The sprint at the gun in XC?

My high school coach used to start our tempo runs on the track with an open 400m then go straight into a tempo run. It was over 25 years ago, but I remember running around 62 seconds or so then doing a hard 4 mile run at around 5:30 pace as a senior in high school. Good workout and got us used to going balls out the first 1/4 mile then settling in.

Depends almost entirely on whether you think you have a chance to win.

Older daughter took it out hard and frequently won races or finished top 4. She also blew up spectacularly on days she just didn't have it. Viewed racing as a form of torture and eventually quit.

Younger daughter takes it out nice and even; usually 25th place or so at 400m. Typically finishes strong with a top 10 finish. She is very consistent and enjoys racing.

Getting in a good warmup before the race is a big part of being able to get out fast. If you just warmup by jogging for a few minutes, it will be a huge shock to your system when the gun goes off and you have to sprint. If your heart rate is elevated already when the gun goes off, it will be way easier to get out hard.

Thanks

I have won five xc races the last 3 years.

grade8F wrote:

How do I train for the insane sprint at the start OF my XC race?

I have stamina and can run 10k but it's that start that scares me.

my race is only 2900m

I learned not to participate in the sprint in the start when possible. Oregon had a well-known workout called the 30th avenue drill that was intended to prepare for this sort of thing. You can find plenty of discussion of it here in the forum.

You could do something like 400 hard, 1.5 miles at 10k pace, 400 surge, 1.5 miles at 10k pace, 400 harder.

Trust me, you don't need to go all out in the start of the race. Just sit and kick and you should have a good chance to win

Whether you should choose to participate should be highly dependent on the course. If it is hard to pass for most of the course, you need to get out somewhat hard. Otherwise, keep the effort even. I typically chose a spot 20-30 meters out, get there quickly, then ease up a little and make people who want to go out like madmen go around.

There are things you can do to mentally train for the start (like the 400 before at tempo another user mentioned) but overall you just need to be in better shape.

Two things are true of most HS runners and probably most college runners as well. 1) they go out to fast and 2) they wait too long to kick.

In terms of going out to fast, how aggressive you need to be depends a bit on the competition and the course. If you aren't in the hunt to win the race and it is an open course (easy to pass on) you should be more relaxed at the start. When you expect to have a shot at winning sometimes you don't have much choice - you have to go out in reach of the lead pack. And, courses that are harder to pass on or see your competition (usually those in the woods) might merit a bit more aggressive start.

But, aggressive and "stupid" are different words. You have to be within yourself. One thing I have found helps kids get out faster is to do an interval or two - like 1 x 600m or 2 x 300m at race pace about 20 minutes before the start. Also, do more striders before the start - like a dozen of them. Still, be well within yourself that first 800m of the race.

In terms of waiting too long to kick, kids tend to go all out when they can see the finish line 100m away. You can hold that final sprint for 200-300m, so always know where that is before the race starts.

Truth is that it looks like a sprint for 90% of the runner.

For the top 10%, they are just 15% faster than race pace which is enough to get out of traffic jam.

Dont follow them just because you think sprint at the gun is necessary or a tradition.

It's just to stay out of trouble. A lot of courses bottleneck and you don't want to get stuck behind some slowpoke. At your age, it's probably okay to just make sure you're in good position after the first 400 meters or so, but I've seen middle school races where kids will sprint 200-400 meters and then walk three abreast with their friends. You don't want to be behind them on a small trail. Just be smart and warm up before the race. Most of the time it's not an all-out sprint, but just a quick jockeying for position. If you're warmed up, it shouldn't be an issue.

This is how it's done on a hard-passing course:

https://youtu.be/zCdQTQyo7jU

LoveRun69 wrote:

Trust me, you don't need to go all out in the start of the race. Just sit and kick and you should have a good chance to win

Yes... exactly like the US men's team at world XC...

Oh, wait... they were out of the race by the 800 meter mark.

Its a race not a time trial.

Get after it the first bit.

A great deal relies on how well you know your opposition, as it is a race to cross the finish line ahead of them.

If the top 5 runners all are at the front of the pack after 200m, your most likely chance of beating them is to be on their shoulders.

In fact, for whoever it is that you want to beat, the safest bet is to find a compromise between sitting on their shoulder and running the race the way you would do it naturally.

I don't care whether you are Kenny Bekele or a school cross country runner - there is little more satisfying and motivating to you (and demotivating to them) than getting to 60% of XC race distance and starting to come past runners who are blowing up because they've gone off too hard and can't hang in there.

But you can't expect to come from dead last to first in a decent quality XC race, so if 90% of the field sprint away, you've got to do something similar to keep in touch.

LoveRun69 wrote:

Trust me, you don't need to go all out in the start of the race. Just sit and kick and you should have a good chance to win

The first 7 seconds or so is like a gift. You can get out but then you have to settle into your pace.

If your teams box is going to get squeezed on a corner around 400 meters out then you need to get ahead of the masses or expect to walk around the turn. Then you need to settle into your pace. It's kind of hard to sit and kick when you're stuck back in 70th waking while the kids up front are running free.

LoveRun69 wrote:

Trust me, you don't need to go all out in the start of the race. Just sit and kick and you should have a good chance to win

That's not always true. Some courses have a wide start and quickly narrow. On this type of course, you can get stuck behind slower runners and have to bid your time for a passing opportunity. In this case, you need to have a good start.

This does not necessarily mean going all out, but it does mean going faster than ideal. Everyone is different. They key is to know yourself. For me, the key was to get back to a sustainable pace as soon as possible. I was a big kicker who ran best coming from behind. So I'd get out fast, relax, and let people pass me. Then start moving in the second half again.

You might be different.

I will be in the hunt for the "W" and our course is wide open 90% of the race and for sure the first 1500m.

We can see the finish line with about 400m to go.

grade8F wrote:

I will be in the hunt for the "W" and our course is wide open 90% of the race and for sure the first 1500m.

We can see the finish line with about 400m to go.

If it is a wide open course, no need to sprint. You just need to be in a good position by 800 meters for your desired finish - in your case the win. Of course you should know the competition, the hills, turns, your racing strengths, etc. to know what that position is. For some it is the lead and for others it is to tuck in to lead or chase pack.

If you can run without being impeded then go out at your pace. The only reason to sprint is for those courses that quickly narrow when you can get trapped and spend too much energy trying to avoid/go around others.

So you don't have to start fast. Problem solved.