Is sub 16 a reasonable goal for me this XC season?

crossisboss wrote:

Hey guys,

This season I'm going to be a junior. My sophomore track season my track times were as follows:

400: 56.9 (coach made me run it once as a workout)

800: 2:04.1 (again, ran it once)

1600: 4:29.9

3200: 9:54

I recently ran a usatf certified 5 mile race on the 4th of july and ran 28:22. I run about 55-60 miles a week consistently. We race on some legit, yet competitive and fast courses this year that may give me a couple of opportunities to dip under 16. Is that unrealistic? If not, what pieces should I add to my training program to help? Thanks.

I ran 16:53 last year. I didn't run over the summer

Why do Americans care about times in xc races? Nobody else does this. Stop it.

Superior European wrote:

Why do Americans care about times in xc races? Nobody else does this. Stop it.

then go to a diffrent thread

Tough one to call, depending on the course and your ability to improve

Yes it is!! 4:30 mile indicates potential for a 15:34 5k on the track. Assuming you are more fit by this fall, a 15:59 on a fast XC course is very reasonable.

Your 5 miler was probably not a great race for you (equivalent to about a 17 flat 5k) but you have plenty of time to get back to racing fitness. Good luck!

You have a good shot, but looking at your splits you seem to struggle more the longer the distance. I'd say it's possible, but I would make sure to start focusing a lot on endurance

Wow, coming out of sophomore year my times were almost the exact same.

400: 57.x

800: 2:03.9

1,600: 4:30.04

3,200: 10:15 (lazy effort, was capable of sub-10.)

I had a stress fracture all summer and ran 16:18 on under 40 mpw. You should be able to get under 16 with solid training.

yes, you can.sophomore PB's400: 53.5 ish800: 2:05 1600: 4:463200: 10:21I ran 16:08 on a flat course at the end of my junior year. i ran 25-30 mpw over the summer and only did about 30 miles per week in cross country. i did have a good growth spurt before junior year...my junior yr track pb's for reference. still only running 30 mpw and focused on the 400/800 distances400m - 50.5 relay split800m - 1:581600m - 4:28i would never have been able to run 28:22 in a 5 mile race either, so you have more aerobic ability than me. i ran 4:19 and 1:55 my senior year. broke 16:00 once too

crossisboss wrote:

Hey guys,

This season I'm going to be a junior. My sophomore track season my track times were as follows:

400: 56.9 (coach made me run it once as a workout)

800: 2:04.1 (again, ran it once)

1600: 4:29.9

3200: 9:54

I recently ran a usatf certified 5 mile race on the 4th of july and ran 28:22. I run about 55-60 miles a week consistently. We race on some legit, yet competitive and fast courses this year that may give me a couple of opportunities to dip under 16. Is that unrealistic? If not, what pieces should I add to my training program to help? Thanks.