Training for xc

Keep the longer tempo/progression run and the strides do all the rest easy - don't worry about hitting a particular pace even during the progression run, it should feel comfortably hard not race like. Since you won't be doing much tempo work during during the season it is a good idea to get some of it now as long as you aren't pushing to hard, you don't want to peak in September when you conference race is probably early November. As for the coach not doing a lot of miles you need to take control of your own running, I'm not saying don't run with the team or do his workouts, but if you need to/want to/are able to run more miles then that will only make you better. I ran at a small d3 school and got up 2-3 mornings a week to do 6 very easy miles and still went to practice in the afternoon. I was the only one on the team that did this, but I also only finished behind one of my teammates in XC or track about 4 times in my final three years and those were when I was either sick or injured and raced anyway (I kinda sucked as a freshman, but got much better with a lot of mileage). If the coach doesn't like you doing the extra mileage just don't tell him, you're at a d3 so he can't take your scholarship away and unless he is a real control freak won't kick you off the team for working too hard. My coach didn't know I was doing it until my senior year, and even then it was an accident that he found out. I wasn't trying to hide it I just knew it was something I needed to do and did it.

You need more mileage. I run D1 and the top runners on my team will hit 120.

Ekeeeeke wrote:

You need more mileage. I run D1 and the top runners on my team will hit 120.

Well, jumping from 50 to 120 would be suicide so I don't think I'll be doing that.

How about I increase the distance of my easy days and keep the long run and tempo/progression run? I was thinking of building to 65-70 miles a week before I heard what my college coach was going to be doing, maybe I should build to 60 in singles (I can do that pretty quickly, my body loves running higher mileage it seems) and then add in doubles 2-3 times a week to hit 65-70 miles? I could probably easily get in doubles during the season since our practice isn't until 4:30 (once classes are over) so I could get a run in around 7 or 8ish mon, wed, fri.

I'm kind of glad I'll be focusing on speed for a bit because that's defiantely my weakest area. I can hold a pace that's only 20 seconds slower than my 5k pace for 10 miles but I have absolutely terrible footspeed and as the distances get shorter, my times get worse and worse (not that they suck overall anyway lol).

Of course, if all of this work screws up any of my academic work during school, I'll back down as getting good grades is more important than running, especially when I'll never make it anywhere with running (though I still want to do as well as I possibly can).

It would be good to know WHY you even bother to run at all. Why don't you just sit and CONTEMPLATE running all summer? It's a small 3D school and anybody can run on the team so there is no reason for you to strain your muscles.

When XC season starts and you get into one of those 3D races everyone goes out too fast at the start anyway. If you don't train, you will not be tempted to go out with them or be competitive. Somebody on one of the other 3D teams is probably doing 15-25 miles of running every day (average) with some all day 100+ mile days in there sometimes. Some stupid sole is going to sprint the first mile of their workout as close to 4 minutes as they can run just to be able to take that start out sooooooo fast guys like you who jogged all summer will give up. Your coach will emphasize hard work and speed so you should get in all the lazy you can this summer because you won't get in enough when you get back to your 3D school.