Starting fast in an XC race

I don't know how that workout would improve the issue you raised, in fact, I don;t know what the purpose of the workout is. It looks like 2 workouts mashed up into one. Assuming it is now off-season for you, because it is too late to fix now, I would incorporate year-round tempo and/or cruise interval work to increase threshold pace intensity. In addition, progression runs to assist in adapting those type IIa fast twitch fibers to take on more aerobic characteristics for 5k races.

That is a good session to try. The most competitive XC races do tend to have fast starts and you have to be confident that you can either go with the early pace and hold your postition, or hold back and move through when the others tire. Either way, you need to be confident that a fast start won't leave you way back in the pack, demoralized and wondering why.

ja, it's too late this year, but you will have the same issues in track, so might as well have a plan in place.

I had the same problem in HS - part of this is mental.

But as for the physical - try changing your warmup. I now do two hard 60 second pieces 20 minutes before a race - at 95% top speed. I feel far, far better at the start of the race after doing those.

The key question on the warmup is this: if you are doing 10 x 400, which ones do you feel best on? For me, I feel best on #s 4-6, so I try to replicate that.

As for fading at the end...just more fitness. Long intervals at race pace and long runs - just have to get in better shape, right?

Have you considered the fact that you are running stronger than everyone else at the end of the race, not because of some superior fitness, but simply because you didn't go out as fast as the other runners? This is not rocket science...the other runners simply have more speed endurance than you do. There is no magic workout that will help you...just perseverance and running more miles every week.

Remember, the body is limited in the amount of power it can generate within any given period of time and when you expend the energy to start the race near the front...you pay for it later since you have less power remaining to maintain the faster pace. Of course, there are other variables such as lactate and such, but ultimately it boils down to power output.

Just keep training properly with a few more miles every week and you will be fine.

Good Luck!

Replicate the desired race in interval and tempo workouts.

For example, if doing 5x1000, aim to do the first 1000 significantly faster than your 5K pace, then settle in. If you're doing a tempo run, run a quarter mile than do half a mile at a faster pace then settle back in.

This is great because unless your coach desires specific and absolutely dead-on times during workouts, you can implement this in any workout you do.

Replication is the key as has been mentioned.

One workout you might try is to do a de facto mile/1500 time trial that then morphs uninterrupted into a steady state or tempo run for as many laps as you can up to 8 laps or so.