Training: the First Dozen Weeks

Delano Tiger Cross Country

The 2007 Season “Two Dozen Weeks of Quality”

 

I. Make sure you are having FUN when you run!

If you’re not, take a break!

Call your teammates and go run with people.

 

II. Eat properly each day: Fruits and Vegetables!!

A piece of red meat about the size of your hand three times a week for iron.

Some broccoli and green pepper for more iron.

 

III. Get plenty of sleep! Take a nap when you’re tired.

 

IV. Cross train: go biking, go swimming, go canoeing, go backpacking, go roller blading, play Frisbee, play golf . . . play, play, play outside!

 

V. After every time you run, put your feet up for 6 minutes. This lets gravity pull your blood back out of your legs so that good things can happen. Stretch your muscles, too!!

 

VI. The center of an athlete is the COLUMN: your ab’s and back.

These need to be strong.

 

            Each day you should do 3 sets of 10:

 

                        *crunches

                        *bicyclers

                        *leg-lifters

                        * “flying nuns”

                                    Add on a couple every week.

 

VII. For training purposes, we use timed runs and target heart rates much more often than simply distances so that all athletes train at the intensity they can handle.

 

The First Dozen Weeks

 

Phase IA: 3 weeks: 5/28 – 6/17

Easy and Long runs, THR @ 38-40 beats/15”

 

THR = Target Heart Rate

            Measured by counting your pulse for 15 seconds.

 

Pace goal is around 6 ½ - 8 minutes/mile for veterans and 10’/mile for new people.

Running twice a day for 30 minutes each is better training than doing one long run each day – there’s less chance of injury. BUT, do one long run each week of 50 minutes or so.

 

Run for a set amount of time, not a distance, which you determine BEFORE you start the run. We’re trying to progress through the season, NOT win all the first meets and then plateau. SO, don’t do more than 40 minutes a day to start and add a minute each week.

 

 

Phase IB: 3 weeks: 6/18 – 7/8

 

Add 4 - 6 strideouts of  20” – 30” – 40” at the end of runs, twice a week.  Run with really perfect form for half a minute at a quick tempo – that’s a strideout. These are to improve running mechanics and form.

 

Hey, how’d the 4th of July Run go? You ran it, right?!

 

 

Phase II: 6 weeks: 7/9 – 8/19

 

Do your long runs on Mondays.

 

Primary:                        Reps – THR 47-48 beats/15” Hard

Secondary:                   Threshold – THR 40-42 beats/15” Moderate

Maintenance:                Intervals –THR 43-44 beats/15” Pretty hard

 

Most of your running continues to be easy runs with strideouts at the end, once in a while, but now a little more intensity can be added. Rather than the easy run that day, you run what it says to below, on the days of the week listed.

 

To do the shorter stuff, get yourself to some big park area, like Lake Rebecca near the big playground or Baker Park, all around the beach area, or around the city parks of Delano; a big grassy place  – you shouldn’t be to be doing these on the track!

 

In order to measure out how far distances are in meters, here’s a handy fact: City blocks in Delano (going east-west) are 1/16 mile long =  that’s 100m!

So four blocks is 400m.

 

Week 7: 7/9

Wed.    Reps                2 x 200m, 1 x 400m, rest for 1’, 3 - 4 sets

Thur.   Threshold          Mile runs, with 1’ rest in between,  do 3 - 4

Sun.     Intervals            3’ runs, with 1’ rest in between,  5 - 6

Week 8: 7/16

Thur.   Reps                 400m runs, rest for 1’ in between.  8 – 10.

Sun.     Intervals            3’ runs, with 1’ rest in between,  5 - 6

 

Week 9: 7/23

Wed.    Reps                2 x 200m, 1 x 400m, rest for 1’,  3 - 4 sets

Thurs.  Threshold          Mile runs, with 1’ rest, do 3 - 4

Sun.      Intervals     4’ hard run followed by 3’ easy run,  6 sets

 

Week 10: 7/30

Thur.   Reps                 400m runs, rest for 1’ in between. Do 8 – 10.

Sun.     Intervals            3’ runs, with 1’ rest in between, do 5 - 6

 

Week 11: 8/6

Wed.     Reps               2 x 200m, 1 x 400m, rest for 1’, do 3 - 4 sets

Thurs.  Threshold          Mile runs, with 1’ rest, do 3 - 4

Sun.      Intervals     4’ hard run followed by 3’ easy run, do 6 sets

 

Get up to school this week, the A.D.’s office,

to get your paperwork and get it done NOW!

 

Week 12: 8/13: The First Week!

Meet at Lake Rebecca Park, at the Beachside Area, by the big playground this whole week, at 8 a.m.

 

Monday           Long run of  50-60’ with 6  x  20”stride outs

Tuesday           Easy run with 6  x  40” stride outs        

Wednesday      Reps    400m runs, rest for 1’ in between  x  10 – 12

Thursday          Easy 40’ run    

Friday              Intervals 3’ runs, with 1’ rest in between  x   6 - 7

 

Week 13: 8/20

Monday                       The Wright County Conference Jamboree!

This is a race-like affair that let’s you see the conference course.

 

Be at the front doors of DHS at 7:45 a.m.   

 

            Site:      Collinwood County Park

            Time and Events:          9:00     Junior High (7,8)1000 meters

                                                            Girls – 2200 meters

                                                            Boys – 3200 meters

 

            Watermelon after! We’ll be home by 11:30 a.m.