Cross Country Best Practices
Posture
Posture can help prevent injury and reduce exhaustion. The main idea is to keep your feet landing under you and maintain a natural upright position.
What Is Perfect Running Form? | Run Technique Tips For All Runners — YouTube
Breathing
Pay attention to your stomache going out. Keep your breathing controlled by using your nose. Practice with water in your mouth or holding your breath.
To find your breathlessness score try doing bolt self test which requires no purchases: How to Measure Your BOLT Score — Oxygen Advantage
To improve your breathing try running in high altitudes, at increased lengths, or try a breathing exercise tool.
The REAL Reason You’re Out of Breath Running (Not What You Think!) — YouTube
Nutrition
General
In general, you should be eating balanced meals like would be suggested for any person. What is different though is 60–70% of calories should be from carbohydrates leaving the remainder for healthy fats and lean proteins. Avoid excessive complex carbs.
Example Runners diet foods
Carbs: White bread, potatoes, apple sauce
The 100 Best Foods For Vegetarian & Vegan Runners! (ck.page)
Fats: bananas, avocados, walnuts
The Healthiest Fats for Runners | Runner’s World (runnersworld.com)
Proteins: low fat yogurt, salmon, lean beef, beans
You will want to not eat anything within 3 hours before running. At the least not within 30 minutes as that will alter your ability to perform. Cramps are especially common when runners are dehydrated so make sure to drink lots of water. Ideally your urine should be clear.
Effective Carb Loading
If you are going marathon distance or longer, you will want to carb load the days before. You do not need to carb load for 10k and below.
Carb loading should be done over the 3–6 days before your race with 8 to 12 grams of carbs per kilogram of weight the day before your race at lunchtime. Eat a small carb snack the night before your race like some graham crackers. Limit fat and fiber. Double-down on hydration with water and sports drinks.
On race day, try to eat a bagel, yogurt or small bowl of oatmeal about three hours before. Four hours before your event begins, consume 1–4 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight, especially if the high-intensity exercise will be greater than 90 minutes.
Common foods used for before training include: gel packs, banana, black beans, eggs, salmon, lean beef, banana, coffee, yogurt, berries, sweet potato, and bagels.
Foods for Runners: The Best Foods to Eat Before and After a Run — A Crazy Family
During the most races you will have aide stations. Food may very but most races will have: water, tailwind, gel packs.
Runners tips : BEST nutrition for runners — YouTube
Choosing Running Shoes
You can tell what kind of shoes you need based on factors like cushioning, fit, type, and appeal.
Shoe types
Choose a shoe type based on the wear and tear you find on current your running shoes.
Natural — Generally the best shoe if you land on the center.
Pronate — For runners who tend to land on the inside of their feet.
Superannuate — For runners who tend to land on the outside of their feet.
Trail vs road
Trail shoes will have more grip. Toe shoes can also be useful for trail to allow you to run more naturally but require some getting used to and may not be a good choice for long distances. Spikes can be appropriate for distances a mile or less.
Cushioning — Reduces the impact on your feet but any difference in weight such as comes from the amount of cushioning in your shoe can significantly impact your performance. Longer runs require larger cushioning in shoes.
Fit — Choose shoes that are about a half size larger than you normally wear to avoid tearing holes in your socks and causing blisters.
Appeal — Try not to choose based soley on liking the appearance of the shoes instead being more strategic with the choices above. If you have many though this can be a valid deciding factor.
You will want to replace your shoes around every 400 miles as they will lose cushion and may cause injury. Depending on the person this may be one or more times a year ie. 365 x 1 mile or 182 x 2 nears that mark.
How To Choose A Running Shoe | What Are The Best Shoes For You? — YouTube
Trail Running
Uphill — Use your hands on your knees to lessen the stress on your legs. Some runners will also use hiking poles for this same reason. Don't burn your energy by trying to run uphill. Don't worry about people passing you or the time it takes. Instead focus on reducing leg tension, calm breathing and maintaining a reasonable BPM.
Downhill — Take shorter steps to maintain control. Don’t hesitate. Lean into downhill from the hips. Keep your feet landing under you rather than in front or behind to keep balance. Let your weight guide your speed while staying aware.
Beginner Trail Running | Tips From The Pros — YouTube
Training
Train up to your distance at the intended pace then taper down a few weeks before the race. Keep only 2 days hard and leave the rest as easy. It is always good to do dynamic stretching before and static stretching after. Make sure to practice at the pace you intend to keep on race day.
Finding a Trainer
Some things to consider when selecting a running trainer include appropriate runner certification, CPR and first aid certification, coaching style, availability, be a friend, and experience in the distance you are shooting for.
Exercises
At Home — Squats, heel raises, front plank, side plank, bicycle crunches
Gym — Treadmill, Elypical, stationary bikes, row, stair climber, Leg press, leg extension, leg curl, calf raise, hip abduction, adduction, standing lunge, glute kickback
12 Best Leg Workout Machines (Revealed!) — Fitnessdy
Warm up
Warm up may include dynamic stretching, a couple easy laps around the track, and static stretching.
Drills: High Knees, Butt kicks, A skips, B skips, C skips, High skip, Bounding, Lunges/Side lunges, Carioca, Toe/Heel walks, Leg swings
Routines by Distance
You will find intervals, long runs, sprints, and tempo runs are common at most distances. Set a goal once you have experience at the distance you will run.
400m/800m
- 400m x 6 at above 5k pace
5k
- 3 x 1 mile (60 second cooldown)
- 4 x 800m at pace
- 4x50m strides
- 1x1600, 2x800, 4x300
- long run (4 miles)
- hills
HOW TO RUN A FASTER 5K — 5 TOP TIPS — YouTube
10k
- Adjust by doubling the above suggestions
Half marathon, Marathon —
- 35 miles a week up to 75 and back down
- fartlek
Ultras: 50k, 100k, 50 milers
- Lactate threshold
- Tempo run
- Learn to take advantage of aid stations
100 mile and above
- In addition to previous advice and adjusting distance come up with a sleep strategy.
Choosing a Race
There are likely some races within reasonable distance from you but for ultras you will want to choose something that you can get excited about the scenery rather than relying on music. You should normally work you way up from shorter races to keep from injury and develop a hours long run mindset. If you train well though it is possible to skip some lengths as I know some great runners that have managed to do so.
Here are some great websites for finding the race you want to do next:
- ultrarunners.com
- runningintheusa.com
Search for races supporting local races. For example, I use rexburgraces.com. Feel free to share your favorite sites to use for finding races in the comment section.
Race Day
Make sure you get plenty of rest before. You last few weeks should have been easy so you have plenty of energy for your big day.
Your race will likely also give you additional guidance such as if you need to bring a headlamp, where the drop off location is, and more details about the course. For marathoners it is a good idea to get a hydration pack or collapsible cup. Pay attention to these key details.
Recovery
Don’t forget to stretch after for about 10 minutes, replenish carbs and proteins, keep moving after finishing a race about 400m, use an ice bath or ice pack for 15 minutes, and if needed use physical therapy or a massage.
6 Tips for Dealing With Muscle Soreness After Running (verywellfit.com)
Conclusion
Things to Remember
Eating well, training appropriately, and preparing are the keys to increasing your performance as a runner. Eating well as a runner requires healthy foods and consuming sufficient carbs so that your body burns those instead of burning through your body fat and you do not feel like you hit a wall. I recently had this happen where I hit a wall while running an ultra and felt rejuvenated after getting more carbs at the aide station. Training should follow a plan created by a trainer or another reputable source. Prepare by learning and practicing the course, bringing appropriate supplies and improve your metrics.
Bonus
Tools that I use:
- Running with Hal app
- Strava app
- MyFitnessPal app
- 30 days stretching exercises app
Metrics that Matter
Cadence — Steps per minute is influenced by height, surface, and incline. A higher cadence results in increased speed, endurance, and less injury. Measured by counting steps taken within 60 seconds. Increase your cadence by practicing shortening your stride.
Consistency — By maintaining 2 days between intense runs you increase the likelihood of being able to stick to your running plan. You can measure consistency as a matter of frequency, intensity, and time.
BOLT score— The amount of time between breathes before your body urges you to breathe.
Macros — The percentage of fat versus carbs versus protein in daily consumption. 70% carbs is desired in runners.