Do you have a plan for running in a pack for your cross country races?

FrankShorterCC3 wrote:

I knew that coaches talked to their kids about running as a pack, but never knew that there were actually diagrams (like football or basketball plays) that people used. Isn't that overdoing it a bit? Does anyone on LRC who coaches do this?

The good threads like this one get ignored for all the hate mongers on LRC.

BUMP. Becuase i want to know too. I just have no idea what kind of strategies to use or if there are any.

Running in a pack is socialism.

Get some guts, coaches, and let your top runners run. Runners worth their salt go for broke and don't sacrifice the gift for team 'goals.'

Well it obviously depends on the quality of your team and who you are racing. A tight pack at the rear of the race is useless.

I once had a 10:00 3200 runner, a 1:56 5 800 guy and a 4:15 miler shadow a 9:03 3200 guy from another team. 3 on 1, breathing down his neck one after another trading off on a winding course. Broke him and went 1-2-3.

I have seen teams tuck a slower guy between two faster guys, one in front and one behind to him moving faster without having to think about it so much.

There is strength in numbers and it is really fun to have a group of 3 or more moving through the field. Making a plan of hitting the mile at x:xx, kind of meeting up and work as a group to the finish.

Pack running and team-drafting is vital during windy races. We never used diagrams, but we always talked about it as we jogged the course to warm up. Typically we did a flying-V as our #5 was the weakest link. Sometimes we'd do a straight pace line. Important to spread out when there's a tailwind.

Sub2 style wrote:

Pack running and team-drafting is vital during windy races. We never used diagrams, but we always talked about it as we jogged the course to warm up. Typically we did a flying-V as our #5 was the weakest link. Sometimes we'd do a straight pace line. Important to spread out when there's a tailwind.

+1

Run with balls wrote:

Running in a pack is socialism.

Get some guts, coaches, and let your top runners run. Runners worth their salt go for broke and don't sacrifice the gift for team 'goals.'

You can pack run with any sort of individuals on a team. Certainly if you have one guy who is far better than the rest you let him go on his own.

Perhaps you might have two groups of three.

There does not have to be "a sacrifice of the gift." That is just silly.

Packs are only used for the first mile or 1.5 miles in a 5K race in most instances. You might have a rock or tree designated where everyone in that pack runs their own race.

One guy said they might run in V formation. Does anyone have a team plan for going around a bend at the start of a race? Something like the old

"Wing T" in football?

I love talking about formations and race strategies!

http://animediet.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/attack_on_titan_chart.jpg

Haters? That's simply a moronic bait troll post!!!! Diagrams??? Nice post troll. Do you feel better now?

FrankShorterCC3 wrote:

I knew that coaches talked to their kids about running as a pack, but never knew that there were actually diagrams (like football or basketball plays) that people used. Isn't that overdoing it a bit? Does anyone on LRC who coaches do this?