Will cross country kill my speed?

Track speed is so heavily genetic. Running XC doesnt make you lose speed. It would make sense that you have to get back to specificity for track to tweak, start in indoor.

So in terms of twitch fibers... can I revert my fast twitch fibers that turn aerobic? I thought fast and slow twitch fibers were completely different things?

XC is only counter productive for 100/200 runners. I ran hs xc with a girl who was a 56 400 runner and all state in the 100h. She generally finished top 20% or better in xc. Also ran xc with a guy who went from 53.x junior year to 50.3 senior year after running xc his senior year (17 low 5k).

For you I’d keep long runs to 6-7 miles and avoid all but the easiest two a days. Regardless, any sane hs xc program should only help you out both near and long term. Good luck-

Possibly. Perhaps you can run an 800m in indoor and see how it goes. Right now, you should try all the events you can. And there's nothing wrong with running XC because you like it.

If you are a female i think you have some speed that needs to be maintained. If you are a male you don’t need to worry about losing speed.

Yes, just not train them aerobically. E.g. you train only slow for some period of time, you use mostly slow twitch fibers and only a few fast twitch fibers. By not using them you make them more anaerobically working (glycolytic=more lactate).

Pratical example, from reality: Before my holiday i did 5x5min reps close below Critical Velocity, last rep was 4mmol. Then 2 weeks vacation, during that time less volume and only easy training, then again after the 2 weeks, 5x5min same protocol (same reps) and i had 6,7 mmol at the end.

docplayer.net

400 METER TRAINING Clyde Hart, Head Track and Field Coach Baylor University Waco, Texas - PDF Free Download

1 400 METER TRAINING Clyde Hart, Head Track and Field Coach Baylor University Waco, Texas Introduction The 400 meter dash is an endurance sprint incorporating the speed of the sprinter and the endurance

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Above is a link to Clyde Hart's training for 400 meter runners. Notice the volume and aerobic work. Most of the persons who talk down about the need for aerobic work in the fall/winter for 200-400 types are "modern" personal strength coaches that have a huge blind spot regarding the benefits of such training.

Another point...belief in one's training, i.e. self-efficacy is far more important than whether one runs a 400 meter repeat or a 300 meter repeat

Would you be quicker if you spent that time and energy on sprint work? Yes.

Will you be slower than if you had done nothing? No.

It doesn't strip you of speed, it simply robs you of time that could be spent on sprint specific stuff. An important question is what would you be doing if you weren't doing XC?

No, it will make you more aerobically efficient for the 400 and maybe could allow you to do big things in the 800 if you'd like. Just enjoy Cross Country and listen to your coach. It won't hurt you, if anything it will make you stronger. You can only get so much out of your speed, but aerobic strength/endurance can be continually gained.

This is entirely the wrong place to be asking this question. We're a bunch of distance nerds that think aerobic activity is the highest form of existence.

It will not help your speed and has the potential to hurt it. Don't bother if you have no ambitions to run anything over 400 meters.

Please bear in mind that this forum is dominated by distance runners who know almost nothing about sprinting. You're better off looking at a sprint-focused forum or page.

Mary Cain was an example of a high school xc runner with good speed, 55, and the endurance work took her to 1:59.5/4:04/15:45.

Note, OP, what's going on in this post and many others: they're just trying to get you to run the 800/1500/longer distances.

Run some searches for "jeremy wariner 800" on this site and laugh. These are distance runners/hobby joggers ostensibly advising you about speed work but - for many -are really trying to get you to change events.

Running XC as a high school 400 runner won’t do any long-term harm. That said, much of high school XC training may be sub-optimal training for a 400 specialist. 5k pace training is fine base work in the fall for a 400/800 runner. But anything longer than 30 minutes is probably counterproductive. If you could convince your coach to let you substitute any longer efforts with 20 minutes of easy running plus 20 minutes of strides/diagonals, that’s probably more suited to your talents, and it will prepare you well enough for your XC races.

And with your 400 time and the fact that you aren’t allergic to distance running, I would expect most college coaches to explore your talents as an 800 runner.

I was also going to link Clyde Hart's training, which makes it pretty clear that some volume and slower intervals are fine for some runners, at least.

His training was intended for sub-44 400 meter runners. It stands to reason that a 58 second 400 meter runner will benefit more from aerobic training. My experience is that the best high school female 400 meter runners are 400/800 runners, while the best males tend to be 200/400 runners.

I'd also say you should definitely consider trying some 800s. Sub-21 is pretty good, especially if you haven't trained much. With your speed, you'll have a good leg up on most of the 800 meter competition.

That's silly. We're not talking about some 200 meter runner who has never run a distance race. Any girl who runs under 21 minutes her first season of xc is a natural distance runner. She might also be a good sprinter, but this isn't a classic case of the letsrun "everyone must move up" mentality, which I agree is often wrong.

Ignore them - XC will help your running.

Speed training is effective in small doses. A little bit before winter track is all you need.

What are your options? XC or - nothing? Other sports? Indoor track training? What does your coach think?

This is really interesting. Why do you personally think this is the case? Because of the time differences or...?