How to Maximize Your Cross Country Season

With the cross country season approaching faster than Usain Bolt, athletes may look to improve their performance with any techniques they can find. How can you maximize your races? Here are some simple ways that people will overlook, yet can prove to be a critical factor in their season.

Set goals. You cannot move forward in your season if you don't have somewhere you don't go. Make some points in your season that you can work towards to achieve. It can as complicated and deep as a certain place at state to as simple or small as going to practice on time for a certain amount of days. Make multiple goals, or make sure you have at least one goal that you can always branch off from. For instance, if your goal was to break 17 minutes for a 5k and you succeed that, lower your time. Always have a goal you have your mind set on.

Make them realistic. Don't set goals that will only set you up for failure. You should know your body and your capabilities more than anyone. Don't make a goal that you believe when, in reality, there is no possible way for you to reach it. If you really have your heart set on something, make a longer timeline. For example, if you really want to break a certain time, don't rush into it. Make a two or three year plan in which your time will slowly decrease. This will not only get you closer to your goal time, you will see results that can propel you forward towards success.

Keep a log. When finishing with a run, write down information about it. Along with the time and the run itself, remark on how you felt and any problems that occurred. Write down what you felt and what you liked about the run, along with what you didn't like. If writing about a speed workout, write down splits so you can use them as reference in the future. Keeping a log can help you determine where your success came from in your training. It can also determine where an injury can come from.

Stay healthy. If you know that you have a cross country race the next night, don't stay up all hours of the night. Get a great amount a sleep every night, as you use up so much more energy when running. If you sense an injury approaching or can feel a "tweak", have it checked out or simply lay off the next days. Don't run hard or talk to your coach about taking a day off if you can feel that you are exhausted or feel injured. You cannot run if you are injured, so keep your health in the best condition that you can.

Don't push yourself too hard. Realize that your goals don't have to be met. Slaving yourself day in and day out just to reach a goal may not always be worth it. Make hard runs hard, but take it easy on the easy days. You will only wear yourself out if you constantly push yourself at the 100% limit. If you run at such a high level, your races will not be well as you want.

Keep everything in perspective. If you struggle with a race or a workout, don't worry. There are worse things can struggling with one race. On the other end, if you perform exceptionally well, don't let this get to your head. Keep in your mind that you must continue this pattern. Don't overreact to anything. Take everything that you get with caution, as this can soon be taken away or lost.

Work hard. Yes, this must be said. You will not get anywhere if you don't work at it. Running is a sport that, no matter how talented, you still need to run. I have only met one runner that never ran and was able to compete at an amazing level. This is not a common occurrence. If you want to run, you need to put in the time and effort and only then will you see the results come back towards you.

Help others. Running isn't all about who finishes across the line first. One idea that a couple of us did during our cross country years was to shake the hands of everyone that crossed the finish lines after us. During some invites, there were over 200+ runners. Yes, we were tired, but the feeling of looking at these people gave us this feeling of being so helpful. Whether it be helping a runner do a lunge properly or encourage a teammate when they are struggling with a speed workout, always remember that there will always be someone that can use your help. If you give them the help, the great feeling can rub off onto your performance.

Look at positives. Running is a sport in which if you focus on the negatives, you will not succeed. Always look at the positives, not matter what is happening. If you do not perform at the level you want, be thankful that you get another opportunity and look forward to your next workout. When approaching a hard workout, do not prepare yourself by saying how hard this will be. Look at the challenges it will present, and see them as something that you will benefit from. Don't put down teammates and if you do have the need to say something negative, do not say them to a teammate. If you say something negative to a teammate, your team's races will only suffer and this will not help guide your team to the success it wants.

Cross country is truly the most difficult sport to undertake. With the tips above, you and your team can maximize your success. Doing the tips that was stated above can help keep your mind in the right place and body in the right place which will only be a positive in your season. Enjoy running and keep the miles coming!