be the kind of runner who lacks natural endurance/speed but reacts very well to training. I have a teammate who went from low 22s to mid 19s within a month or so in XC, and during track season he went from a 5:47 mile to a 4:50. This might be relatable to your training.
Really, if you can go from that crappy hobby jogger time to mid 19s in a year, you're going places if you train enough. This year, as a freshman, I went from a 21:43 PR in cross to a 2:12 800 and 5:19 mile in track after running higher mileage over the winter. Be consistent and you will kick major ass. Good luck.
From freshman to sophomore year, I went from 19:30 to 16:45 by running more. Three things. 1) It is quite late to be working on this type of goal. I started November 1 and broke 11 for 3200 in spring track. Hopefully you ran track this year. 2) If I told you how much I ran every week to do it you wouldn't believe me. 3) Luckily, you don't have to try to do it with volume alone. See Summer of Malmo:
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