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What is this?
This is a resource site dedicated to the art of cross country running. Here you will
find everything to support you in your pursuit of this herculean sport ranging from
the history of cross country to benefits to techniques and tricks. So stay a while and
take a gander!
Who am I?
As a cross country runner for the past 4+ years and a participant in numerous races
up till now, I’ve learned a lot from my coaches and other runners. You’d think that
there isn’t much to cross country running because, just run right? That’s not the case
though, there’s so much in terms of nuances of posture and technique. As a result,
I’ve learned and grown over the years and have truly fallen in love with the sport.
It’s a true test of mental and physical fitness as well as dedication through the pain.
Picture of me / circular make tag in css
I hope you learn something new and as always, keep running.
About site
What is cross country running
Sweat and tears picture
Cross country running is pain, sweat and tears. I’m just joking, it’s actually just pain.
No, seriously this time, it’s essentially what it sounds like. Trying to run across the
country, or at least long distances of it over the period of training, and then
eventually racing everyone else in a forest.
Unlike track and field athletes, cross country runners are much much tougher and
we train and race in the great outdoors like our ancestors intended. With that being
said, very rarely are races cancelled and runners are forced to deal with hills, mud,
various terrain, and horrendous weather like rain, hail, snow, high winds, or even
extreme heat.
But we love it.
History of
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Where did this sport even originate from? Considering that we humans evolved
from hunter gatherers, we were built to run and chase prey over long distances.
However, the shift to agriculture and cultivation led us to a more sedentary lifestyle.
Despite this, the origins of cross country stem from a game that was a mimicry of the
hunter lifestyle.
This sport originated in England as a “hare chase” in schools for where children of
different ages would take on different roles. There were the hares, the hounds, and
the hunters. The hares would run ahead with a 10 minute lead and drop a paper
trail such that the ‘hounds’ may follow. Hares would often zigzag and circle areas to
try and confuse the hounds chasing. Once the hares were within site, the hunters,
another group of older students would go in for the kill and sprint down to tag the
hares.
From this game, cross country was spawned, a sport involving runs over distances
from 5 km and upwards generally.
Src: http://www.runnersworld.com/rt-columns/origins-cross-country
Benefits
Heart rate picture
Cross country isn’t just fun and games though, there are many psychological and
health benefits as well.
The body is a machine and is meant to work as thus, sitting around and staying idle
allows your body to wither away and in a sense, rust. The best way to combat that is
with daily cardio exercise like cross country running.
Cardio exercises are activities that increases the heart rate and gets the blood
pumping. Some of the benefits of daily cardio activity are:
-helps to burn off excess calories which makes it helpful for weight loss
-improved heart health as the heart is muscle like any other, this in turn will
increase one’s capacity to exercise as the heart will be able to pump a greater
capacity of blood per beat
-increases one’s metabolism to help maintain or lose weight
-activity releases feel good hormones like oxytocin which help fight depression and
stress
-prevent cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis and thrombosis
-helps to manage high blood pressure by clearing the arteries of buildup
On top of that, it will just make you feel better!
Src: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark85.htm
-Self care
Rest
Pic sleeping
Getting enough rest is one of the most essential elements of any sport, especially
before race day. Especially in cross country, sufficient sleep is crucial in allowing the
body to recover from a hard day’s workout as it gives the body time to repair
muscles and allow you to get stronger.
As a side benefit, more exercise will help you sleep better, but you need to
remember to actually set aside time to sleep!
The optimal amount of sleep for a teenager aged 12-18 is around 8-10 hours,
sometimes more sometimes less depending on the amount of sleep debt incurred.
Ideally before a race, you should get at least 9-10 hours of sleep in order that your
body is as fresh and rested as possible.
If for any reason (life), you don’t get enough sleep for race day, try and take it easier
on that race as you will be less attentive and more likely to injure yourself.
Injuries
Injury pic
Injuries are unavoidable in a sport such as this where the majority of the time is
spent battling mother nature. Random tree stumps or roots and hills are bound to
trip even the best runner up sometimes and you just have to know how to deal with
them
Race day
If you become injured before a race, do not push yourself to run. You risk seriously
aggravating the injury and turning something as simple as a sprained ankle into
major tendon injuries.
Losing a race is not as important as the future wellbeing of your body.
If you become injured during the race, please slow down and assess the extent of the
injury. As stated before, don’t push yourself and risk your future well-being. Races
usually will have medics on hand so please seek help if you’ve injured yourself.
In many cases, the endorphins will dull the pain of injuries so it is doubly important
that you take the time to assess yourself.
Joints and Muscles
These are the most common types of injuries that occur and include cramping as
well. The best way to combat injuries is: stretching and warm up. Lots and lots of
stretching, before and after and race will alleviate some of the soreness that postrace brings.
If you feel pain in any of your joints, such as knees or hips when you run, it’s a good
idea to take a few days off of training and see if that will make it go away. If not, get a
support (you can easily buy supports for knees or ankles). If the pain is still bad,
seek medical help.
Cramping occurs when muscles undergo spasms due to either overexertion or
random occurrence. If you experience a cramp, the best method is to stretch it out. It
will hurt but it will all be worth it!
If it’s during race time and you experience a cramp in the abdominal region, raise
your arms above your head and fold your hands toward the opposite elbow. This
helps to improve circulation to the abdominal region and reduce cramping.
Injuries are inevitable but you can do your best to make sure they don’t become
permanent, so take care of your body and it will take care of you.
Nutrition
Next to rest, nutrition is the other most important aspect of a runner’s life.
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Water
It is so incredibly important to stay hydrated on a daily basis, not just when you’re
racing or competing. The recommended amount of water intake for a normal adult
is about 2L a day. That’s a lot of water bottles so get drinking (but please do use the
reusable ones and not the throwaway plastic ones).
However, while it is important to stay hydrated on a race day, try and make sure you
drink most of your water at least 2-3 hours before your race and not to drink tons
just before racing. You don’t want to have to run to a bathroom break in the
middle…
Nutrients / for injuries
Eating a proper diet as according to canada’s food guide should be general behavior.
However, additions should be made to a runner who is training and racing. I know
that whenever cross country season comes around, I start eating about twice the
amount I normally do. That is normal!
Do not deprive your body of food as your metabolism is much quicker and you need
the extra energy to repair muscles. Make sure that you’re eating lots of protein,
items like fish, red meats, and vegetables to give your body the building blocks it
needs to handle the exercise.
Race Day
The food you intake around and during race day is important to the success of that
day. Here’s a general timeline to follow to prepare for a race
 The day prior to racing you should try and eat a good dinner of
carbohydrates, this will provide you with long lasting energy for the day
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Avoid high protein items like red meat as it takes your body much longer to
digest that and convert it into energy
Eat a banana the day of the race as it will help to prevent cramps
Stay hydrated but do not over drink the day of the race
Here’s to happy racing!
-Techniques
Race day
Race day is the culmination of all your hard work and training, so it’s best to go in
prepared. Make sure that you arrive early to the meet as you want the extra time to
calm your nerves as well as take a tour of the actual trail you’ll be racing. It’s
suggested that you actually walk through the race trail so you’ll know when and
where to turn/loop/reverse.
Of course, there are some handy tricks that will help you compete at top form.
Psychological tricks
There are many tricks you pick up for racing when you’ve been racing and training
for as long as I have. Here I’m going to share some that will make your racing life
hopefully more successful.
Breathing
There are many different breathing methods but the one I’ve used the most is pure
breath in mouth, breath out mouth.
Some people suggest breathing in through the nose and breathing out through the
mouth to allow for quicker air exchange but it doesn’t work for me. Others perform
pure nose breathing. Experiment and find what works best for you.
On cold days, it is suggested that you breathe in through the nose and out through
the mouth as your nose will warm up the air a bit such that you don’t dry out your
mouth or experience as much of that stinging sensation of cold air in your throat.
Pacing
The thing about pacing is that it mostly comes down to the quality and quantity of
training that the runner has done.
However, what many of my coaches and what I believe to be valid is that you should
know where the mid-way point is and try and run your second lap faster than your
first. This way, you’ll be lapping many of the runners who over exerted themselves
in the first half of the race.
No way is this a easy task to accomplish though as I’ve tried out myself, you’re tired
and in pain, but remember that you won’t remember it after you’ve passed the finish
line so trek on!
Corners
Many courses, especially golf courses will offer turns that runners must fit through.
In these instances, if there are other runners around, increase your pace as you go
around a corner because it is a psychological demotivator to other runners as you
will be out of sight briefly.
Terrain/weather
Hills
Hills…ah the bane of cross country lover. In 90% of the courses you run, there will
be some absolutely painful hills, both big and small that you will have to traverse
over.
The best way to deal with uphill is to shorten your steps and pump your arms. Rely
on mostly upper body strength to get yourself up that hill and then lengthen your
strides going downhill. This allows gravity to carry you down the hill and for you to
go faster. Try your best to speed up near the top of the hill as most runners will be
slowing down
Mud/Rain
Mud and or rain is unavoidable as races are conducted outside so one just has to
learn to deal with. Make sure you’ve got in spikes with the appropriate length of
spikes installed to combat all that mud and provide grip.
In terms of rain, just keep your head down a little bit more and wear a headband if
you can. If you wear glasses. Switch to contacts.
Wind
Wind is something that can be helpful or hurtful. Do your best to run with the wind
and not against it. When it is truly unavoidable, try and tuck in behind another
runner so that they will block the wind for you. Despite what one might think,
running headlong into wind wastes about 10% of the exerted energy.
Training
Training is an essential part of doing well in any sport. You train to perform your
best on race day just like any artist works fervently in their sketchbooks to be able
to deliver beautiful finished pieces.
It requires, of course, commitment. Do not overthink it, just do it. Set a time schedule
for yourself to train at the same time every day and just stick to it, you’ll thank me
on race day.
These are some elements that should be incorporated into everyone’s training. The
important thing is to vary it up, don’t do the same thing every day.
Warming up
I cannot stress how important it is for you as an athlete to get used to warming up. It
gives your muscles a chance to loosen up and is one of the fundamental elements in
preventing injuries as more elastic muscles equals less injuries.
Try to go for a couple of strides, stretch out the legs, arms, back to abdominal area,
as well as rotation of ankles, knees, and arm sockets.
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Endurance
Within your training regiment, you should dedicating at least one day to endurance
training. Essentially forcing yourself to go out for long runs and push the limits of
your distances by 1km or so each time you go out for an endurance run in a week.
This way, you’ll rack up the kilometers and will be better able to deal with race
distances.
Speed
Many runners overlook this area in their training but it is crucial if you want to
actually improve your times and place well. Speed training is not about distance, so
running very fast in short intervals. Hilly areas are exceptional for this type of
training as you can go 1 minute fast, 1 minute jogging for around 20 minutes. This
prepares the body to deal with speed changes within a race and aids in endurance as
well.
Strength
Finally, strength training. It’s not a huge part of cross country runners as we develop
most of our sleek muscles during our endurance and speed training, but it should be
incorporated to deal with some of the muscle groups that often get neglected.
Runners should try their best to incorporate strength workouts for the abdominals
and pectorals.
-Equipment
Shoes
Shoes are obviously one of the most important aspects of cross country racing and
there are two kinds that every serious cross country runner should own.
 Racing spikes
 Training shoes
Racing spikes are thin lightweight shoes that have screwable metal spikes on the
bottom of the shoe that help provide traction when running on trails. They work
best on trail, grass, and mud like surfaces but will provide almost a suction effect on
pavement. They are good for racing because they don’t weigh down a runner and
provide the necessary grip.
However, one should not run in racing spikes because they wear down very quickly
and also don’t provide ankle support. Make sure to have a nice pair of sneakers that
have lots of ankle support. Ask for cross country or trail running shoes when you go
out to buy them and remember to read reviews!
Clothing
Clothing is the next necessary equipment to obtain. Whilst running naked is fun, it’ll
get chilly when winter hits.
In terms of clothing, lightweight, moisture wicking but heat reflecting clothing is the
best type to invest in. You’ll want a combination of short sleeves, long sleeves, and
thinner jackets, as well as shorts and long runner’s tights to take on any kind of
weather. Also a pair of gloves is helpful for the winter and comfortable athletic socks
are a must have.
The key to dressing like a cross country runner is to layer. Cold? Layer. Hot? Take off
a layer. Less bulk, more effective.
Final note is for females. A good sports bra goes a long way to keeping you
comfortable during runs and will make sure you perform without any pesky luggage
in the way.
-Contact/submissions
See anything we missed? Want to suggest a topic to cover? Have a comment that
you’re dying to share? Just leave some necessary info below and we’ll get back to
you in a jiffy!