cross-country/track advice

This might not be exactly what you were looking for, but here is my own personal example. Do note my school sucks when it comes to xc or 1600/3200m runners.

My sophomore when I started xc, pretty much the only people who did anything were varsity and the top 3-5 of us on JV, as the season went on they started doing less and less, but I didn't and it got me my pr and first sub 19.

Junior year I was pretty much the top person in practice from the beginning of the season (team was lazy/I am a workout warrior), however I was still only our 6th guy on varsity. Like the previous year as the season went on they did less and less, but I didn't, I didn't how as much of a payout, but got a pr out of it no less.

Senior year was my big year. Right from the get go when we did our xc timed mile first day of practice I came close to my Junior year pr on a track by running 5:26, friend managed 5:25, only because he out sprinted me at the end(I can not out run somebody in a sprint if my life depended on it (haven't timed these but I know I can run at least 27-28 200 and 57-63 400). Right from the get go nobody could keep up with me in practice for more than a Mile-Mile and of half. During our first official meet I ran 18:38, 18 seconds from my pr and 5th sub 19 time. Only time that year I ran 19+ was on a flat course that had obstacles and a mud pit (it was a slow course for everyone, my time still got me 42/142 runners on varsity, fastest 2 times were 16:13 from the guy who ran 3rd at state and 16:51) Throughout the season the rest of the team yet again did less and less, but it started sooner than before. Near the end of the season I hit my first sub 18 with a 17:15, a pr by a 1 min and 5 seconds with splits of 5:30, 5:42, and 6:03 for last 1800M or about 5:25 pace (started going on an incline, then finishing on that same decline).

All 5k prs were on the same course

Summer into Sophomore year I ran (more of a jog) 1-3 miles everyday, no workouts (didn't know what I was doing)

I ran 6-7 (all very, very low mileage of like 1-4 when not during the weekdays when school started) days per week the whole year year

Summer into Junior year I ran summer track + the running I did in the morning with my coach, since my Sophomore track season was cut short with injury, mileage however was still only 15-30 miles/week, I think.

Pretty much only ran 5 days a week the whole year year

Summer into Senior year I wan't to try to make something out of it so I averaged 33 miles/week with a max of 40-44 that I ran two weeks of (I was going for a max of 50-60, but wimped out, plus I got worried I would injure myself for increasing it too much from what I have normally run before).

Ran 6 days a week during summer

Ran 7 days a week during the season

Freshman

Didn't run distance, time from fitness gram

1600M: 6:25

Sophomore

Started cross country and 1600/3200 in track, but was injured after first meet through the middle of the season.

5000M: 18:53

3200M: 12:00 manage to run this after coming back from injury. 12:07 from that first meet though

1600M: 5:37, then 5:33 about 2-3 hours later, both were pr s at a duel meet before first in season meet

Junior

4800M: 17:42

5000M: 18:20

It was a very windy year for us in track

3200M: 11:29

1600M: 5:18

Senior

5000M: 17:15

3200M: 11:03 (10:57 from a xc split that I finished in 17:33)

1600: 5:07 ran this 2-3 times on a track, first time was at the end of xc with horrible splits of 67,73,83,84 and I basically ran it by myself (5:03 from timed 1600M in middle of season of xc, again with horrible splits)

You know what? Running talent isn't limited to physical ability. If you have the tenacity and discipline to get after it day after day and push yourself to your limits, you have a mental edge on at least some of the competition.

That alone won't get you to the top, but it'll get you somewhere, and it IS talent.

Freshman year I ran 25:37 in the one 5k I did and the rest of my races were two miles. My best cross 2 mile that year was a 13:09. In track that year I ran 5:13 and 11:40

My sophomore year I started to work a little harder but not as much just putting in the bare minimum and ran 18:46. In track I ran 10:49 and 4:51

My junior year I got really serious in running and worked harder than I ever had before to prove to my friends I could run on varsity. I ended up being top 3 early on but died out to 6th man due to me being overtrained. I ran 17:12 at state(qualified as a team). In track I ran 4:42 and 10:03.

My senior year I started to run 7 days a week as agreed by team and I trained just as hard as my junior year except this year I was smarter about it. I started the season as the 5th guy but towards the end I was top 3 often contending with the top 2 guys.( gap between 1-3 was less then 10 seconds). I ran 15:47 in cross that year and in track I ran 9:41 and 4:37. A lot of the guys that were on my team were way better than me talent wise we had several kids that were varsity level as freshman. Many of those destroyed me as a freshman but I worked harder than they did and it showed because they couldn't beat me anymore.

Currently I attend a division 2 school where I still train hard hoping to get a school record or help my team go to nationals.

thanks. And did anyone else have success/what happened to you although not a lot of natural talent