I am a freshman xc runner in Canada.
I am new to xc and started training 2 months prior to the season (Mid-Sept.) running 5km every other day.
Now in mid-November, I am running 30-40 MPW.
My 5km time has went from 21:00 to a 19:20 on a hilly course(regionals)
However, I can run 5km in 18:00 on the road.
How many miles should I run every week leading up to next season if I hope to achieve a 16:30 5km on the same hilly course?
What time of temp runs and speed training should I do?
Is it okay for me to do some light-weights 3 days a week?
I will also be starting the Summer of Malmo in late March-early April