Tricks of the Trade for Middle Distance, Distance and Cross-Country Running

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By Dick Moss (All articles are written by the author, except where indicated) Copyright 2004. Published by Physical Education Digest. All rights reserved. ISBN#: 9735528-0-8

Tricks of the Trade for MD, Distance & Cross-Country

Tricks of the Trade for Middle Distance, Distance & Cross-Country Running

Published by Physical Education Digest. Head Office: PO Box 1385, Station B., Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 5K4, Canada Tel/Fax: 705-523-3331 Email: [email protected] www.pedigest.com

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U.S. Mailing Address Box 128, Three Lakes, Wisconsin, 54562, USA

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This book is dedicated to Bob Moss, Father, friend and founding partner. Thanks Pops, you got me started and kept me going... In more ways than one.

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eBook Navigation Instructions .............................................................. 2 Table of Contents ...................................................................................5 Introduction ........................................................................................... 8

TACTICS Stay Off the Curb in Middle Distance Events ..................................... 76

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CONCEPTS AND COACHING Avoid Early Specialization for Runners .............................................. 10 Multi-Tier Training for Middle & Long Distance Running ................ 14 Determine Race Paces With the Horwill Rule..................................... 18 Dynos Develop the Ability to Surge & Kick ....................................... 20 Self-Reporting System for Track Practices ......................................... 23 Footplant: What, Where & Why? ........................................................ 29 How to Keep Practices from Becoming Too Competitive .................. 32 Arm Position In Distance Running Starts.......................................... 34 Developing a Sense of Pace................................................................. 36 The 35-Minute Aerobic Exercise Threshold........................................ 38 Downhill Racing Tips .......................................................................... 40 Easy One-Mile Jog Fitness Test .......................................................... 42 Uphill Running Tips ............................................................................ 46 Improve Downhill Running Confidence ............................................. 47 Indoor Stage Training Circuit .............................................................. 49 The Bicycle as a Coaching Tool .......................................................... 52 Circular Fartlek Course Provides Better Control ................................ 54 A New Test for Overtraining ............................................................... 55 A Strange Predictor of Overtraining .................................................... 58 The Coaching Log—An Easy Way to Monitor Overtraining .............. 60 XC Contribution Index Helps You Gauge Individual Results ............. 63 A More Accurate Method for Determining Heart Rates...................... 66 Use a Long Jump Pit to Simulate a Steeplechase Water Jump ........... 70 Training & Competing in Smoggy Conditions .................................... 71

.Tricks of the Trade for MD, Distance & Cross-Country

Table of Contents

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ORGANIZATION & ADMINISTRATION Mileage Charts Keep Them Motivated.............................................. 131 Personal Best Sheets .......................................................................... 133 Track Meet Results Sheet Saves Time and Effort ............................. 135 Videotaped Results Sheets ................................................................. 137 Safety Guidelines for Female Runners .............................................. 139


800m Runners Should Follow a Tangential Cut-In Path ..................... 78 Surge in Pairs for Better Team Tactics ................................................ 80 Double Surge Tactic When Running in the Lead ................................ 81 Teaching Your Athletes to Run in a Pack ............................................ 82 Racing Tips for Slower Runners .......................................................... 85 Cross-Country: When You Arrive Late, Practice the Final Mile ......... 88 Study the Course: Don’t Just Walk It .................................................. 89 Your Second Team Can Also Race at the Championships .................. 91 GAMES & WORKOUTS Paarlaufs—300 Metre Style................................................................. 94 Race the Car Fartlek ............................................................................ 96 Learning to Withstand Fast Starts in a XC Race ................................. 97 A Fun Substitute for Fartlek Work....................................................... 99 Squirrel Chase.................................................................................... 101 Pass-the-Torch Runs Make Fartlek Easier......................................... 103 Handicap Fartlek................................................................................ 105 Individual Marker Workouts.............................................................. 107 Running Pace Game .......................................................................... 109 Cross-Country Pack Running Drill.................................................... 110 A Wet Version of the Indian Line Drill ............................................. 112 Team Flag Challenge ......................................................................... 114 Team Pursuit Running ....................................................................... 116 Cross-Country Golf: A Fun Anaerobic Workout ............................... 117 Cross-Country Elimination Contest................................................... 119 Indoor Steeplechase Workout ............................................................ 120 Treasure Hunt .................................................................................... 122 A “Ride and Tie” Race....................................................................... 123 Centipede Racing ............................................................................... 125 Running Game for Fitness ................................................................. 127

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Fun-Runners Will Develop Your Cross-Country Program ................ 141 Run a World Record Every Time ....................................................... 143 Putting the “Country” Back into Cross-Country ............................... 145 Halloween Fun Run ........................................................................... 147 Year-Long Fun-Run Series for Your Entire School ........................... 150 Cross-Country Training Camp........................................................... 156

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If you’re looking for a resource that will teach you everything there is to know about middle distance, distance and cross-country running…then oops! This isn’t it. This book is not a comprehensive resource. Instead,think of it as a clinic in your computer— a collection of useful tips, hints, ideas and reproducible charts that will help you solve common problems, teach coaching concepts and provide performance cues to make your athletes better runners. It’s essentially a Best-Of book, comprising the most useful track articles from the past 17 years of Physical Education Digest. The focus is on practical, not theoretical. The ideas for these articles were gleaned from some of the best active coaches in the sport as reported in dozens of books, journals, videos and clinic reports. Some articles were contributed directly or come from coaching discussions. In almost all cases, these ideas were chosen because they made me say”Hey that’s neat!” Or, “ I could use that!” Take them, use them, print out the reproducible charts and graphs. And most of all—enjoy coaching, enjoy teaching and enjoy our sport! Yours in track, Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Digest


Introduction

About the Author

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For the past 18 years, Dick Moss has worked as the Editor/Publisher of Physical Education Digest. He is also the head coach of Track North Athletic Club and the Laurentian University Women’s CrossCountry running team, in his hometown of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. As a middle-distance runner in the 1970’s, he was an All-American at the U. Of Wisconsin and a member of the Canadian National team.

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Concepts and Coaching

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The latest international thoughts on middle distance running indicate that young athletes (up to age 19), should train much differently from adults. Their training programs should be modified to reduce the amount of anaerobic running they perform (i.e. intense interval training). And it seems these athletes should be allowed— even encouraged—to participate in other sports, which will develop their overall conditioning, fitness and coordination, making them better athletes when they mature. Why Reduce Anaerobic Running?

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Why is intense anaerobic running harmful to young runners? Because it can reduce their ultimate potential as a mature athlete. Of all types of training, the body has the hardest time recovering from heavy anaerobic work. It digs deeply into a youth’s energy reserves—which may already be heavily taxed by the natual process of growth. As a result, the normal development patterns of certain organs can be upset. This can impede some runners’ general development and reduce their potential as adult athletes. Also, starting too early can result in runners reaching their training peak before they’ve reached their physical peak. For example, studies have shown that after developing a strong aerobic base, it takes six to eight years of specialized training (anaerobic work) for middle distance runners to reach their training peak. Other studies have shown that middle distance runners are at their physical peak between the ages of 24 and 30 (the average age is 26).

Middle distance runners will improve their potential as adult athletes if they delay intense anaerobic training until they are 17 to 19 years of age. Some guidelines for training young runners.

Tricks of the Trade for Better Technique

Avoid Early Specialization for Runners

Supporting Studies

Several studies have been conducted which support the claims that heavy anaerobic work should be delayed. For example, Olav Karikosk of Estonia performed a long-term study which charted the progress of many runners of apparently equal ability. They used similar training methods except for the age at which they started using heavy anaerobic running. Of the 661 of these runners who became international level athletes, most (71%) started anaerobic work at the age of 19 and played a variety of different sports in their formative years. Fewer—20%— started at age 17. Only 9% of those who started at age 15 became international level runners. Similar results were found in a survey of past Olympic gold medallists in the middle distances. Of these medal winners, 75% had delayed intense anaerobic training until the age of 19. Only 19% began at the age of 17 and 5% at age 15. Incidentally athletes who delayed their intense anaerobic work until they were 19 included Sebastian Coe, Alberto Juantoreno, Peter Snell, Henry Rono and Paavo Nurmi.

Tricks of the Trade for Better Technique

If your runners start heavy interval-type training at the age of 12, they’ll reach their training peak at the age of 18, long before they’re physically at their best. In fact, at 18, they’re still growing and will do so until they are about 20. As a result, their best lifetime performances will be worse than if they peaked in their mid-twenties. This could be one reason why Junior age world record holders seldom go on to set such records as open athletes.

A Coaching Approach

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So how do you approach the training of young middle distance athletes? Athletes of this age should concentrate on general development, including skill development, endurance training and speed work, which are well tolerated at an early age.

Judgement Call

Whether to use this system of training ultimately comes down to a judgement call by you and your athletes.Performing a large amount of anaerobic work while they are still in their growing years could give your runners better immediate results but may reduce their ultimate potential as adult athletes. However, you also must weigh this against their personal goals: will they likely be competing past high school age, do they need this early specialized work to get a scholarship or make a team that will enable them to continue in the sport until they are in their twenties? And, of course, there are always exceptions to any rule: Jim Ryan, who performed extensive interval training as a youth was one of them. It’s a tough question, but the general worldwide trend seems to be a lower emphasis on intense track work for athletes up to the age of 17 or 19

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References: 1. Otto Arens (Australia), “Young runners—avoid specialization.” & Olav Karikosk (Estonia), “Looking into the development of young runners.” Middle Distances: 2nd Edition, Edited by Jess Jarver, Los Altos: Tafnews Press, 1985. [Available from Tafnews Press, Box 296, Los Altos, California, 94023]. 2. Martin Goulet (National Coach, High Performance Centre, Montreal

Tricks of the Trade for MD, Distance & XC Running

Anaerobic work shouldn’t be totally neglected by runners in their growing years— however, it should be used sparingly. Training for athletes under the age of 14 should be devoted primarily to fitness games and the learning of technique in a number of different events. The following chart is a handy guideline to follow. It shows the number of practice sessions, repetition sessions (anaerobic work), and kilometres of running that could be safely performed in each phase of a young runner’s development. You might notice that the total running mileage is also lower than in many conventional programs.

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Training Guidelines for Teen-Age Middle-Distance Runners EVENTS (Volumes in the preparation phase).

AGE 400/800m

800/1500

3000m+

TOTAL # OF WORKOUTS PER WEEK

# OF REPETITION (ANAEROBIC) WORKOUTS/WK.

TYPE & LENGTH OF RECOVERY

14-15 yrs. Total Running km/wk. — Max. km in a Single Run —

15-30 km 8 km

20-35 km 9 km

30-45 km 12 km

3 or 4

0 or 1

Long walk

16 yrs. Total Running km/wk. — Max. km in a Single Run —

25-30 km 9 km

35-50 km 12 km

40-60 km 16 km

4 or 5

1

Long walk

17 yrs. Total Running km/wk. — Max. km in a Single Run —

30-45 km 10 km

45-70 km 15 km

55-85 km 18 km

5 or 6

1

Long walk or jog

18-19 yrs. Total Running km/wk. — Max. km in a Single Run —

35-60 km 12 km

50-90 km 18 km

60-120 km 22 km

6 to 9

2 or 3 (occasionally)

Long or short walk or jog

(Compiled from charts by Martin Goulet, National Coach, High Performance Centre, Montreal Canada)

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Canada), “Middle distance training for young athletes.” Presented to the World Track & Field Symposium in conjunction with the World Junior Track & Field Championships, Sudbury Ontario, Canada, 1988.

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Multi-Tier Training, also called Five-Pace Training, is a highly effective system for organizing the workouts of middle distance and distance runners. It’s espoused by the British Milers Club and such coaching greats as Frank Horwill and Peter Coe, who believe that runners are best prepared by systematically including practice paces that are faster and slower than that required for their focus event. This develops superior speed and endurance, and all the physiological elements required for superior racing For example, a 1500m runner will train at 1500 pace on some days, but on other days, will train at 400m pace for speed, 800m pace for anaerobic conditioning, 3k pace for V02 max and 5/10k pace for anaerobic threshold. Here’s how to use multi-pace training with your own middle distance and distance runners. Organization

Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri 400 1500 5k 800 1500 3k

Sat

Sun Off Off

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I use a two-week cycle in which track workouts are held three times per week. That’s six workouts in which to work on the five paces. The extra workout can be used to repeat your focus-race pace, or to do a mixedpace workout. The following chart outlines how you might arrange this two-week schedule. Since this athlete’s main event is the 1500m, 1500 pace is performed in both weeks of the two-week cycle.

An effective system for training middle distance and distance runners.


Multi-Tier Training for Middle and Long Distance Running

What Paces to Use?

I prefer to use my athletes’ target paces when prescribing the paces for each event. For example, if my athletes’ goal is to run a 4:00/1500, that’s the pace they’ll run at on their 1500 pace days. For a 4:00 1500m, that would mean: 200m 400m 600m 800m 1k

32 1:04 1:36 1:08 2:40

You can do the same for their other events. However, you sometimes won’t have a target pace or past performance with which to estimate a target time. For example, many 800m runners may never have run a 5k. In this circumstance, you can estimate paces using the Horwill Rule or some other estimation chart, such as the Mercier Tables. With the Horwill Rule, (see next article) you add 4-5 seconds (even more for inexperienced runners) per 400m for each increase in event. For example to estimate the 1500m time for a 2:00/ 800m runner, you’d divide by two to get a 400m split of 60 seconds, add 5 seconds, then multiply by 3.75 to get an estimated 1500m time of 4:03.7. It’s rough, but you can make adjustments as you go. How Many & What Recovery?


The days between the track workouts (Tues/Thurs/Sat) are distance runs or alternate training, with Sundays off.

The chart below shows total meters you should run at each type of workout pace. You can use any combination of distances to make up that total. The chart also indicates the amount of recovery your runners should take at each pace. Total 800m 1600m 3000m 4000m 5000m 5000m

Recovery Jog twice distance Jog same distance Jog half distance Jog 1/4 distance Jog 1/8 distance Jog 1/8 distance

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Pace 400 800 1500 3k 5k 10k

Progression

It’s my philosophy that you should start with shorter intervals, and gradually increase the length of intervals until they represent about 3/4 of the racing distance. So, for an 800m runner, you could begin with 150’s at 800m pace, then gradually increase the length of intervals, over a number of weeks, to 200’s, then 300’s, then 400’s…until they eventually run 600m repetitions at race pace. Your ability to work up to long race-pace intervals will depend on how much time you have in your preseason. Once your competitive season begins, your actual races will take the place of such workouts. How to Combine Practices

I believe that training groups play an essential role in athlete improvement. Since we don’t have large numbers on my running teams, I do my best to have runners perform workouts together, even if they are in different running events. The following chart shows how this is organized. Workouts are arranged so that five out of the six workouts are at common paces, regardless of event. This allows 800, 1500 & 3k runners to train together on most days. Event 800 1500 3k

Mon 5k 5k 5k

Wed 800 1500 3k

Sat 400 400 400

Mon 1500 1500 1500

Wed 800 800 800

Sat 3k 3k 3k


For example, on 800m pace day, your athletes might run 1600m of intervals, with the same jog as the interval distance for recovery. This could be 8 x 200 with 200 jog recovery. Or 4 x 400 with 400 jog recovery. Or 2 x 400 with 400 jog recovery, plus 4 x 200 with 200 jog.

Other Points

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• The 3k and 5k pace workouts develop similar systems—especially if you’re an 800m runner. As a result, you can use one of these workouts to perform mixed-pace workouts, such as ladders, or Peter Tegen’s excellent Dynamic Running Workouts (see PE Digest, Winter 2002). • If you have a competition, you can use the race event as that cycle’s workout at that pace. Just rearrange the other workouts to accom-modate.

References: 1. David Martin (PhD) & Peter Coe, Better Training for Distance Runners (2nd Edition), Human Kinetics Publishers, 1997. [$22.95 U.S. or $33.95 Cdn. plus shipping, c/o Human Kinetics Publishers Inc., In Canada: 475 Devonshire Rd, Unit 100, Windsor, Ontario N8Y 2L5, 1-800-465-7301. In the U.S.A.: Box 5076, Champaign, Illinois, 61825, 1/800-747-4457]. 2. Peter Coe, Guelph Endurance Conference, 1999, Guelph, Ontario. 3. “The interview with Peter Coe and Frank Horwill.” British Milers’ Club Newsletter, Spring 1995, http://www.britishathletics.co.uk/bmc/coehorw.htm

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For example, if your athlete is running a 1500m on a Saturday race, it becomes that cycle’s 1500m workout. • Patterning race-pace in your athletes’ nervous system is extremely valuable, and allows them to run with minimal effort in their races. However, there is a danger in over-stereotyping your athletes’ nervous system to a particular steady pace—to the point where they can’t kick or surge mid-race. To avoid this, use changes of pace within your workouts: for example, finish the final 50m of some 200m runs with a full-out kick. Dynos, which you can perform once per cycle are also valuable (see article later in this eBook).

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You have a 400m runner who would like to move up to the 800m. What is his potential at the longer distance? Or your 1500m champ wants to try the 800. How fast should she run her race-pace workouts? Perhaps you use a multi-pace training system, in which your 800m runners, for example, train at 400m, 1500m and 3k paces. How do you determine the lap times for these other events? The Horwill Rule will help you to ballpark these times. Developed by Frank Horwill, world class coach and the founder member of the British Milers’ Club, the rule gives you some simple guidelines for estimating potential racepaces when moving up or down in distance. The Horwill Rule

The rule provides simple calculations for estimating race pace. It varies slightly for males versus females. Males

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For males, when moving up in distance between the major competitive events (400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000, 10,000m) add 4 seconds per 400m (1 lap on a track) to estimate potential race pace. For example, to determine race pace for a 60-second 400m runner wanting to move up to the 800, add 4 seconds to get 64 second/400m and multiply by two. His potential 800m time is 2:08, and 64 seconds/ 400m would be a good pace at which to train during race-pace workouts. We can work all the way up to 10,000m using this formula.

Add 4 seconds per 400m for males and 5 seconds for females to determine racepace when moving up in track events.


Determine Race Paces With the Horwill Rule

This simple formula also works when athletes want to move down in distance (simply subtract 4 seconds/400m). Females

For females, simply add five seconds per 400m instead of four. Indicators

The Horwill rule will also indicate deficiencies in your athletes’ training. For example, according to the rule, a female 800m runner with a best 400m of 65 seconds should be able to run a 2:20/800m. If she can only run 2:30, she needs more endurance work and/or over-distance races. Caveats

Of course, the Horwill Rule provides a general estimate only. Its accuracy varies with the level of training and speed versus endurance abilities of your runners. And, as you get farther in event distance from your base event, the estimate becomes less accurate (i.e. a 400-to-800 conversion will be more accurate than estimating 10k time based on the 400m). However, the rule is simple to use, and it gives coaches a general baseline to work with in estimating training paces.

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Reference: Editor, “The 4-second rule—Frank Horwill.” Athletics, December 1991. [$19.80 Cdn., $22.50 U.S., 9/yr., c/o Subscription Dept., Athletics Magazine, 1185 Eglinton Ave. E., Suite 601, North York, Ontario, M3C 3C6, Canada, 416-426-7217, email: [email protected]].


400m time = 60 sec 800m = 2:08 (64/400) 1500m = 4:15 (68/400) 3000m = 9:00 (72/400) 5000m = 15:50 (76/400) 10k = 33:20 (80/400)

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Some runners become so patterned on their race-pace that they aren’t able to change gears when it’s time to surge or kick. Peter Tegen of the University of Wisconsin women’s track and cross-country teams—one of the most successful and respected distance coaches in the U.S. college system—uses the following workouts to break down these “dynamic pacing stereotypes,” to give his athletes the ability to changes pace and to finish with a deadly kick. Concept

The workouts, called Dynamic Running sessions, or Dynos for short, are continuous fartlek running with controlled fast and slower sections. The surge segments become shorter and faster as the run progresses. The surges should be run as fast as your athletes can go at that point in the workout. Dynamic workouts can be used all year long, changing the duration and number of segments so the emphasis of the session is appropriate to the phase of training you are in.

Controlled fartlek workouts that develop the ability to surge and kick.


Dynos Develop the Ability to Surge and Kick

Sample Dyno Workouts

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Here are some sample Dyno workouts. Some are directly from Peter Tegen’s UW program. Others are adapted by the author. Of course, you can make your own variations. Key 5 x 3’ (45”) (‘)= minutes, (“) = seconds

Early Fall • 1 x 10’ (2’ surge), 3 x 5’ (1’), 5 x 3’ (45”), 1 x 5’ (30”), 5 x 1’ (10”), 1 x 10’ Total = 70 minutes Late Fall 1 x 10’ (1’), 2 x 5’ (40”), 4 x 3’ (30”), 8 x 2’ (20”), 5 x 1’ (10”), 1 x 10’ Total = 70 minutes Spring 1 x 10’ (45”), 2 x 5’ (30”), 3 x 3’ (15”), 5 x 2’ (10”), 10 x 1’ (10”), 1 x 10’ Total: 64 minutes Other Dyno-type Sessions

These workouts become progressively longer in total duration. • 1 x 10 min steady (1’) • 1 x 3’ (45") • 5 x 2’ (10”) • 10 min steady. Total = 35 min (Good for competitive season]. • 10’ • 1 x 5' (2’) • 1 x 5' (1') • 1 x 3’ (45”) • 3 x 1’ (10”) • 10’ easy. Total = 42 min .


This indicates five repetitions of three minutes run at a steady pace. Time in parenthesis indicates the amount of time spent surging after the steady pace run. Dynos are continuous runs with no stopping between segments. Peter Tegen’s Dynos (from The Silence of Great Distance)

• 1 x 10’ • 1 x 5' (2') • 1 x 3' (1') • 2 x 3" (45') • 3 x 1’ (15’) • 3 x 1’ (10”) • 10 min easy. Total = 46 min.

• 10 min steady • 1 x 5' (2') • 2 x 3' (1') • 3 x 3’ (45”) • 4 x 1’ (30”) • 6 x 1’ (10”)• 10 min easy. Total = 58 min.

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• 10 min steady • 1 x 2' fast (5' Rec) • 2 x 1' (5’) • 3 x 45" (3’) • 5 x 10" (1') • 10 min easy. Total = 51 min.

2. Frank Murphy, The Silence of Great Distance, Windsprint Press, 2000. [$18.95 U.S. Windsprint Press, PO Box 410134, Kansas City, MO, 64141]

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References 1. From a discussion with Peter Tegen, Head Coach, Women’s Varsity Track and Cross-Country teams, University of Wisconsin.

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I’m fairly competent when timing and recording practice sessions for a single runner. In such circumstances, I can give lap times, splits and race-pace differentials with the best of them. However, like most coaches, I seldom work with a single athlete. A more typical practice involves 15 to 20 runners of various ages, in different event groups, running several workouts all at the same time. Not being a natural watch wizard and not having access to assistants or managers, I’ve had to develop a system for keeping track of such a large group. If you find yourself in a similar situation, give this system a try—it’s easy, saves hours of time and will allow you to actually observe your runners instead of spending practice sessions with your eyes glued to a watch and workout sheet.

Runners can time, record, and provide workout summaries for themselves, allowing you to actually coach during workouts

Self-Timing System

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My solution to this problem is to let my athletes time themselves and record their own workout results. The device that makes this possible is the electronic wristwatch/stopwatch. These wristwatches are accurate even when shaken and are now so inexpensive that evThe Electronic Stopwatch/ ery runner either already has one or can Wristwatch Allows Runners easily afford one. I’ve seen some models in to Time Themselves department stores for under $10. Each of your runners should have their own watch. Here’s how we organize practice so that athletes can time and record their own workouts.


Self-Reporting System for Track Practices

• Organization

• Advantages

This system will free you to observe your athletes as they run so you can provide feedback and analysis. And you can monitor their times as the workout progresses by taking a quick glance at the workout sheet or by asking the runners for their times (i.e. “How fast was your last one, Sarah?”). I also find that self-timing makes your athletes more aware of running paces since they give themselves immediate feedback after each repetition. • Trouble Hitting the Stop Button?

Some athletes have difficulty hitting the stop button on their wristwatch while they’re running—it’s common to see them slow down before the finish line because they’re trying to locate the correct button. Instruct these athletes to take the watch off their wrist and to hold it in their hand with their finger near the stop button. Times can then be taken with a movement of the finger instead of the whole arm.


When I post each day’s workout, the workout sheet includes target times for each athlete. A copy of this workout sheet is also placed on a table at track-side, just past the finish-line. Pencils, calculators and pace charts (i.e. a Williams Pace Calculator) are also placed on the table. Runners write their name on a blank area of the sheet and record their times beneath their name as they perform the workout (see Figure #1). They usually do their recording during the rest intervals after each repetition, but in workouts with minimal recovery, they may have to keep some times in their memory (or their watch’s) and record them when they have a chance— for example, during the longer recovery periods between sets.

Self-Reporting Workout Summaries

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Once your runners have completed their workout, I ask them to perform one additional task—to record a summary of their workout times. Each athlete is given an individual workout summary sheet that provides space for 32 interval workouts (see next page and

2 (2 x 300) in 45s 45s & 8mR This means 2 sets of 2 repetitions of 300m in 45 seconds with 45 sec recovery between repetitions and 8 minutes between sets. Your athletes will find this information on their workout sheet and can simply copy it. 3. Average time for each distance run. This is a sum of all their workout times divided by the number of repetitions. This average is only useful if they ran repeats of the same distance at one target time. Otherwise, they can record all their individual times. Using the above example, if they ran their 300m reps in 42.5, 45.0, 44.9 and 43.6, their average time would be:

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42.5 + 45.0+ 44.9+ 43.6 = 176 = 44.0 sec. 4 4 This average allows you to see how close to your target time


Figure #2). On this sheet, they record calculations based on the times they’ve run during the workout. Here are some examples of the information that can be recorded on these sheets. 1. Workout Date I pre-record the dates of all the workouts and races on the sheets by writing these dates on one master sheet and giving each athlete a photocopy of the original. This is handy because it lets you immediately know how many workouts the athlete has attended. If there’s a space with no workout recorded, you know they missed that session. 2. Type of Workout. Use whatever shorthand your runners understand best. The code I use indicates the number of sets first, then inside the brackets, the number of repetitions and the distance to be run, and finally the time in which they should be run. Beneath this information I indicate the recovery (R) between reps first, then between sets second. For example:

You can use any shorthand method to record the above information. We use the following

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• Summary Shorthand


they ran the entire workout. Using our example, the runner above was supposed to run 45 second 300’s but ran them in an average of 44.0. It also provides you with data with which to design future workouts. For example, the next time you prescribe this workout you’ll know that 300’s at sub-44.0 pace will provide some progression. 3. Fastest time. Ask your athletes to record the fastest time from all the reps they ran. Using our example, the fastest time would be a 42.5 second 300m. This will give you information about their speed reserves at the pace you had prescribed. For example, a “fastest time” of 42.4 seconds shows that a 45 second pace is not running near maximum. It will also show you something about pacing ability. For example, it shows that our runner did not run at the same pace for all four repetitions. And a fastest time that is much faster than target pace could give you a clue on why a workout was substandard. If an athlete ran extremely fast in one rep, it could have tired him/her for subsequent repetitions. The “fastest” figure can give you this information. 4. Optional: 400 pace I ask athletes running longer intervals to convert their running times into 400m pace. For example, an athlete doing 1000m repeats would convert his 3:20 average time into 80 second 400’s. We use 400 times as a standard for measuring pace and most of our runners know their race pace and anaerobic threshold pace for a 400m. Converting average workout times to 400m pace gives us additional perspective on the quality of running they were performing.

Workout Summary Chart

On the next page is a blank workout summary chart. Just make a photocopy, fill in the upcoming workout dates and race dates, then photocopy enough sheets for all your athletes. I staple the sheets for each event group to keep them organized. Advantages of Summary Sheets

You’ll find this a work-free way to access important information about your athlete’s training progress. Your runners will like it because they can quickly compare with past workouts to see how they’ve improved. And most athletes like providing this extra input into their training program. At the end of the year, you’ve got a ready-made summary of your runners’ specific workouts, attendance, and progress. And you’ll be able to see their competition performances in the context of the workout sessions that preceded them. This is invaluable information when planning your athletes' training programs for the following year.

Figure #2: Portion of a Workout Summary Chart

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Reference: Dick Moss (Editor), Physical Education Digest, May/ June, 1991.


Ave: equals average time. F: equals fastest interval. Pace: equals 400m pace.

Workout Summary Sheet Date

Type

Workout Results

Date

Type

Workout Results

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I’ve analyzed the technique of hundreds of runners, and the most common fault I’ve seen — whether they were sprinters, middle distance or distance runners — is incorrect footplant. That is, landing heels-first with foot contact in front of the body’s center of gravity. This fault often goes hand in hand with the lack of an active clawback action in the backward swing phase of the stride. This article will discuss footplant, provide some demonstrations for your students and drills to correct poor mechanics.

Why heelrunning is inefficient, and how to develop better foot contact in your runners.

What’s Wrong With Heel-Running?

Better Technique: Midfoot Makes First Contact

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If your runners land heel-first, they’re braking their forward motion every time they take a stride. Why? Because it means they’re making foot contact in front of their body’s center of gravity—exactly what you do to slow yourself down if you’ve been sprinting. It also means they can’t be accelerating their foot backwards into the ground before making foot-contact. Instead, their feet are hitting the ground with little backwards movement, then driving backwards from a relative stop. It’s basic physics that a foot not moving backwards as fast as the body is moving forwards, will cause the body’s forward motion to slow every time contact is made. Finally, landing heels-first reInefficient duces the use of elastic energy in Technique: the tendons and muscles around the Heel Makes ankles and feet. Runners who land First Contact on the balls of the feet, experience


Footplant: What, Where and Why?

Braking Effects Demonstration

You can demonstrate the braking effect of heel running by asking a student to perform a relaxed sprint then quickly decelerate. Instruct the rest of your students watch that athlete’s feet—point out that the runner will slow down by hitting heels-first, making contact in front of their center of gravity. Once they see this with their own eyes, have them try it themselves. Elastic Energy Demonstration

Here’s another demonstration. It will illustrate the advantages of landing on the balls of their feet and using the elastic energy in their lower legs. Instruct your students to jump up and down on the spot, being as bouncy and springy as they can. Ask them which part of their feet they are landing on. It will be their toes — or the balls of their feet. Tell them that in a few seconds they are to continue jumping, but will land heels-first for five jumps, then go back on their toes. Ask them to note the difference—in fact, they will barely get up in the air when they land heels-first.


a sudden stretching of all these muscles and tendons which results in an explosive rebound—just as if a rubber band had been stretched then released. This rebound is an extra source of energy that will help propel your runners. And the great thing about it is that it’s almost free from an energy-cost point of view. It’s mechanical in nature: the result of an elastic response. As a result, it doesn’t tap heavily into the typical aerobic/anaerobic energy cycle. The result is greater power and speed, but also better running efficiency. Here’s how to demonstrate the inefficient effects of landing on the heels.

Drill for Better Foot Contact

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You can use goose-stepping to get runners off their heels. With their knees locked and ankles “cocked” (toes pulled up towards the knee), your runners kick forward and pull hard back beneath them, making first-contact with the balls of the feet. This drill will give your athletes the feeling of pulling backwards to accelerate the feet into the ground, plus the con-

Goosestepping

Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Digest, Spring 2003.

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cept of making first-contact with the mid-foot instead of the heel. A progression for this drill is to perform Goose-steps With a “B.” Your runners perform goose-steps as described above, but with every secGoosesteps with a “B” ond stride on their right foot, they lift the right knee, kick out, then pull down and backward (as in a “B-skip” drill). They make first contact at mid-foot and claw back beneath their center of gravity. They repeat with the left foot performing the “B’s” and the right foot goose-stepping. In both drills, one of the goals is to be “springy” whenever the feet make contact.

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It’s a great situation if you have two or three athletes in the same event who are similar in ability. They can become ideal training partners, making practices more fun, elevating the level of training and reducing the perception of workout difficulty. However, there is a downside. Good runners are also highly competitive—after all, it’s that killer instinct that makes them successful on the track. And they tend to bring their competitive nature to practice—especially if their training partner is also a rival on race day. The result can be workouts that resemble races: frantic finishing kicks, faster-than-desired interval times, and a practice atmosphere that resembles race-day…except that it’s every day. It was unfortunate, but I’ve had several occasions in which otherwise ideal training partners have had to perform all their workouts separately. My only alternative was to watch them run each other into the ground during every training session.

Eliminate unwanted “racing” in interval sessions by designating a leader for each rep, and forbidding the others from passing.


How to Keep Practices from Becoming Too Competitive

The Solution

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Fortunately, there is a simple solution…and it’s an idea proposed by one of my athletes. We call it the “No-Pass Rule.” When performing interval or repetition work, one runner leads the interval. The other(s) follow, but cannot pass. On subsequent repetitions, the follower takes his/her turn as leader. It’s so easy. And it works! There’s no more pressure to race; practices become fun and rivals become teammates whose job is to help each other in practice (if

Source: Dick Moss (Editor). Idea from Kerry MacKelvie. Ms. MacKelvie is a Canadian National finalist in the 800m. She is attending graduate school at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Human Kinetics. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


not in races). And, as a coach, you regain control of your workout paces. There are some workouts, of course, in which you’ll want your athletes to run as fast as they can. In these situations, simply waive the No-Pass rule so your runners know it’s no-holdsbarred in advance. But discuss their preferences first. They may prefer to perform such workouts separately.

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Distance coaches often pay little attention to their athletes’ starting technique. Unlike in the sprints, distance starts play a less important role in the final outcome of the race. However, distance races can be won by fractions of a second, and if we can help our runners gain that fraction through better starting technique, then why not? In fact, there is a technical fault that can often be seen at the start of distance races—even among accomplished runners. Fixing that fault can save a few 10ths of a second...with absolutely no extra expenditure of energy.

Don’t let your distance runners start with their same arm and leg forward.

Same Arm, Same Leg Fault

Poor Technique: Same Arm and Leg are Forward

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The fault is a simple one, but I see a large number of runners at the high school level doing it. They start with the same arm forward as the leg that’s forward. That is, if their right leg is forward when in “Mark” position, their right arm is also forward. This is usually an attempt to help them lean a little farther forward—either to see the starter better, or to get their head a little forward of the other runners on the line. And if the start line is packed with runners, it’s easier to find a space on the start line if they put the same arm forward, because it twists their body sideways and pushes one shoulder forward. However, when the gun goes, that forward arm must first drive backwards before any


Arm Position in Distance and Middle Distance Starts

Better Technique

When your runners line up at the start, have them use the cue “Opposite Arm, Opposite Leg.” That is, if the left leg is forward, the right arm should be forward. This will Better Technique: allow the first movement of the Opposite Arm and arms to be in synch with the legs Leg are Forward for a faster reaction on the gun. And there’s another advantage to this position. It will keep the shoulders square to the start line. This takes up a little more room on the line, and gives your runners extra space in which to run once the gun goes off and the pack surges forward. Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Digest, Fall 2003. Dick Moss, is a coach with the Track North Athletic Club and the Laurentian University Women’s CrossCountry Running team in Sudbury, Ontario


leg movement can occur. Why? Because the arms and legs move in opposition. The right arm must move back in order to match the left leg, which is behind and which will take the first stride. The time it takes to drive this arm backwards in order to synchronize with the legs is time lost—it’s an extra movement that’s entirely unnecessary.

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Runners who have developed an accurate sense of pace have a definite advantage. The athletes who cross the finish line first are often those who’ve apportioned their energies most efficiently. Here’s an effective method for teaching your students a sense of pace. Developing a Sense of Pace —Long Sprints and Middle Distance

Application to Sprints

This technique can also be used to teach sprint speeds. For example, workouts might include “tempo” style running at 80-90% of maximum speed. Percentage paces are

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All you need are a running course, a stopwatch (preferably one that takes split times) and a number of cones or flags. Place a cone or flag every 50 meters (or 100 meters if you have a cone shortage) around the track. Decide upon the pace you want your runners to learn. For example, you could have an 800 meter runner whose goal is to run a 2:00. This computes to 120 ÷ 16 = 7.5 seconds per 50m. Have your student run laps while you, watching your stopwatch, blow a whistle at each pre-determined time interval. Your students will be able to monitor their pace by comparing the whistle with their position relative to the cone. If they are past the cone, they can slow down. If they have not reached the cone, they can speed up. After they’ve done this for a while, they’ll be able to hit the cones at close to their desired pace. Ask them to be aware of how it feels to run at that speed. Then have them run at the same pace, but without the whistles.

You can teach your runners a desired pace by placing cones at regular distances and blowing a whistle at pre-determined time intervals..


Developing a Sense of Pace

Reference: Dick Moss, Editor


often abstract concepts to sprinters. You can show them the speed you want by determining interval times and, placing cones every 10 or 20 meters, using your whistle to indicate the desired speed. You can also use a whistle and cones to show your runners their optimal race pace. For example, you can determine the location on the track your runners should reach at each 2 second interval in order to run their goal time. By blowing your whistle at these 2 second intervals, your runners can compare their progress with their desired goal pace, and can determine the point in the race at which they start to “break down.”

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In the Summer’93 issue of PE Digest, we debunked the myth that a minimum of 20 minutes of continuous exercise was needed to produce aerobic improvement. Although 20 minutes isn’t an exercise threshold as was commonly believed, a review of endurance literature has identified a different threshold—one that takes place after 35 minutes of exercise. Literature Review

This discovery was made by Howard Wenger of the U. of Victoria, in British Columbia. After reviewing 78 scientific papers on endurance training, he came to the conclusion that workouts longer than 35 minutes are more efficient in improving aerobic fitness (VO2 max) than shorter sessions. He found this to be true even when shorter sessions were more frequent and added up to a greater weekly exercise duration. For example, 3 x 40-minute exercise sessions (120 minutes/week), produced greater improvement in VO2 max than 5 x 30-minute sessions (150 minutes/week).

There’s a dramatic increase in aerobic fitness after 35 minutes of continuous exercise because of an increased use and subsequent conversion of fast-twitch muscle fibres.


The 35-Minute Aerobic Exercise Threshold

Explanation

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Wenger believes this occurs because slow-twitch muscle fibres, which are predominantly used in low-intensity endurance training, become fatigued after 35 minutes of steady running. As a result, fast-twitch muscle fibres (which are preferred for high-intensity anaerobic exercise) kick in after 35 minutes to supplement the tired slow-twitch fibers. The involvement of fast-twitch fibres in aerobic training “converts” them, providing an athlete with additional

Recommendations

If an athlete asks you for an exercise program, the first thing to realize is that anything is better than nothing— as we learned last issue, even 10 minutes of continuous movement has been shown to increase aerobic fitness. However, if you have students who must be as efficient as possible in improving their aerobic fitness (i.e. distance runners), their “endurance training” workouts should involve continuous exercise that lasts more than 35 minutes—providing they can perform them at the same intensity as their shorter sessions. References 1. Owen Anderson (PhD), “Is there really a 20-minute exercise threshold? Are longer runs better than shorter, more frequent workouts?” Running Research News, January/ February, 1993. [$17 U.S., PO Box 27041, Lansing Michigan, 48909, USA, 1-800-333 FEET from the U.S.]. 2. Per-Olof Astrand (M.D.), & Kaare Rodahl (M.D.), Textbook of Work Physiology, McGraw Hill Book Company, 1970, pg 407.


muscle fibres that can be used during endurance exercise. The result is an increase in overall aerobic capacity.

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Many cross-country runners use the downhill sections of a race for brief rest periods—a chance to catch their breath and recover. Unfortunately, they often reduce their pace as they negotiate these downward grades, not realizing they’re missing an opportunity to gain ground on the rest of the field. You see, physiologically, they could blast their way from top to bottom…while still getting some recovery time! Research on Downhills

How to Learn Downhill Running

Fast downhill running is a skill your team should practice. Most runners tend to lean backwards and dig their heels into the ground as they descend. This slows them

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Research has shown that runners can increase their pace by 10-15% on downhills without increasing their heart rate or oxygen consumption. How fast is this? Well, another study showed that accomplished athletes in a 30 minute race who thought they’d been running extremely fast on downhills were actually running only 12% faster. And these runners used 10% less oxygen on downgrades than when running on level ground. The fact is, you can probably instruct your runners to take downhills at breakneck speed—while they may initially feel they are running too fast, they’ll become comfortable with “putting the hammer down” once they realize they’re actually recovering as they blow past their competitors.

Your students can run 10-15% faster on downhills without working any harder.


Downhill Racing Tips

References: 1. Owen Anderson, “Things your mother forgot to tell you about hill training.” Running Research News, January-February 1996. 2. Owen Anderson, “Initial inclines can be heinous hillocks; Early elevations require smart summit strategies.” Running Research News, JulyAugust 1989. [Running Research News: $30.00 U.S. in USA & Canada, PO Box 27041, Lansing Michigan, 48909, USA Tel: 517-371-4897, Fax: 517371-4447]. 3. Jefferey S. Staab & S.F. Siconolfi, “The influence of up and downhills during simulated racing.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Volume 21(2), 210, 1989. [$129.00 U.S., $179 U.S. in Canada, c/o the American College of Sports Medicine, 401 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, USA, 317-637-9200 Fax: 317-634-7817]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


down, increases impact stress on their joints and produces early fatigue in the thigh muscles. Instruct your runners to lean slightly forward, and just let their legs “spin,” allowing gravity to do all the work. Their foot plant should be springy as they descend. Begin on slight grades and gradually move to steeper hills as your runners become more adept at negotiating downhills.

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One problem with aerobic fitness tests is that most students hate maximum effort running. After all, there’s discomfort involved in running full-out for the standard 12minute test. As a result, motivation can affect test results. And it’s not easy convincing students to repeat such tests in order to monitor improvement. Here’s a new test that’s shorter and easier than the 12minute run. All it involves is a one-mile jog at a slow pace. By making some calculations using heart rate, body weight and running pace, you can estimate VO2 Max (maximal oxygen uptake — a standard measure of aerobic fitness). Suitability

This test, developed at Brigham Young University, is most accurate among people aged 18-29, but can be used for people of any age to provide general estimates of V02 max and to monitor fitness improvements. The Test

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Here’s how the test works: 1. Have your students warm up by jogging for two to three minutes. 2. Instruct them to jog a mile, maintaining a slow, steady pace, and record the time it takes to finish. Females should take longer than nine minutes to complete the mile; males, longer than eight minutes. 3. Students must check their heart rate as soon as they complete the mile (i.e. count for 6 seconds, and multiply by 10). The Calculations for V02 Max To determine your students’ V02 max the following cal-

A fitness test in which students need only jog one slow mile to estimate V02 max.


Easy One-Mile Jog Fitness Test

1. Weight.

Calculate your students’ weight in kilograms (divide pounds by 2.2). Then multiply weight in kilograms by .1636. Male students should subtract this number from 108.44. Females should subtract it from 100.5. [For example, a. 150 pound male would be 68.18 kg. b. 68.18 x .1636 = 11.15 c. 108.44 — 11.15 = 97.29] 2. Time.

a. Convert your students’ running time into decimals. (i.e. 8:30 = 8.50). b. Multiply this number by 1.438 (i.e. 8.50 x 1.438 = 12.22) c. Subtract this number from the weight calculation in Step 1. (i.e. 97.29—12.22 = 85.07). 3. Heart rate.

Multiply heart rate by .1928 (i.e. 168 x .1928 = 32.39). 4. V02 max.

To determine V02 max, subtract heart rate calculation from time calculation (i.e. 85.07—32.39 = 52.68). So this student’s V02 max is about 52.68 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight.


culations must be made:

Recording the Results

Disadvantages

Aside from the obvious calculations that are required, the other disadvantage of this technique is that it requires your stu-

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You can use the chart on the next page to help you calculate your students’ results. However, an easier method is to set up a computer spreadsheet (you can use the chart provided as a template). All you’ll have to do is plug in the time, heart rate and weight of each student, and the computer will perform all the calculations for you.

Reference: Owen Anderson, “Just a slow, one-mile jog and presto! You’ve found your V02 max.” Running Research News, July-August 1993. [$30.00 U.S. in USA & Canada, PO Box 27041, Lansing Michigan, 48909, USA Tel: 517-371-4897]

Chart on Next Page


dents’ weight. Public disclosure of their weight can be embarrassing to some students, so you might ask them to weigh themselves at home and reassure them that their weight will be kept private.

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Name

Wt. in kg (lbs/2.2)

Time in Decimals (i.e. 8:30 = 8.50) Heart Rate Wt in kg x .1636

"A"

108.44 - "A"

(Males)

100.5 — "A"

(Females)

"B"

Time x 1.438

"C"

"B " - "C "

"D"

Students jog one slow mile (Females, slower than 9 minute/miles. Males, slower than 8 minutes/mile) Record heart rate (i.e. in 6 seconds x 10), weight and running time on the chart. Perform calculations specified on chart to determine V02 max.

One-Mile Jog Fitness Test

Hrt Rate x .1928

"E"

"D" - "E"

V02 Max

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When running hills, many runners do the right thing in shortening their stride length and increasing arm drive. However, what many athletes don’t do is change the angle of their leg drive. Optimize the Angle of Thrust

In fact, the legs should push backward — and downward — at the same angle as the slope of the hill. This provides the maximum amount of thrust up the hill. Many runners use normal stride mechanics and push backwards as if they were on flat ground. This directs a portion of the force they’re generating into the hill, instead of up the slope. Pushing downward parallel to the slope of the hill may cause a slightly longer leg extension phase and a lower heel lift, so prepare your runners for a slightly different feeling when they use this technique. But that’s OK. The idea is to optimally direct the force generated on each stride.

When running up hills the legs should push backward and downward at the same angle as the hill.

Other Hill Running Tips

Reference: Dick Moss (Editor), Physical Education Digest, Winter 2001.

LegsShould Thrust Downward, Parallel to the Angle of the Hill

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1. Keep the head up and watch the crest of the hill. Visualize that you’re running on a flat. 2. Keep the shoulders back. Otherwise the tendency is to compress the chest cavity, leaving little room for lungs to expand. 3. Lift the knees - you have to.


Uphill Running Tips

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Downhill running is a skill that’s often neglected by cross-country runners. Many runners simply feel that downhills are a chance to take a welcome rest, so they lean backwards as they plod, heel-first, down the hill while doing their best to catch their breath. Unfortunately, they’re missing a great opportunity to gain ground on their opponents…while still getting that rest they want. The fact is, running down a hill while leaning backward and making heel-first foot contact, can take more out of a runner’s legs than running fast all the way down. Fear of Falling

The reason many runners are tentative on downhills is that they’re afraid they’ll lean too far forward, lose their balance and fall. As a result, they lean backwards and run on their heels as they descend. This is a stable position balance-wise, but mainly because it slows their speed of descent. It also increases impact stress and muscle damage in the thighs because of the extreme eccentric contractions this technique requires.

Use the forward swim technique as a safety valve to encourage your XC runners to run fast on downhills.


Improve Confidence While Running Downhill

Safety Valve

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You can improve your athletes’ aggression on downhills by giving them a “safety valve” they can use in case they feel they’re leaning too far forward and getting out of control. It’s a technique used by sprinters after they’ve dipped at the finish line and feel like they’re going to do a faceplant into the track. They perform a forward swimming

Will It Make Them Tire too Soon?

You should also explain that taking downhills at a fast speed won’t cause them to tire prematurely. In fact, just the opposite. As I’ve already mentioned, getting off the toes reduces eccentric contraction and impact stress, sparing the thigh muscles. Also, studies have shown that runners can increase their pace by 1015% on downhills without increasing their heart rate or oxygen consumption (see PE Digest, XC-Running, Fall’96). How much faster is 15%? For girls running 20 min/5k pace, 15% faster is the equivalent of 17:00/5k pace; or 3:24/km versus 4:00/1km pace; or 81/400 versus 96/400 pace. Another study showed that experienced runners who thought they were running extremely fast on downhills were in fact running only 12% faster…but their oxygen consumption was still 10% less than on the flats! So, perception-wise, tell your athletes that they can just let it blast on those downhills! Once your runners learn the correct technique, they’ll be able to regard downhills as a mental and physical breaks even though their pace increases dramatically when they descend them.


action with their arms, which counteracts their forward rotation and allows them to regain their balance. Teach this technique to your XC runners and have them practice it as they run downhill. Once they have it perfected, start to work on their downhill running technique and aggression. This includes leaning slightly forward, recovering with their heels high and making contact on the balls of the foot. They should just let their legs “spin” and allow gravity to accelerate them down the hill. In their mind, they should think about running faster, not just resting.

Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Digest, Winter 2003. Dick Moss is the head coach of the Track North Athletic Club and the Laurentian University Women’s XC Running team in Sudbury, Ontario.

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It’s too cold, dark and icy to run outside, and you don’t have an indoor track, just a school hallway. But don’t fret—you can still hold high-quality training sessions that will develop a host of elements: aerobic fitness, anaerobic threshold, speed, specific muscle endurance, flexibility, race-pace/nervous system patterning, and strength. How? By having your athletes perform a stage-training circuit program. Concept

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It’s called stage training because it involves strength exercises, separated by bouts of running. The exercises are performed one after the other at a fairly rapid rate, with no rest between. The idea is to keep the heart rate high throughout the workout to provide an aerobic training effect. I use these sessions to develop anaerobic threshold (the speed at which you can run without building up lactic acid), so for us, the running is performed at 5k or 10k race pace. If you want to develop a different fitness element, such as speed endurance or race pace, you could run different distances at faster or slower paces. We employ a combination of body-weight and surgical tubing exercises because tubing is portable and inexpensive enough that we can provide devices for every runner. Most exercise sets include some plyometric exercises such as hopping, to develop explosive power. The program on the next page is designed for middle distance and distance runners, and provides general conditioning for most of the muscles used in running. As I’ve already mentioned, it’s also a good way to improve

A conditioning circuit that develops strength, flexibility, speed and aerobic fitness.


Indoor Stage Training Circuit

Dick Moss (Editor), Physical Education Digest, Winter, 2000. DM is also head coach of Track North Athletic Club and the Laurentian U. Women’s XC running team in Sudbury, Ontario.

Handout on next page


anaerobic (AKA lactate) threshold. We perform this workout in a hockey arena or in school hallways that allow us to run a 260m loop. However, you could also use a school hallway and make a loop by running or hopping up a stairwell and back down a different set of stairs.

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Indoor Stage Training Circuit • •

Move immediately from one exercise/phase to the next, to keep the heart rate in the training zone. Many of these exercises use surgical tubing. However, you can substitute body weight or free weight exercises.

• Run 10-15 minutes warmup. Stretching. Seated Rows With Twist

2-Legged Hops

Run 2 min at 5-K pace • Seated rows with twist x 15 (Use tubing: pull arms to waist, then twist torso). • 2-legged hops x 15 on mat. (Keep ankles cocked).

Crunches Run 2 min at 5-K pace • Crunches x 30. • Wisconsin Hops x 15 (Legs front and back, hop up, switch legs and contact simultaneously).

Wisconsin Hops

Good Mornings

Run 2 min at 5-K pace Pushups • Push-ups x 12. • Good Mornings x 10: with surgical tubing (Keep back straight & knees bent). Step-Downs Run 2 min at 5-K pace • Step-downs x 12. (Start at top of step, drop down then back up. Same leg for 12 reps, then switch legs). • Vertical Jumps x 8 against bar or wall (As high as possible - absorb the impact when you come down).

Run 2 min at 5-K pace • Wall Squats x 30 (Body-weight against a wall). • Reverse crunches x 15

Wall Squats

Reverse Crunches

Lunges Run 2 min at 5-K pace • Lunges: 15 x each leg (With tubing or walking down wall). • 2-legged hops x 15 on mat. (Medium height, quick ground contact. Keep ankles cocked).

Run 2 min at 5-K pace • Bench dips x 15 on chair/step dips. • Front Arm Raises x 10 (Tubing—keep thumbs up when you lift).

Vertical Jumps

2-Legged Hops

Bench Dips Front Arm Raises

Leg Swings

Run 2 min at 5-K pace Biceps Curls • Biceps curls x 12 (Tubing). • Leg swings- in and out, 10 each (40 total—use tubing). Run 2 min at 5-K pace • Knee lifts x 10 (Tubing). • 2-legged hops x 15 (or beam jumps) on mat. (Keep ankles cocked).

Knee Lifts

2-Legged Hops

10-15 min warmdown jog • Shin splint pulls: 10 x straight, in and out then sideways (10 each direction). • Leg extensions x 10, with feet pointed straight, in and out (30 total) • Hamstring curls x 12 (With partner or tubing). Stretch

Shin Splint Pulls

Leg Extensions

Hamstring Curls

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Many coaches would like to know what really goes on during their team's distance runs. But the wide range of ability levels on most scholastic teams makes this almost impossible. Having runners at various points along a route makes it difficult to monitor them all - even if you are out there running yourself. However, there is a simple solution you might have overlooked - accompany your team on a bicycle. This will allow you to shuttle back and forth between the different groups during their run. Advantages

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There are a number of advantages to using a bicycle: 1. It's a great motivator for your athletes. They'll work harder if they know the coach is watching. And they will probably run closer to their own ability level, instead of dogging it with a group of slower runners. 2. It allows you to observe your runners more closely from a number of different angles, and allows instant correction of technical flaws. 3. It allows you to become more in-volved with the team. Being out on the runs gives you a better chance to get to know your athletes. 4. You can use your bike to work on various aspects of your runners' skills. For example, the quality of their fartlek work can be improved by cycling a distance ahead and having your athletes run at a faster pace until they reach you. Speed can be improved by having

A bicycle allows you to shuttle between runners when your team is on its distance runs. A speedometer or cyclocomputer increases your ability to monitor and motivate your athletes.


The Bicycle as a Coaching Tool

Technology

Adding a "cyclocomputer" or speed-ometer to your bicycle will further in-crease the motivational value of your workouts. Mounted on your handlebars, these units are relatively inexpensive, costing between $20 and $100. They can tell you speed, distance travelled and sometimes maximum speed achieved. The more expensive models may include a stop watch, and alarms you can set to particular distances or times. These devices will allow you to closely monitor your runners actual effort and are excellent in helping them develop a sense of pace. And knowing how fast they are running while they are running is a great motivator. Another innovation that might prove useful are the new breed of mountain bikes. These bicycles have wide tires, up to 18 gears, and were developed for rough terrain. They may be ideal if your team does a lot of off-road training.

Reference: Gregory Louis Hertel, "Bicycle pacing for track conditioning." Coaching Review, May/ June 1986.

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them follow the bike as you gradually accelerate.

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Most running coaches are familiar with Fartlek, a Swedish term meaning “speed-play,” indicating continuous running during which the athlete intermittently changes speeds. In most cases we send our runners out on a fartlek with vague instructions such as, “Run 10k fartlek, with a halfdozen quicker 200m sections and some slower paced running after each.” This type of run certainly has its place, and its lack of structure can be a nice change. However, athletes who aren’t self-disciplined may have problems following such laissez-faire instructions. And you’ll never really know how fast or far your runners are going on their speed or recovery segments.

Provide greater control on fartlek runs by establishing a circular course in which speed must be increased between certain landmarks.

For More Controlled Fartlek

Reference: Dick Moss (Editor).

A Circular Fartlek Course

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One way to provide greater control on fartlek runs is to establish a circular course in which your athletes must speed up between certain landmarks and recover between others. By measuring the distance between these landmarks, you’ll know the exact distances over which your athletes are running faster. You can even time the sections, giving you an accurate indication of the speed at which your athletes are running. Such courses can be laid out in parks, around your school grounds, or in any open area with lots of running room.


Circular Fartlek Course Provides Better Control

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Many of us know the standard test for overtraining: take a morning heart rate and establish an average over several days. A daily reading above that average (i.e. 5 beats per minute higher) is an indicator of illness or overtraining. While it’s an easy test to administer, students—not at their most alert first thing in the morning—often forget to perform it. There are also claims that the test is not particularly accurate. Here’s a new test that is apparently accurate and can be taken at any time of the day—during a commercial break in your students’ favorite television program, for example. Rusko’s Overtraining Test

This test was invented by Finnish scientist Heikki Rusko, Ph.D. Here’s the procedure: 1. Have your athletes lie down for at least 10 minutes, then stand up, wait exactly 12 seconds, and count their pulse for exactly six seconds. They multiply this number by 10, to convert it into a beats-per-minute heart rate, and record the number

A test for monitoring overtraining, which can be taken at any time during the day.


A New Test for Overtraining

“I feel a bit tired, coach..”

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Interpreting Results

If your students are not overtrained, each day’s results will show little change. However, overtrained athletes will see their heart-rate readings gradually rise—especially in the second 30second reading. For example, the cross-country skiers Rusko studied exhibited a 10-15 beat-per-minute increase in their second reading when they were overtrained. A good feature of this test is that the increases in heart rate are usually gradual, which gives you time to reduce your athletes’ training load before they hit a full-fledged overtraining state. Handout

Rather than have you explain this procedure over and over, we’ve provided a handout you can send home with your athletes. See the next page. Reference: Porter Shimer, “Health Watch: Training—Back from the brink.” Runner’s World, June 1995. ($24 U.S., $31 Cdn., 12/yr., PO Box 7307., Red Oak, IA, USA 51591, 800/666-2828].


2. Exactly 90 seconds after standing up, they again count their pulse—this time for exactly 30 seconds. They multiply by two to get a beats-per-minute figure, and record the number. Instruct your athletes to perform this test at approximately the same time every day—for example, in the evening during study time, or when they are watching television.

Chart on Next Page

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Overtraining Test 1. Lie down for at least 10 minutes. For example, lie down while watching TV or studying. Try to perform this test at about the same time every day. 2. Stand up, wait exactly 12 seconds, then take your pulse for 6 seconds. ✍ Multiply the number of beats by 10 (for a beats per minute heart rate). Record the result. 3. Remain standing, and exactly 90 seconds after first standing, take your pulse for 30 seconds. ✍ Multiply the number of beats by 2. Record the result. That’s it! Compare your readings as your progress through your season. Normally, your readings will show little change. However, if you start to overtrain or become ill, your readings will begin to rise— especially your 30-second reading. Be sure to inform your coach!! _______________________________________________________________________________________

Record Your Results Here

6-SECOND X 10 = 60-SECOND X 2 = 60-SECOND 30-SECOND DATE PULSE PULSE PULSE PULSE _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________

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Overtraining is a serious problem, for athlete and coach alike. For athletes, the problems include apathy, depression, susceptibility to injury and poor performance. Unfortunately, early prediction of overtraining is a diffi-cult task. There are several signals of overtraining including increased pulse rate, loss of weight, and lack of sleep. However, there is another early warning signal that you might not sus-pect: workouts that are almost too good. The Dangers of Feeling Too Good

Most athletes get them - periods in which everything just "clicks" in work-outs. Times are faster and everything seems effortless. Typical comments might be "That workout felt easy!" or "I feel great!" Such workouts are very encouraging, but can also be a warning for the coach. Athletes who feel extremely good in workouts have a tendency to push themselves too hard, too soon. Prematurely increasing workloads beyond normal limits is one factor that can bring on overtraining.

Periods of extremely good workouts should be monitored closely by the coach. They may encourage athletes to push past their normal limits of endurance, and can result in overtraining.


A Strange Predictor of Overtraining

“I Feel Great!”

Recommendations

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This is one area where you, as coach, have to make a judgement call. You don't want to hold back athletes who seem to be making significant gains. On the other hand, remember that there are risks in increasing an athlete's workload too rapidly — even when they are feeling great.

Reference: David L. Costill Ph.D. (Director, Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State U.) "Feeling too good. " Runners World, August 1986.

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They may simply be in an "up" phase of their biorhythms, and what you are getting is not an average reading of their fitness level. It is probably best to be conservative and increase workloads gradually.

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It’s vital that we detect and predict overtraining among our athletes. However, few of us have access to sophisticated lab facilities. Fortunately, a recent study has found a simpler, cheaper alternative that we all can access…and it doesn’t require the drawing of blood. According to this Australian study, monitoring an athlete’s feelings of well-being through training logs can be as effective in predicting overtraining as sophisticated lab testing. The Study

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The study found that daily self-ratings of well-being were as indicative of overtraining as a battery of 50 different tests, including blood and urine tests, red and white cell counts, blood pressure, hemoglobin, lactate, urea and stress hormones. The subjects rated their own levels of fatigue, stress, quality of sleep and muscle soreness on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being very, very low (or good, in the case of sleep), and 7 being very, very high. It was found that athletes were overtrained when their ratings of fatigue continued at 5-7 for seven or more consecutive days. This “well-being” indicator matched the performance and lab test indicators of overtraining.

Self-assessed ratings of well-being can be effective predictors of overtraining in athletes.


The Coaching Log— An Easy Way to Monitor Overtraining

Uses

Reference: Laurel Mackinnon & Sue Hooper (U. of Queensland, Australia), “Training logs: An effective method of monitoring overtraining and tapering.” Sports Coach, July-September, 1994. [$35 Australian (surface mail) to North America, 4/yr., Published by the Australian Coaching Council, P.O. Box 176, Belconnen, ACT 2616, Australia Tel: (06) 252-1550, Fax: (06) 252-1200].

Chart on Next Page


This self-assessment method allows you to predict the onset of overtraining by watching for continuing high values of fatigue, stress, muscle soreness and sleeplessness in the athletes’ own log book. The exception would be when the athletes are ill, since illness can also increase the values. This method also allows you to measure the success of a tapering period, since all the ratings should improve when the level of training decreases during a taper.

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Date

Date

Date

Date

Date

Date

Date

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

5 5

5

6 6

6

7 7

7

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

Date

Date

Date

Date

Date

Date

Date

1

Quality of Sleep

1

Quality of Sleep

1

Quality of Sleep

1 1 1

Stress Muscle Soreness Quality of Sleep

1

Fatigue

CATEGORIES

1 1

Stress Muscle Soreness

1

Fatigue

CATEGORIES

1 1


1

Fatigue

CATEGORIES

1 1


5-High 6-Very High 7-Very, Very High

5-Poor 6-Very Poor 7-Very, Very Poor

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

4

4

4

4

RATINGS

4

4

4

4

RATINGS

4

4

4

4

RATINGS

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

RATINGS

4

4

4

4

RATINGS

4

4

4

4

RATINGS

RATINGS 3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Fatigue

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

CATEGORIES

Quality of Sleep

Muscle Soreness

Stress

Fatigue

CATEGORIES

Quality of Sleep

Muscle Soreness

Stress

Fatigue

CATEGORIES

Quality of Sleep

Muscle Soreness

Stress

Fatigue

CATEGORIES

Ratings for Quality of Sleep

3

4 4

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

1-Very, Very Good 2-Very Good 3-Fairly Good 4-Somewhat Poor

2

3 3

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

Ratings for Fatigue/Stress/Muscle Soreness

1

Quality of Sleep

2

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

1-Very, Very Low 2-Very Low 3-Fairly Low 4-Somewhat High

1 1

Stress

Muscle Soreness

2

4

2

1 3

3

4 4

RATINGS

2

3 3

Fatigue

1

Quality of Sleep

2

CATEGORIES

1 1

Stress

Muscle Soreness

2

4

2

1 3

3

4 4

RATINGS

2

3 3

Fatigue

1

Quality of Sleep

2

CATEGORIES

1 1

Stress

Muscle Soreness

2

4

2

1 3

3

4 4

RATINGS

2

3 3

Fatigue

1

Quality of Sleep

2

CATEGORIES

1 1

Stress

Muscle Soreness

2

4

2

1 3

3

4 4

RATINGS

2

3 3

Fatigue

1

Quality of Sleep

2

CATEGORIES

1 1

Stress

Muscle Soreness

2

4

2

1 3

3

4 4

RATINGS

2

3 3

Fatigue

1

Quality of Sleep

2

CATEGORIES

1 1

Stress

Muscle Soreness

2

4

2

1 3

3

4 4

RATINGS

2

3 3

Fatigue

1

Quality of Sleep

2

CATEGORIES

1 1

Stress

Muscle Soreness

2

4

3

RATINGS 2

Fatigue 1

CATEGORIES

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

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7

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7

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7

7

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7

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

Instructions: Circle the number that matches how you felt over the course of the day. Total the numbers, divide by seven and record the average. Contact your coach if your daily average remains between 5-7 for seven or more consecutive days.

This Log Will Help Your Coach Monitor Your Training Levels

Two-Week Training Log

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

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Cross country running is an interesting hybrid: part individual sport, part team sport. But because of differences in terrain, weather, course conditions, and opposing teams, it’s difficult to evaluate the results and progress of your individual runners from one meet to the next. For example, did your top runner perform better on that hilly course in which she came 3rd, or did she have a better race on that flat course in which she ran 3 minutes faster but came 10th? The Contribution Index is an attempt to make the evaluation of cross-country results more objective. Developed by Jerry Hassard, cross-country coach at the U. of Iowa, it rates the individual contribution of the top seven runners in comparison to the total team result. By providing each runner with a rating out of 100, it allows you to compare results from one meet to the next.

A rating system that evaluates the contribution of your runners in each race by comparing their individual time to the total team effort.


XC Contribution Index Helps You Gauge Individual Results

How to Calculate

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This formula can only be used with seven runners—and the results from the same seven runners must be calculated each time to give a true comparison between races. Results range from 0 to 100, with 50 being average, and 100 the highest. It shouldn’t take you longer than 15 minutes per race to calculate the indexes for all seven runners.

Performance=Total Team Time (secs) of Top 7 Individual Time (secs) CI = (Performance - 5.975) X 48.78 For example, a runner who finished in 20:00 minutes, on a team whose total team time was 140 minutes, would receive the following index rating: Performance = 8400 secs = 7 1200 secs CI = (7 - 5.957) X 48.78 Contributiion Index = 49.97 This runner’s contribution index was about 50—an average performance in the team’s total effort. An ideal result would be to have a fast overall team time and to see all seven runners with a contribution index around 50. This would show that your runners are all running fast and finishing together in a close group. On the next page, we’ve provided you with a reproducible sheet for recording your contribution index results.

Reference: Jerry Hassard (U. of Iowa), “Cross country team contribution index.” Track & Field Quarterly Review, Summer 1989. [$16/U.S., $20 U.S. in Canada., 4/yr, 1705 Evanston St., Kalamazoo, MI, USA, 49008].


CI=Contribution Index

Chart on Next Page

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Cross-Country Running— Contribution Index The Contribution Index keeps track of the relative contribution of your top seven runners throughout the competitive season. The same runners must be monitored for each race. Contribution Index = (Performance - 5.975) X 48.78 Performance=Total Team Time (secs) of Top 7 Individual Time (secs)

Races

Names

Average

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A more accurate method for determining heart rates, involving the measurement of the time it takes for 10 heart beats to occur.

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Training according to heart rate is an excellent way to individualize running paces for each athlete. Your athletes' heart rate can tell you how hard they are working, in what training zone they are running (ie aerobic/anaerobic) and whether they have recovered enough for another repetition. And heart rates can be used to determine pace when the exact distance of your running course isn’t known. However, there are difficulties in obtaining accurate heart rates in the field. Standard practice is to count the number of heart beats in a six-second period, then multiply by 10 for a beats-per-minute rate. This leaves great potential for inaccuracy. For example, it’s easy to be off by half a beat at the beginning and end of your six-second time period. This can make a difference of 10 beats when you calculate your per-minute heart rate. (For example, a change from 170 to 180 bpm). It’s also difficult to be precise about the actual start of the six-second period. For example, a start at .8 and a finish at 6.2 is comHeart Rate Charts mon—again, leading to an inaccu& Watches rate count of up to 10 beats per Can Be Placed On minute. A Table At The The following method of deterFinish Line mining heart rate is more accurate. Instead of counting the number of heart beats in a specific period of time, it measures the amount of time it takes for the completion of 10 beats.


A More Accurate Method for Determining Heart Rates

A More Accurate Method

Why It’s More Accurate

This method reduces the problem of starting and stopping halfway through a beat. It also reduces the margin of error on a miscounted beat from 10 bpm to only 3-5 bpm. Finally, since measurements can usually be taken in 3-4 seconds, there is less chance that an athlete’s quick recovery will affect the measurement. Problems and Solutions

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While this method is more accurate, it does have its problems. 1. Everybody can’t carry a chart. The first problem with this method is that it requires your athletes to carry a chart. However, you can solve this problem by telling your athletes the training range, in seconds for 10 beats, in which you want them to run. For example, you could instruct them to run at a 4.0 to 3.5 heart-rate pace (150 bpm to 171 bpm). Or, to recover until their heart rate is down to 5.0. After a while, you’ll find that they memorize the times which define the intensities at which they must run. 2. Not enough hands to take heart rate. The second problem is that you can’t time 10 heart beats while using a wristwatch. Since both hands are needed for this operation, you have no hands left to check your pulse (just try it). And taking a wristwatch off after each rep is time-consuming and inconvenient. One solution is to have your runners hold their watches in their hand while running. This actually makes it easier for them to take their own running times and it leaves them with a free hand for checking their heart rate afterwards. Another solution is to keep a number of inexpensive stopwatches on a table near the finish line of each run or interval.


The method is quite simple. Your athletes measure the time it takes to complete 10 heart beats. Have them start their watch at the beginning of the first heart beat—counting that beat as “0”—and stop their watch at the beginning of the 10th beat. They then use the chart provided on the next page to determine their heart rate in beats per minute.

Reference: Heart rate chart information from the Williams Pace Calculator, c/o Bob Williams, Distance Running Guidance Systems.

Chart on Next Page


You can keep a laminated copy of the heart rate chart on the same table. Then, when your runners finish their run, they simply pick up a watch from the table, take their pulse, and determine their heart rate from the chart.

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HEART RATE CHART To determine your heart-rate per minute. Instructions: Start your watch at the beginning of the first heart beat (counting that beat as “0”). Stop your watch at the beginning of the 10th beat. Use the chart to determine your heart rate. Each column in the chart represents a training range for the average student (your range may differ). Column #1= Anaerobic, Column #2=Aerobic training, Column #3=Recovery

Secs. For 10 Beats

Beats Per Minute

2.6 ........................ 231 2.7 ........................ 222 2.8 ........................ 214 2.9 ........................ 207 3.0 ........................ 200 3.1 ........................ 194 3.2 ........................ 188 3.3 ........................ 182 Average Anaerobic Range

Secs. For 10 Beats

Beats Per Minute

3.4 ........................ 177 3.5 ........................ 171 3.6 ........................ 167 3.7 ........................ 162 3.8 ........................ 158 3.9 ........................ 154 4.0 ........................ 150 4.1 ........................ 146 4.2 ........................ 143 4.3 ........................ 140 Average Aerobic Range

Secs. For 10 Beats

Beats Per Minute

4.4 ........................ 136 4.5 ........................ 133 4.6 ........................ 130 4.7 ........................ 128 4.8 ........................ 125 4.9 ........................ 122 5.0 ........................ 120 5.1 ........................ 118 5.2 ........................ 115 5.3 ........................ 113 5.4 ........................ 111 5.5 ........................ 109 5.6 ........................ 107 5.7 ........................ 105 5.8 ........................ 103 5.9 ........................ 102 6.0 ........................ 100 Average Recovery Range

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Your steeplechasers would like to practice their water jumps, but your track’s water pit is dry…or your track has no water pit at all. How do you provide these athletes with the practice they need? One option is to use a long jump pit to simulate a water-filled landing area. Setup

Set up a steeplechase barrier at the edge of a long jump pit, and have your runners practice their water jump clearances into the sand. The extra cushioning and resistance of the sand will simulate the feeling of landing and running through a water pit. You can even have your athletes run complete laps, in which they run over all the barriers, negotiate the water (sand) barrier, then angle back onto the track to complete the lap.

You can simulate a water jump for your steeplechasers by having them jump over a barrier into a long jump pit.

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Reference: Gerry A. Carr (PhD), Fundamentals of Track and Field, Leisure Press, 1991. [$23.00 U.S., $28.50 Cdn. plus shipping, c/o Human Kinetics Publishers Inc., In Canada: Box 2503, Windsor, Ontario, N8Y 4S2, 1-800-465-7301. In U.S.A.: Box 5076, Champaign, Illinois, 61825, 1/800-747-4457].


Use a Long Jump Pit to Simulate a Steeplechase Water Jump

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Many of us live in areas which have high levels of air pollution—or must travel to such areas for competitions. What’s unfortunate for athletes is that heavy smog can impair their performance. As a result, it’s important for coaches to know how to reduce the effects of pollution on our athletes. The U.S. army has conducted some research into the problem. This article will discuss their findings and some methods for minimizing the effects of air pollution on athletic training and performance. Types of Pollution

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Considering the extent of the problem, relatively little research has been conducted into the effects of pollution on athletic performance. However, the following types of air pollution have received attention: 1. Carbon Monoxide CO, a product of car exhaust, is 230 times more likely to bind with hemoglobin than is oxygen. As a result, high CO concentrations reduce the blood’s ability to transport and release oxygen, reducing the volume and intensity of exercise an athlete can perform. CO is the form of air pollution with the greatest negative effect on athletic performance. 2. Peroxyacetyl nitrate This is another component of car exhaust. It’s a nose and eye irritant and is responsible for the burning sensation in the eyes during smoggy conditions. Blurred vision, sore eyes and eye fatigue are symptoms of over-exposure. These problems can be a factor in visually-oriented sports.

Some tips for training and competing when air pollution levels are high.


Training & Competing in Smoggy Conditions

Effects Depend Upon Sport

Will pollution affect your athletes? It depends on their sport. The sports most affected are those requiring the greatest demands on the cardiovascular system. Passive sports may suffer little or no effect from air pollution. Training in the Smog

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To reduce the effects of pollution on training, you should consider the following factors: • Time of Workout The main pollution culprit for athletes is carbon monoxide, a product of auto exhaust. Since CO levels are highly related to traffic levels, it’s best to avoid training during rush hour. In general, the best times to avoid smog are in the early morning or late afternoon. • Location of Workout Obviously, the closer you are to the pollution source, the more CO your athletes will inhale. Keep as far away from cars and roadways as possible. Runners are at high risk. Tips for runners include staying on the upwind side of the road and standing away from intersections and exhaust pipes when stopped at traffic lights. And be aware that pollution can also occur indoors. Gasoline-powered resurfacing machines can increase the CO to dangerous levels in hockey rinks. It’s wise to keep your skaters away from the ice for as long as possible after resurfacing. • Intensity and Duration of Workout The greater the amount of air inhaled and the longer the exposure to the pollution, the greater the effects will be. As a result, the intensity of exercise and length of workout will have an effect on the pollution dose your athletes receive.


3. Respiratory and Eye Irritants Other pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, soot, cigarette smoke, dust and ozone have been poorly studied. Although they’re all respiratory irritants and may reduce airflow in the lungs, it isn’t known whether they impair performance in healthy individuals. However, they certainly will affect those who already have respiratory problems.

Competing in the Smog

Most championship competitions take place in larger urban areas—which are also areas of high pollution risk. Here are some tips for reducing your athletes’ exposure to performance-impairing pollution at smoggy competitive venues. 1. Reduce their exposure to pollution on the way to the competition. CO has a cumulative effect and takes hours to clear the bloodstream. Keep car windows rolled up on the drive to the site. Prohibit smoking in the vehicle by parents, spectators and coaches. Cigarettes also produce CO. 2. Arrive at the competition early. This will give your athletes time to clear their system of the pollution they’ve absorbed during the trip (unless there is no place on site that is pollution-free). For example, it takes three to four hours to eliminate 50% of the CO from your bloodstream. 3. Once at a site with heavy pollution, keep physical activity to a minimum. The less you exercise, the less you breathe and the lower your exposure will be to pollution. Keep the warm-up to a minimum. 4. Finally, reduce exposure during the competition. For example, during a road-race, run upwind of traffic. These measures might appear extreme, but when pollution levels are high, performance can be impaired. In competitions that can be decided by hundredths of a second or by early fatigue, a few simple measures could mean a great deal.

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Reference: Peter N. Frykman (Exercise Physiology Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick MA), “Effects of air pollution on human exercise performance.” Journal of Applied


If the day is extremely smoggy, you might work on technique instead of intense conditioning. Or you could alter the workout by reducing running speed and/or reducing the number of sets and repetitions.

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Sports Science Research, October/November 1988. [A Supplement of the National Strength & Conditioning Assn. Journal: included with Professional Membership fees of $45 U.S. per year: Box 81410, Lincoln NE, 68501, (402) 472-3000].

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Tactics

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I see it time and again, even at the international level: middle distance runners who, while attempting to run as close to the curb as possible, get boxed-in, bumped, and forced to break their rhythm and stride cadence. Then when the leaders make their break, these runners can’t follow because they’re surrounded by other competitors. And why? Because of the age-old doctrine that it’s best to stay as close as possible to the curb because running wide means covering extra distance. What proponents of such tactics don’t mention is the energy-cost of interrupting your running rhythm, getting bumped, or delaying your kick to a point that is less than optimal. To paraphrase Peter Coe, coach of Sebastian Coe, former Olympic champion and 800m world record holder: when you compare the distance saved by running near the curb versus the energy saved by running on the outside of the pack with uninterrupted rhythm, choose the latter.

Middle distance runners should avoid running “on the curb” in the early stages of a race.

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Stay Off the Curb in Middle Distance Events

After the Break

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Runners should aim to place themselves away from the curb as soon as possible. On the 800 & 1500m break, they should move to the outside of the first lane—or the outside shoulder of a curb-running competiRunner in the Inside Lane tor—not the curb itself. This applies even Aims for the Outside of Lane if they are running from the inside lane. One—Away From the Curb This outside position will give them open space to the right if they need to surge or avoid another runner. And they’re really only a running a couple of feet wider than the curb-runners.

What If They Are Running in the Lead?

If your runners find themselves in the lead, they have three options. • Run on the curb and hope they can keep the lead all the way to the finish line. • Run in the lead until passed, then, if there is any danger of becoming boxed-in, get to the outside shoulder of the leader. • Although unorthodox, they could also run in the lead, but on the outside of lane one. There’s less chance of getting boxed-in from that position. And if someone passes your runner on the inside, your athlete can run on their outside shoulder.

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That Runner Ends up In Excellent Position on the Outside Shoulder of the Lead Runner

Kick Time

Of course, if your athletes are kicking for home, they should stay near the curb if they have an open lane all the way to the finish line. An even more effective strategy is to run in the outside 2/3 of the lane, so that passing runners have to go a little wide, but there’s not enough space on the inside to squeeze through. Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Digest, Fall 2002.


Occasionally, the pack will run three-wide, but most opponents will not run three-wide for long, so this usually isn’t a problem. If your runners get boxed in, their goal should be to get to the outside as smoothly and as soon as they can. The urgency of this task will depend on the length of the race.

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Leader Can Run on the Outside of Lane One Instead of Next to the Curb

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In the 800m, runners stay in their lanes for the first 100m. Then, at the beginning of the backstraight, they’re allowed to cut to the inside lanes. Passing the cut-in flag usually triggers a mad, swerving mass of bodies, all attempting to establish position in lane one. However, for the runners in the middle and outside lanes, this rapid movement to lane one is an inefficient tactic that actually causes them to run farther. Here’s why. Running the Tangent is Best

As everyone knows, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. For runners in an outside lane, a straight path is one which does not meet the inside lane until the runner has completed the backstraight and is almost at the curve of the track—for you math whizzes, this is a “tangent” to the curve. Deviating from this line, as when runners cut in very quickly, actually means that extra distance is being run.

The most efficient cutin path for a runner in an outside lane of the 800m is a tangent to the far curve of the track.


800m Runners Should Follow a Tangential Cut-In Path

Implications

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In other words, for runners in an outside lane, a gradual cut-in is most efficient— there’s no rush to reach lane one until they’re almost at the curve. In real terms, outside runners may feel rather strange, running

Reference: David Martin (PhD) & Peter Coe, Better Training for Distance Runners (2nd Edition), Human Kinetics Publishers, 1997. [$22.95 U.S. or $33.95 Cdn. plus shipping, c/o Human Kinetics Publishers Inc., In Canada: 475 Devonshire Rd, Unit 100, Windsor, Ontario N8Y 2L5, 1-800-465-7301. In the U.S.A.: Box 5076, Champaign, Illinois, 61825, 1/800-747-4457]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


several lanes wide of the pack down the backstretch. On the other hand, they’ll avoid the flailing arms and legs of the other runners and will be able to better control the position at which they enter the pack. Middle-lane runners will be in a slightly different situation, since they’ll encounter pressure from outside competitors attempting to break quickly to the inside. However, your runners have every right to run outside of the pack, and it’s illegal for a competitor to initiate excessive contact in attempting to push through your athlete to the inside.

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Here’s a way for two runners to gang up on an opponent on a track or cross-country course. With a bit of teamwork, they can surge side by side past an opponent, or simultaneously pass on both sides of their victim.

For maximum tactical impact, pass the opponent side by side with a teammate.

How to Perform

The most effective duo-passing occurs when both teammates pass side by side, instead of one after the other. This gives the opponent less time to react and possibly fight off the second runner. To coordinate this move, have your athletes practice such duo-passes in advance. Then, during a race, they need merely to establish eye contact with each other, make a quick head movement or other signal, and blast past. Effect

A two-runner move can have a devastating psychological effect on opponents—losing two places so quickly is a difficult mental obstacle to overcome.

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Surge in Pairs for Better Team Tactics

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Two Cross-Country Teammates Passing on Both Sides of the Opponent

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Two Teammates Passing Side by Side on the Track

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Reference: Eric Anderson, Training Games, TAFNEWS Press, 1994. [$12.00 U.S., c/o Track & Field News, 2570 El Camino Real, Suite 606, Mountain View, CA, 94040, USA, 415/948-8188]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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In their last race, your runners were drafted by competitors for most of the course. They tried picking up the pace on hills and surging at turns in the trail, but just couldn’t shake their shadows. “What should we have done?” you’re asked. Suggest the Double Surge technique to shake off tailgaters. Here’s how it works. The Double Surge

Have your runners make a quick, hard surge, then settle back into their regular pace. Then, after only a few seconds, surge again. Most trailing runners have to work extremely hard to deal with a leader’s surge, but tell themselves that if they hang on, the surger will eventually slow down and they can then catch their breath. The second surge will catch them exactly when they’re thinking they can recover, and it’s a psychological blow that can drop them for good.

Two backto-back surges can break a drafting runner by taking advantage of a mental lapse. “He’s caught up— time to surge again!”

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Reference: Eric Anderson, Training Games, TAFNEWS Press, 1994. [$12.00 U.S., c/o Track & Field News, 2570 El Camino Real, Suite 606, Mountain View, CA, 94040, USA, 415/948-8188].


Double Surge Tactic When Running in the Lead

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No matter how good your middle distance and distance runners are, sooner or later they’ll encounter a race in which they must run in a pack. If they have little experience in pack running, this can lead to serious errors in important races. Here’s a simulation drill that will expose your runners to typical pack running situations: the confusion of a middle distance start, moving up through a group of runners, and the maneuvering that takes place around the final turn before a hard finishing kick. Simulation Drill Have your runners work in groups of three, four or five. The running distance should be between 250 to 300 meters, and is divided into four sections, marked by pylons. These sections are discussed below. Section 1 - The Start

Place your athletes at the 1500m start-line in typical bunch start positions. Pick one man to be “leader,” and place that runner in the middle of the starting group. Then start the runners as if in a race: they must run off the start line and break towards the inside lane. It will be the leader’s task to fight through the group and assume the lead position. The pack runs hard and jockeys for position until they hit “Line A,” about 50 meters down the track.

A drill that will give your runners experience in the tactical decisions necessary for good pack running.


Teaching Your Athletes to Run in a Pack

Section 2 - Maintain Position

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At this point everyone settles into a comfortable pace and no more changing of position is allowed. The one exception is the “leader” - if s/he is not already at the head of the pack, s/he must move forward and assume that position. This steady pace continues for 150m, until the group crosses line “B.”

Section 3 - Jockey for Position

Section 4 - Finishing Kick

When the leader crosses line “C,” it’s every man for himself all the way to the finish line, about 50 meters away. Keeping this final distance short emphasizes tactics and timing rather than speed and endurance. The runners who have put themselves into good position and done the best job of timing their kick will have a definite advantage over their fellow runners. Reps and Recovery

On each successive repetition, alternate the leader until everyone has had a chance. Arrange the number of reps and amount of recovery according to the type of conditioning you want to develop. For example, full recovery and few repetitions will allow an emphasis on speed and tactics. Shorter recovery and more reps will develop speed

1500m Start

Line A Section 2


In this section, your runners get into position for a good finishing kick. If they are boxed in, they must attempt to break out of the box. If they are a great distance behind the leader, they should close the gap. However, there are some restrictions: no runner can pass the leader and no one, including the leader, is allowed to start their final finishing kick. The leader is given the option of either maintaining the pace, or gradually increasing it.

Section 1

Line B

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Pack Running Drill: Track Setup

Conclusion

This drill will give your runners the opportunity to experience many of the problems involved with running in a pack: assuming a good position from a bunch start, breaking out of a box, changing positions without interfering with other runners, timing a strong move around forward runners, and concentrating on a finishing kick despite the distractions of charging opponents. A short critique after each repetition will provide your runners with instant feedback and a target for improvement in the next attempt. Dice Moss (Editor) Physical Education Digest, April 1987. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


endurance, anaerobic conditioning and the ability to think and react while tired

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Every cross-country running coach has a number (or maybe an entire team) of slower runners who usually finish in the middle or back of the pack. These runners seldom count in the scoring, receive less attention than the stars, and may have a hard time judging how well they performed in a race. Typical Race Pattern for Slower Runners

Such runners often employ the following race pattern: 1. Start out fast, while pumped up by adrenaline and surrounded by spectators. 2. Settle into cruise-control while out on the course and not under public scru-tiny. Running, but not really racing. Not too concerned about passing or being passed. 3. Race hard when approaching the finish, the coaches, and fans. With this in mind, here’s how to get your mid-packers focused and aggressive throughout the race.

Slower runners should concentrate on attacking or defending, one opponent at a time.

Attack or Defend

Attacking

When attacking, they should attempt to catch up to the runner just

"Good, I passed him! Now who's next?"

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The fact is, it can be discouraging to look ahead at a long line of runners disappearing down the course. So instruct your mid-packers to focus only on the runner directly ahead or behind of them. Once they’ve completed their customary start, they should dedicate the rest of the race to either attacking or defending their position…one competitor at a time.


Racing Tips for Slower Runners

Defending

There may come a point in the race where your runners simply can’t attack anymore, and instead find themselves in danger of being passed. In such situations, they should change their mind-set from “attack” to “hang on.” Tell them to pretend they’re leading the race and must defend their lead from attacking opponents. Instruct them to match pace, as long as they can, with each runner who tries to pass them. This might be five strides, or fifty. They may or may not be able to hold off the challenge. But each time they try, their pace will increase, resulting in a faster race. The Key

The key to making this strategy work with your mid-packers is a post-race debriefing. Instead of a standard, “Way to go, Josh,” or “How’d it go, Sarah?” ask for specific details on who they passed, who they held off, and how and where they did it. This will provide you with some feedback as to whether they truly did race. If they did, they’ll be able to give you a detailed account of their run. However, if they fell into their old pattern, they probably dissociated from the race and their memory of what happened will be hazy. They’ll enjoy the extra attention, and knowing they’re going to be quizzed on the specifics of their race is a great motivator the next time they toe the start line.


ahead of them, then put on a slight surge to pass. Once safely ahead, they can settle down to a more sustainable pace and focus on the next runner. Tell your mid-packers to employ the same tactics they would use if they were in the lead pack: surging, passing on hills, etc. Each runner your mid-packer passes is a little victory for them that should buoy their spirits for the next attack.

Benefits

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One of the benefits of this strategy is that it keeps your runners focused on racing and tactics instead of their normal feelings of discomfort. It also gives them a specific plan for the middle of the race, which will improve their confidence, running speed and enjoy-

References: Dr. Randall W. Crist (Murray State U.), “Life in the middle of the pack.” Coach & Athletic Director, September 1996. [$17.95 U.S., Foreign subscribers, add $5., 10/yr., U.S. address: P.O. Box 54490, Boulder, CO, 80322, Canadian address: Scholastic-TAB Publications Ltd., 123 Newkirk Rd., Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4C 3G5, 1-800-544-2917]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


ment of the sport. After all, they’ll be employing exactly the same tactics as the leaders…just at a slower speed.

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When travelling to an unfamiliar cross-country or road race course, various factors often mean you must arrive only shortly before the race. As a result, you may not have time to do a complete run-through of the route. However, it’s extremely important that your runners get a feel for the course, especially the last mile or two when they’ll want to pick up the pace for a finishing kick. Without knowing how close they are to the finish, they’ll continue to conserve their energy, and may not make a decisive move when they should. For this reason, it’s important to go over at least the last mile of the course. Make it a part of the warm-up, and point out some prominent reference points so your athletes will recognize the final mile when they get to it. And if possible, try to find a high spot on which they can at least see other parts of the route. Your runners will still be at a tactical disadvantage to athletes who have completed the entire course, but at least they’ll know a few points of reference, and they’ll know when to make their final move to the finish line.

If you don’t have time to do a complete run-through of an unfamiliar crosscountry course, be sure to at least learn the final mile.

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Reference: Bob Glover, “Basics: get your mind racing.” Runners World, July 1987.


Cross-Country: When You Arrive Late, Practice the Final Mile

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While walking the course at our recent provincial high school XC Championships, I found myself behind several groups of runners. The thing I noticed immediately is that none of them were paying attention to the course. They were yacking away about everything from the latest ER episode to their favourite beer commercial. All the while, they were overlooking features of terrain that would help them once they were actually racing. So, on the next page is a brief checklist of what to look for when walking a cross-country course. The idea is not only to get a general idea of where to go, but to memorize key features that could give your runners a tactical advantage. As you can see from the handout, there’s a lot to pay attention to, and unless your athletes are the multi-taskers of all time, they won’t be able to do it while discussing ER. Feel free to reproduce this handout for them.

A checklist of things to look for on the prerace walkthrough of a cross-country course.


Study the Course, Don’t Just Walk It

See handout on next page.

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Pre-Race Walk-Through Tips for XC Running •

First, check out the course map. See if kilometers or miles are marked. Even if they aren’t, divide the course map into sections by kilometer. Mentally, it’s easier to run segments of a race, rather than the entire course.

• Memorize landmarks. Once on the course, memorize landmarks and associate them with these segments. For example, “OK, that huge oak tree is at about the 1k mark, the Porta-Potty is at the 2k…when I get to the basketball court, it’s only 1 km to go and it’s time to kick it in.” There’s a psychological advantage to knowing the landmarks, aside from giving your runners a better idea of how to distribute their energy and effort. It taps into a phenomenon you’ll notice when you’re driving— once you’re familiar with landmarks on a route, the trip seems to go faster. This is because you can place yourself on a mental map of the trip. By memorizing landmarks on a race course and associating them with the distance left to travel, your students will avoid that panicky, “Oh my gosh, how much farther do I have to go?” feeling. •

Identify all uphills and downhills. Be aware of gradual grades that aren’t obvious but that will allow you to put on a surge with little increase in effort. In contrast, it will feel harder when running up slight uphill grades—if you know the grade is there, you’ll understand why your effort level has suddenly increased.

•

Tactical features. Identify places where you might be able to surge, such as blind corners and slight changes in elevation. Imagine yourself running with a pack of competitors and looking for a place to break free. A surge around a blind corner can give you a psychological edge if you’ve opened a lead of several meters by the time your opponents negotiate the curve.

•

Rough terrain. Identify places where there are rocks, roots, mud, puddles and other potentially dangerous features.

•

Pick a line. Just as downhill skiers pick their most efficient path down their course, so should you. For example, should you be on the inside or the outside of the path as you approach that turn? If you take it inside, will you get squeezed?

•

Bottlenecks. Are there places where the pack will jam up if a number of runners arrive there at the same time? Make sure you are ahead of the pack at these bottlenecks.

•

The final km/500m. Be absolutely sure you know where these marks are. They will tell you when you should kick and how hard. Run this part of the course several times to burn it into your memory.

•

Visualize. Finally, imagine yourself racing as you move through the course, putting in surges, taking your ideal line down hills, working hard up the hills then continuing your effort past the crest, and finally, kicking it in at the finish. This visualization will pay dividends and is a classic mental training technique. There’s no better place to do it than on the course.

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Benefits

There are a number of advantages to bringing extra athletes and having them race the course: • It rewards those athletes who have worked hard all year.

Bring extra runners to your championship and hold a race for them, on the championship course, the day before the meet.

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Cross-country championship races are restricted to your top seven runners. Unfortunately, if you have a large team, this rule leaves a lot of runners at home. These athletes, who may form your team next year, will not experience a championship atmosphere until they are actually involved as a competitor. As we all know, a first experience at a big meet can be so distracting that it can interfere with performance. So how can you give as many athletes as possible a championship atmosphere experience—and reward all your hard workers at the same time? If your budget allows, bring as many additional athletes to the championships as you can. They can act as cheerleaders, split-takers and coaching assistants, and in so doing, they will have the opportunity to experience the atmosphere at a championship race. Having experienced it once, these athletes are less likely to be intimidated by it in the future. And here’s a great idea. You can heighten these athletes’ championship experience by having them compete in an intramural race —on actual race course — the day before the championship. After your competing runners do their walkthrough, gather your “second team” runners and hold an actual race. Your first-teamers can act as officials.


Your Second Team Can Also Race at the Championships

Reference: Joe Newton with Joe Henderson, Coaching Cross-Country Successfully, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1998. [$17.95 U.S., $25.95 Cdn., c/o Human Kinetics Publishers Inc., In Canada: 475 Devonshire Rd, Unit 100, Windsor, Ontario N8Y 2L5, 1-800-465-7301. In U.S.A.: Box 5076, Champaign, Illinois, 61825, 1/800-747-4457]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


• Increases your “cheer-power” on the course. • If the same course will be used in the future, it will give your young runners a chance to experience it. • The pre-race will give your athletes the chance to experience the championships in circumstances that closely match actual racing participation. • It will reduce the intimidation factor for future championship races. • Watching and helping the second team will keep your championship athletes occupied and reduce nervous pre-race jitters.

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Games & Workouts

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Many cross-country teams perform fast running on the track, and paarlaufs—continuous relays—are an excellent way to inject variety into these interval sessions. Most paarlaufs are performed using two or three runners over a 200 or 400 metre distance. However, another option is to perform a two-person paarlauf over 300 metres. Here’s how it works. Set-up

Divide your squad into teams of two (runners A & B) and place all runners at the 300 metre start line. No batons are needed. Execution

Runner A starts to run, while runner B waits at the start line. As soon as runner A crosses the finish line (completing his/her 300 metre interval) he raises his hand. This signals runner B to begin running his 300m. Unlike most parlauffs, the partners never actually exchange a baton. In the meantime, runner A jogs the 100 metres back to the start of the 300m. When runner B completes his 300m run and raises his hand, runner A starts running his second 300m. This pattern continues until the desired number of 300’s have been completed. You can specify the number of repetitions you want your runners to complete or you can stop the paarlauf after a specified time.

A paarlauf, or continuous relay, that’s conducted with two runners, using 300 metre repeats.


Paarlaufs— 300 Metre Style

Effects

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Although cleverly disguised, your athletes will be running 300m intervals with 100m jog recovery—or as long as it takes their partner to run his 300m. This short recovery makes it a good distance-type workout—especially

A

B

“A” Runs While “B” Waits at the Start Line (300m/1500m start line) B A

When “A” Crosses Finish Line, “B” Starts to Run

A

B 227


if many repetitions are performed at a relatively slow pace. In fact, I’d stress to your athletes that they shouldn’t run their first few repetitions too quickly. The recovery period is quite short and they’ll quickly pay the price if they start out too fast. This is a fun alternative to running timed repetitions—you’ll find most of your distance runners will enjoy the team aspect of this workout.

“A” Jogs Back to Start Line while “B” Runs

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Reference: Dick Moss (Editor), Physical Education Digest, September/October 1990. [$24 Cdn in Canada, $24 U.S., $26 in both countries if payment is not with order. See inside front cover for more information].

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Fartlek running (fartlek means “speed-play” in Swedish, in case you think I need my mouth washed out with soap) is meant to be unstructured running in which the athlete speeds up and slows down repeatedly throughout a run—with the location and duration of the speed changes dependent on how the runner feels. But some runners find this lack of structure confusing. They aren’t sure how far or how fast to run or how often they are “supposed” to change pace. And for the unmotivated, fartlek provides the perfect opportunity to slack off. A Race the Car Fartlek is a great way to reduce such feelings of uncertainty while keeping fartlek unstructured and unpredictable.

A form of fartlek in which runners speed up when they hear a car coming from behind.

How to Race Cars

While on a run, instruct your runners to listen for a car coming from behind. When they hear a vehicle (or sight one off in the distance) they should speed up and attempt to reach a specific landmark (perhaps a telephone pole or a traffic sign) before the car does. If there’s too much traffic to do this for every car, your runners could use a specific type of vehicle as the signal to start running faster.

Your Runners Pick Up the Pace When They Hear a Car

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Reference: Joan Samuelson, “Medical & training advice: Fast work.” Runner’s World, September 1988. ($24 U.S., $31 Cdn., 12/yr., PO Box 7307., Red Oak, IA, USA 51591, 800/666-2828].


Race the Car Fartlek

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Cross-country starts are absolute mayhem—especially in championships, where you might see as many as 200 runners sprinting to reach the first narrowing point in good position. Many runners, used to a more leisurely start in hometown races, get swept along and quickly die, or start too slowly and never get into position to be competitive. How can you train your runners for such fast starts? One way is to practice it during longer distance runs. Long Run Start Practice

Your runners first perform a short warmup, so they’re loose before they begin their run. Then, as a group, have them start their distance run at a fast, race-like sprint over a designated distance, for example, the length of your football field or a lap of the track. They then settle into a minute or two of their perceived race pace, after which they slow to their normal Run training pace and finish their run. Progression

at training pace

Run at starting pace

Run at race pace

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A progression will make these faster starts even more effective. The first week, place one pylon 100m from the start line, and another pylon an additional 100m down the course. Instruct your runners to sprint to the first pylon, run at race pace to the second, then settle down into their normal training pace for the rest of the run.

Long runs can be used to practice the fast starts typical of championship races.


Learning to Withstand Fast Starts in a XC Race

Reference: Edward Derse and Skip Stolley, AAF/CIF Cross Country Coaching Manual, Amateur Athletic Foundation, 1994. [$34.95 U.S., Available from Health for Life, 13352 Beach Ave., Marina del Rey, CA, 90292, USA, 800-874-5339, 310-306-0777, Fax: 310305-7672]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


On each subsequent week, increase the distance to the two pylons. Your runners will soon become accustomed to fast starts and will develop the ability to recover as they slow to their normal racing pace.

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Variety in your training program is the key to keeping your athletes motivated and enthusiastic. Here's a tagvariation called "Chaser" you can use for such a change of pace. In the "good old days" (when I ran under Dan McClimon at the U. of Wisconsin), we used it as an occasional sub-stitute for fartlek workouts. Setup

This game, which is a variation of tag, works best on a large grassy surface. A football field is okay, but a larger area such as a golf course or park is better. Establish boundaries within which your runners must stay. The larger the area, the better, since your athletes will be able run farther (in a straight line) before having to worry about changing direction. How to Play "Chaser"

Determining Who's "It"

It can be difficult to determine who has been tagged

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First, do a good warmup, then designate three people to be "chasers." Their job is to tag other players, who then also become chasers. Any player who is tagged must do 10 pushups and 10 situps, then join in the chase. The last player to be tagged is the winner. Of course, constant movement is required for all players - everyone must jog when not being pursued. This adds an element of aerobic conditioning to the workout.

A tag variation that is an excellent substitute for fartlek workouts.


A Fun Substitute for Fartlek Work

Conclusion

"Chaser" is a painless way to do speedwork, and it's surprising how fast some students can run when being pursued. And it can be very taxing - as the game progresses, more athletes will become chasers and the remaining runners will have less recovery time before being chased. Dick Moss, Coaching Digest, November 1986. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


and who hasn't. This actually works out well, however; everybody tends to keep their distance from everyone else to avoid being tricked. This helps to maintain constant movement. However, to aid in the identification process, blow your whistle occasionally, and instruct all the "chasers" to do 10 situps and "runners" to do 10 pushups (or vice versa). This will add some strength work to the game, and will give your students a chance to see who's a threat and who isn't.

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Interval and fartlek training (fartlek is a Swedish term referring to continuous running in which speeds constantly change) are important ways to improve running speed and anaerobic fitness. However, regular interval and fartlek training is often intimidating or boring for beginners. Here’s a fun substitute that will introduce your athletes to interval/fartlek training, and may also provide your exceptional runners with a yummy dinner for their entire family (just kidding). Off to the Chase

After your normal warm-up, head for any park that contains trees, running at a moderate pace. The fun begins as soon as an athlete spots a squirrel. He/she begins a mad dash after the squirrel, followed by other runners who were slow off the mark or looking in other directions. The dash continues until the squirrel has climbed a tree to safety, at which point your runners slow their pace and resume their search for new prey. Continue running and “chasing” until your athletes have covered a pre-determined distance (e.g. twice around the park) or a specific time.

A fartlektype workout in which the changes of speed are provided by chases after squirrels or birds.


Squirrel Chase

Alternatives

If you live in an area that is squirrel-poor, your stu-

A Squirrel Chase

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Reference: Mark Dewan, a physical education graduate from Laurentian University in Sudbury Ontario, is currently entering teacher’s college at the University of Ottawa. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


dents could chase after seagulls, crows, or any creature that will run, fly or swim away (avoid skunks, porcupines and Tasmanian Devils).

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Here’s a great way for runners to add some variation to their usual “fartlek” workouts (running with frequent changes of pace). It’s a simple running game requiring several athletes of approximately equal running ability. How

“Pass the torch” is perfect for the open terrain of a golf course, park or conservation area. To start the game, one runner is given a stopwatch. That runner is the designated “torch-bearer.” He starts the watch then leads the pack on the route of his choice, over whatever type of terrain he prefers to run (i.e. hilly, flat, twisting, etc.) The period of time that each runner carries the torch can either be pre-determined by you or can be chosen, then declared out loud, by each individual runner. When the torch bearer’s time is up (as determined by referring to his watch), he slows the pace to a recovery jog. The recovery period should equal or double the amount of time of the fast run. As the recovery time expires, the watch is then passed to the next runner, who takes his turn as leader of the pack.

A running drill that gives each runner the opportunity to lead the pack through their own favourite type of terrain.


“Pass-the-Torch” Run Makes Fartlek Easier

Additional Note

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This drill is most effective if you can divide your runners into groups of relatively equal ability. If you don’t,

Benefits

This game provides each runner with the motivation of leading the pack and providing personal input into the workout.

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the slow runners, when leading, will tend to hold back your faster athletes. And your faster runners will outdistance their slower teammates, who will always be struggling to catch up and will receive increasingly shorter periods of recovery.

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The Handicap Fartlek is a running drill that will equalize some of the differences in ability between your slow and fast runners. As a result, it will allow your entire squad to work out together and will prevent your slower runners from becoming discouraged. Execution

You control this workout using a whistle, so it’s probably best to use a park or large field as its location. First, divide your runners into groups based on their level of ability. Begin the workout by having all the groups jog the first section of a specified course together. Then, blow a whistle to signal everyone to begin running at race pace. The runners in the faster group should begin to pull away from the slower group(s). After a pre-established period of time, blow the whistle a second time. This will signal the runners in the faster group to slow their pace to a jog. However, the slower runners continue running at race pace until they hear a third whistle, which you blow when they’ve built a small lead over the faster runners. This third whistle signals all runners to jog and maintain the same distance between groups.

A fartlek workout that prevents your slower runners from falling far behind their more talented teammates.


Handicap Fartlek

Repeat Whistle

On the next signal, two short whistles, all runners must once again run at race pace. Continue the workout in Tweet!

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B.

Reference: Ken Brauman, Handbook of Drills and Techniques for Coaching High School Track and Field, 1979. ($17.95 U.S., Available from MacGregor Coaches Library, 2236B W. Bluemound Rd., Waukesha, WI, USA, 53186) ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


this manner until a specified course is covered or a time limit has been reached. The length of time between whistles depends on the type of running and recovery intervals you wish to use.

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Here’s a good way to break the monotony of an interval-type running workout. It has the additional advantage of motivating each individual athlete to improve on their previous performances. Setup

A Marker Workout can be performed on any terrain or on a track. Give each runner a flag or some other marker they can easily identify. Execution

Beginning from a common starting line, have your athletes run along a specified route for a pre-determined time, at which point you blow your whistle. When they hear the whistle, your runners must place their marker on the ground, then jog back to the start line for recovery. On their next interval, they will run for the same period of time and try to pass their marker. Continue for a set number of intervals, or until your runners can no longer pass the marker from their previous runs.

An interval workout variation in which each runner must run for a specified time and attempt to pass the farthest point they reached on their previous run.


Individual Marker Workouts

Variations

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To ensure that the complete set of intervals are completed, begin at 50%-75% effort and instruct your runners to increase in increments of 5%-10%. You could also leave a marker on the ground permanently, so your athletes can see how much they’ve improved the next time they perform this workout.

Using Flags For A Marker Workout

There are a number of advantages to this workout. First, it gets the idea across that running is a sport in which individual improvement is more important than first-place finishes. Secondly, it quickly teaches your runners to pace themselves. And since the workout gets faster as it progresses, it will give them a feeling of confidence. Finally, it gives each runner a very concrete goal, both within and between workouts—a factor that will keep them motivated. Idea by Rick Carleton, Physical Education Digest, 1988. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


Advantages

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This game will give runners a feeling for how fast they’re running and teach them how to run at specific paces. Choose a large, grassy open space for this game. On your whistle, participants begin running at their own individual pace following any route they wish. They run without stopping until you blow your whistle. As they are stopping, shout out the elapsed time since the start. On your second whistle, they turn and retrace their route, attempting to run at exactly the same pace. When the same amount of time as the first leg has elapsed, blow the whistle again. The runner closest to the start line wins the game.

A game to give runners a feeling for how fast they are running and teach them to run at specific paces.

Different Uses

You can use the Pace Game in different phases of your cross-country season by changing the length of the “races.” You can have your athletes run short, fast legs, or more extensive intervals such as 15 -20 minutes or even longer. You can also use this idea as a regular interval/repetition type practice. For example, have your team run a ladder workout of 45 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 2 minutes and back down, specifying the pace you want them to run (i.e. 5k pace).

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Reference: Eric Anderson (Editor), Jim Stinzi, “Pace game.” Training Games, Tafnews Press, 1994. [$15.00 U.S., c/o Track & Field News, 2570 El Camino Real, Suite 606, Mountain View, CA, 94040, USA. Tel: 650-948-8188, Fax: 650-948-9445, email: [email protected]].


Running Pace Game

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The pack running drill is a good way to encourage your team to run together as a group. It’s also effective in developing the fitness and motivation levels of your less talented runners—those athletes who might never win a race, but whose individual finish can make a huge difference in your team’s overall score in a competition. Pack Running Advantages

Some coaches like their teams to work together as a group throughout entire races. This strategy has several advantages. It builds confidence among the runners, especially in large races, since each runner is among familiar faces. It also allows your athletes to work together and encourage each other, which can improve the placing of your weaker athletes. For example, on a windy day, your runners can take turns breaking the wind. However, this strategy is really most effective if your runners are fairly equal in terms of ability.. It doesn’t make sense to hold back talented athletes in a highly competitive race. In such cases, a variation of this strategy is to run in smaller groups or in pairs of athletes of equal abilities.

A XC running workout in which the goal is to lengthen the amount of time your slower runners can keep up with the rest of the team.


Cross-Country Pack Running Drill

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Pack Running Drill

Break your team into groups of five to seven runners (five out of seven team members usually score in a race). Using a fairly flat course, have your athletes run as a pack for about five kilometers (three miles) at a medium pace (i.e. 4 min per km, 40 minute 10k pace, or about a 6:30 mile for senior runners). The actual pace you specify will depend on the age and ability of your athletes. After the five km mark is reached, have the pack increase their speed until everyone is running at about race pace. The pack should continue running until the slowest athlete can no longer hold the pace and begins to drop back. Measure the distance between the five km point and the spot at which the slowest runner began to lose contact with the pack. This drill can be repeated throughout the year, with the goal being to increase this distance. Advantages of this Workout

It might seem like this drill puts a great deal of pressure on your slower athletes. In fact it does, but the workout will also show these runners the importance of their role on the team and will make them feel good about all the attention and encouragement they receive from their teammates. The drill will also develop a feeling of unity among your team, plus get them accustomed to running as a group and working for a common goal.

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Reference: Joseph McLaughlin, High School Cross-Country, Los Altos: Tafnews Press, 1983. Drill by Willie Harmatz, Los Gatos H.S., California. [$6.50 U.S., Available from Tafnews Press, Book Division of Track & Field News, Box 296, Los Altos, CA, USA, 94022


Your use of pack-running as a tactic really depends on the individual talents of your athletes and the specific competition circumstances.

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Many teachers and coaches have used the Indian Line drill (sometimes called Indian Treadmill) in class and practice. For those of you who haven’t, it’s fun, but there’s a way to make it even more fun…and more wet!. Traditional Indian Line Drill

Have your students run in single file at a moderate pace around the track or through a park. At regular intervals (you can blow a whistle), the student at the back of the line sprints to the front and assumes the lead, settling into the same moderate pace as the rest of the line. It’s a great way to introduce fartlek (speed-change) workouts to your students. However, there’s a fun variation of the Indian Line Drill that’s great on hot days and will tax your runners’ powers of concentration.

A variation of the Indian Line drill, in which water balloons are tossed overhead from the front of the line to the rear.

New & Improved Indian Line Drill

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What’s different? Perform it using water balloons (regular balloons filled with water). Give the line leader a water balloon and ask him to begin jogging. After a few strides, he gently tosses the balloon over his head to the student behind him. That student must catch the balloon, then toss it behind her. The balloon moves back through the line until it reaches the last runner, who sprints it back to the front and begins again. Of course, some Water-Balloon Indian Line Drill students have “hands


A Wet Version of the Indian Line Drill

Variations

• You can increase the action by using more than one balloon at a time. The extra watering that results makes it especially appropriate for very hot days. • Turn the drill into a relaxed, steady run instead of a fartlek by having the lead runner drop to the rear instead of having the rear runner sprint to the lead. Reference: Eric Anderson, Training Games: Coaching Runners Creatively, Tafnews Press, 1994. [$12.00 U.S., c/o T & F News, 2570 El Camino Real, Suite 606, Mountain View, CA, 94040, 415/948-8188]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


of stone” and will suffer a wet balloon-burst in the face. And other balloons will meet their fate on the merciless track. When this happen, be sure you have a replacement waiting the next time they jog past your position.

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Here’s a drill that will help you to measure improvements in speed of your entire team during the season. And it will improve team cohesiveness by having all your runners work together to attain a team record. Setup

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The drill should be performed on a well-defined course that can be precisely repeated in the future. It’s best if the course is a loop of some sort, that’s short enough so each runner can hear when you blow a whistle. Although it’s not the ideal situation, you could even perform the drill on a track. Have your runners start from a specific point on a course. One runner, carrying a flag or other marker, runs as far as he can in a predetermined period of time (30 sec. — 3 min.). The rest of the team follows behind at a jogging pace. When the whistle blows to signal that the time limit has been reached, the runner places the flag at the side of the trail and jogs back to meet up with the rest of the team. When the team gets to the flag, another runner picks it up and runs as fast as possible for the same time-period. After his time is up, he also places the flag at the side of the trail and jogs back to meet his teammates. Repeat until all team members have had the opportunity to run with the flag. Measuring Team Improvement Place a semi-permanent mark (stake, a painted “X” etc.) at the spot where the last runner completed his run. This will be the distance to beat in subsequent Flag Runs. Repeat the workout throughout the year to evaluate

A workout that will develop team unity among your runners by having them work together to attain a team record.


Team Flag Challenge

Start a Tradition

You can make this workout into a team tradition and use the performances of past years as a way to motivate present teams. At the end of the cross-country season, replace the semipermanent end-mark with a permanent post including the names of all team-members and the year. This will allow your existing team to compete against the training performances of past successful and not-so-successful teams, and will improve workout motivation and team cohesiveness. Other Considerations

1. Each time you repeat the contest you must be sure the parameters are the same. This means the course must be identical, the time period for each “surge” is identical and each running team must have the same number of team members. For this reason, you might wish to divide your team into squads of five or seven members to ensure that each year you have at least one team that is identically sized. 2. If you would prefer to use a straight course instead of a loop, you could follow the lead runners on a bicycle. This will allow you to time and signal the end of each fast section.

Idea by Rick Carleton, Physical Education Digest, September 1988.


overall team improvement. The team will be challenged to beat their old mark and each time a team improves on their distance, move their team-marker to the new point on the course.

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The thrill of pursuit cycling can be brought to the running track. Pursuit Running will give your cross-country runners an excellent workout and will develop their ability to run as a team. Setup & Implementation

Divide runners of similar ability into two equal teams (maximum of four runners per team). Then arrange them in single file directly opposite each other on the track or field. Once both teams are ready, use a gun or whistle to simultaneously start them running in single file behind their lead runner. Each time the group runs a set distance (1 lap, 200m, etc.) the last runner moves to the front to become the leader. No team-mate may run ahead of their lead runner. At the end of a specified time period, blow your whistle, then determine which group gained ground on the other. This group is the winner. If one group completely passes the other, it wins immediately and the race is over.

A way to adapt the concept of pursuit cycling to acrosscountry running practice.

Contributor: Lawrence Plue is a physical educator at Monsignor DoyleCatholic Secondary School in Cambridge, Ontario.

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"Pursuit Running" Uses the Same Concept As Pursuit Bicycle Racing


Team Pursuit Running

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Are you able to use a local golf course for workouts? If so, why not use it to play cross-country golf. This is a game that takes advantage of the pre-measured distances between tee-off areas and greens to run a repetition-style workout. How to Play

A workout on a golf course in which your athletes run from the teeoff areas to the greens and their running times are converted into golf scores .

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Simply start at the first hole and run from the tee-off areas to a line extending sideways from the flags (don’t run across the greens themselves). A scorecard will show you how far each hole is. To make the game even more interesting, you Hole 1 could assign time 440 yds ranges for the completion of each run that correspond to golf scores (i.e. “birdie”, “par” etc.). These scores can be Teeoff assigned according to the distance and the terrain of each hole. A trial run can also be run first, to make sure the specified times are realistic. As your runners finish each hole, simply shout our their golf Repetition Run Performed on a Golf Hole


Cross-Country Golf: A Fun Anaerobic Workout

Hole 1. 2. 3. 4.

Yds 440 225 500

Eagle* 63-65 28-30 73-75

Birdie* 66-67 31-32 76-78 Etc.

Par* 68-72 33-36 79-82

Bogie* 73+ 37+ 83+

* = time in seconds Reference: Ron Gunn (S.W. Michigan Community College), “Roadrunner cross-country anaerobic drills: fun fartlek.” Track & Field Quarterly Review, ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


score as they go by (i.e. “birdie, birdie, par, par, par, bogie, bogie”). Recovery can be 90 seconds, or until your runners’ pulse rates drop below 120 bpm. During this time they can walk or jog to the next tee-off area. Of course, many of you will not have access to a golf course. If that is the situation, you could set up a course on a park or field. Simply establish your holes (i.e. "from the road to the lone oak tree") and time ranges, then play as if you were on a regular course. Below is a sample scorecard from a hypothetical cross-country golf game.

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Here’s a highly competitive workout that develops good race tactics and the ability to surge during a race. Setup and Execution

The workout consists of continuous laps run on the track or on a cross-country loop. The number of laps run equals the number of runners in your group. For example, if you have 15 runners, the workout will comprise 15 laps of continuous running. What makes the workout interesting is that your group can run the laps at any pace they want, but at the end of each lap, the person who is last to cross the finish line is eliminated. This will lead to lots of tactical running and jockeying for position. Those who are eliminated don’t get to rest. They must run the same number of hills as the position they finish in the contest. For example, if you have 15 runners, the first athlete to be eliminated must run 15 hills. The last person on the track wins the contest and doesn’t have to run any hills. This contest is so competitive that it should be used only once or twice during the season as a change-of-pace workout.

A contest in which your athletes run laps and the last runner to complete each lap is eliminated and must run hills.

This athlete is eliminated and must run hills

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Reference: Idea from Rick Carleton, Men’s Cross-Country Running Coach, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.


Cross-Country Elimination Contest

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If you coach steeplechasers in a northern climate, you know how little time you have to prepare your athletes for school meet. Fortunately, you can practice the steeplechase in your gym. Here’s how. The Circle Hurdling Drill

Set up two hurdles on either side of the gym, facing in opposite directions. Your steeplechasers run at a comfortable pace around the gym and hurdle the barriers— being sure to accelerate into each hurdle. In a regular size gym the distance between each hurdle is close to that in an actual race (about 80m). Your athletes should only be running at about 60% to 70% effort, and they should slow the pace as they negotiate turns. This drill also teaches your athletes to sight and judge distance to the barrier while running, an important skill for steeplechasers to master.

Steeplechase drills you can perform in your gymnasium.

Variations

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You can perform several variations of this drill: 1. Random Hurdling Place several hurdles at random dis“Hurdling In a Crowd” Drill tances in the gym. This is another “sighting” drill that will teach your athletes to use both left and right lead-legs. 2. Hurdling in a Crowd. Steeplechasers must learn to hurdle in heavy traffic. Set up two low scissor-hurdles as in the Circle Hurdle drill and have a group of three athletes run as a group around the circle. They take turns hurdling while the other


Indoor Steeplechase Workout

Circle Hurdling Drill

Reference: Kirk De Fazio, A Coach’s Guide for Steeplechasers in High School Track and Field, 1995. [Available free of charge from the University of Toronto track and field office. Fax Kirk De Fazio at 416-488-2928, or call at 416-484-6980, voicemail 229 and clearly state where you’d like the manual to be mailed]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


runners stay close to distract them. You can make the drill safer by placing the hurdles on mats.

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A treasure hunt is a great way to add variety to your cross-country workouts or to introduce running to your phys-ed students. It can even be used to add variety in a walking unit or after-school walking club. Setup

A running activity in which students follow chalk markings in order to reach a table filled with drinks and treats.

The ideal site is an area with many branching trails or paths. Using powdered chalk, make a dot at any intersection at which your runners should turn. Then, 50m down the correct path, draw a chalk line as an indicator that the path is the correct one. Your runners will run to the dot at the fork in the road, then must guess which fork to take. If they run over the chalk line, they know I found they’ve chosen the correct route. a spot! At the end of the trail you can fill a picnic table with drinks, granola bars or other treats—the table is the treasure at the end of the run.

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Reference: Joan S. Harlow (Anchorage, Alaska) “Creative, varied quality crosscountry workouts.” Scholastic Coach, May/June 1990. [$17.95 U.S., $26.95 Cdn. in Canada, 10/yr., U.S. address: P.O. Box 2042, Mahopac, NY, 10541, Canadian address: Scholastic-TAB Publications Ltd., Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4C 3G5.


Treasure Hunt

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Here’s an idea for a special event that’s based on a form of transportation used by cowboys in the old west. Concept

It’s a two-person relay, in which each team of two is given one bicycle to cover a pre-designated course. The second person across the finish line (for each team) determines that team’s finishing time. As a result, the best way to succeed is for the partners to take turns on the bicycle, with one riding while the other one is running. How It’s Done

In fact, the most efficient method is for partner A to ride ahead of her running partner B, then park and lock up the bike, and continue on foot. Partner B catches up on foot, jumps on the bike, rides a certain distance ahead of her running partner A, then also parks the bike and begins to run. This switching on and off the bike continues until both partners have crossed the finish line.

Two partners, using one bicycle, take alternating turns at cycling then running as they leapfrog their way around a predesignated course.


A “Ride and Tie” Race

Variations and Uses

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You could use a ride and tie race in class, during a field day, or even as a club activity. It also has possibilities as a fund-raising event, and as a change of pace workout for your cross-country or track team. You could vary the event somewhat by using one bike

Origin

This form of transportation originated in the old west, where two cowboys sometimes had to share a horse. They used the same method, alternating running and riding, and tying the horse in a spot where the running partner could find it (hence the name “Ride and Tie.”) In fact, this concept has seen a rejeuvenation of sorts. Levi Strauss & Co. began the first event in 1971, and there are now over 350 Ride and Tie events in the world each year (using horses, not bicycles). The biggest race takes place in California and offers $7,000 in prize money. And of course, there is now a “Ride and Tie” Association, based in California. Reference: Adapted from “Horsing Around,” Runner’s World, June 1988. ($19.95 U.S., $22.95 U.S. in Canada, 12/yr., 33 E. Minor St., Emmaus PA USA 18098 ). ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


and teams of three. This would require more running and a bit more teamwork.

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Are you looking for a way to make running more fun for your students? Why not try some centipede racing in your next running or cross-country unit. The Concept

A centipede is simply a number of runners who are joined in some manner and run together as a group. The method in which the participants are bound together is limited only by their imagination: ropes, strings, sheets with holes cut out for the members’ heads etc. The centipede members can also dress in similar costumes or create an entity out of their centipede. Imagine a flock of runners wearing chicken hats, or a giant multilegged whale made out of bed sheets. Execution

Simply explain the concept to your students, divide them into equal groups of whatever numbers you feel is appropriate, then give them a week or so to come up with a centipede. They can run their race during a phys-ed class, or as part of a special activity day.

To make running more fun, try holding centipede races - in which students run as a group while joined together in some manner.


Centipede Racing

Example

Lawrence Plue of Bishop Smith Catholic High School, in Pembroke, Ontario, spotted an article on human centipedes in an issue of “Sport’s Illustrated” last Spring. He decided to give the idea a try in his boy’s Grade 9 cross-country unit. To quote Lawrence:

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“ In a word, they loved it! Even rain didn’t deter them! They devised their own means of forming their “centipedes” - using skipping ropes, ribbons, pinnies... etc.

By the way, human centipedes are quite capable of clipping along at a very respectable pace. The original Aggie Running Club centipede, has been a fixture at San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers Run for nine years and is so well known that the members are sponsored by both Pepsi and Reebok. Although their centipede consists of 13 runners and their primary concern is to have fun, they've run the race at a 5:21 pace and have beaten Joan Benoit Samuelson (womens’ Olympic Marathon Champion) to the finish tape. Other Applications

This idea might also provide a way to raise funds for your school or organization. Hold a “Centipede Fun Run” - and challenge the other schools or organizations in your area to top your creation. Prizes could be given for top finishers in the race as well as the most imaginative centipede. Such an event should help you attract a number of people who wouldn’t show up for an ordinary race and the entry fees could go towards your athletic fund.


I believe it was a positive - and fun - activity because a number of boys won and a number of boys (not just one) finished last in the race. I plan to use this fun activity again and I’ll allow the students to be very creative in the means they will use to attach themselves together.”

Idea submitted by Lawrence Plue, Bishop Smith Catholic High School, Pembroke, Ontario. Reference: Glenn Kramon, “Bugging the opposition.” Sports Illustrated, April 27, 1987 ($64.26 U.S. 54/yr). ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Here's a fitness game that's particularly suited to elementary students, but should also be popular with those in the upper grades. It makes distance running fun and reduces the emphasis on winning that often discourages less talented students. Concept

Each student is given a certain number of objects or "counters," and a specified starting position on a running circuit. Starting from this "home base" they run around the circuit and drop a counter into a container after each lap. Setup

Mark a running circuit (either indoors or outdoors) using pylons, flags, etc. Place a box or garbage can in the center of the circuit. This is the "collector can," into which the counters will be placed. The counters can be any object that is handy: Kindergarten blocks or bean bags work well. Then, distribute your students around the circuit and give them each three or four counters (to start). Have them pile their counters on the ground or floor. This location becomes their "home base."

A game that takes the drudgery and competitiveness out of running and makes it easy to monitor individual progress.


Running Game for Fitness

Execution

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On a signal, everyone runs a lap of the circuit and returns to their home base. They pick up one marker, run to the centre and deposit it in the "collector can." Then, returning to their home base, they run another lap and deposit another marker. This continues until all their markers are gone, at which point they sit until everyone else is finished.

Variations


Here are some variations you can use when interest in the game starts to fade: 1. Run in the opposite direction after every lap. 2.Pile all the markers in the centre of the circle. After each lap, have your students remove a marker and place it at their home base. 3.Provide noise makers, and after each lap blow or bang them once for each lap completed. 4.Run as teams. Place a group of students at each home base and have them work together to dispose of their pooled counters. This can also be done relay style, with only one student from each group running at a time.

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Home Base

Home Base

Collector Can

Home Base

at

Home Base

Goal Setting & Improvement

After a break-in period, students should be encouraged to choose their own number of counters. By increasing the number regularly, they set their own goals and improvement rate. This will also tend to equalize running times. There will be less worry about finishing last because the last finishers are not necessarily the slowest runners: they may simply be the ones with the most counters.

Some other advantages of this running game are: 1. It is a good recess activity, and since your students are constantly on the move, it can be used outdoors in cold weather. 2. It takes much of the drudgery out of running. Instead of focusing on counting laps, your students' attention is switched to disposing of their counters. 3. The use of objects for counting laps makes the task more visual, which makes it easier to monitor improvement (i.e. "I ran five bean bags this week. Last week I could only do four!") Reference: Judy Siegel, "Distance running: a game plan for primary age children." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, January 1987. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


Advantages

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Organization and Administration

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Students who want to be successful at cross-country running absolutely must put in the miles. But the solitary nature of such running makes it a low priority for some runners. After all, no one—including the coach—can see them when they’re doing this hard work. A mileage chart system can help your runners complete their distance running requirements. This graphic method for comparing their workloads will give your runners the recognition and motivation to run those lonesome miles.

You can motivate your runners by posting their weekly mileage in chart form .

The Mileage Chart System

The mileage chart system uses bar charts in which weeks are noted along the bottom of the page and the distances run are located on the vertical axis. (A sample is provided for your use on the next Fred Lachance 65 page). 60 55 Tape an individual chart for 50 each runner on a wall that is Miles 45 40 easily accessible to everyone. 35 Tape a coloured marker, on a 30 25 string, to the wall. 20 Each Monday, your runners Weeks (Ending on the above date) add up the total distance they’ve run for the week and Sample Mileage Chart use a marker to record that week’s mileage on the chart. 6 9


Mileage Charts Keep Them Motivated

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The distances shown on the left side of the chart can be either in kilometers, miles or minutes.

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Reference: Idea from Rick Carleton, Head Track & Assistant Cross Country Running Coach, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario.

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You can also change the color of the marker each Monday so that each week is the same color on every chart. This makes it easier for your runners to find and compare each week’s mileage with other athetes.

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If you have a large squad, it can be difficult to keep track of every athlete’s personal bests amidst the frenzy of daily practice and weekly competitions. And it can be even harder to provide each athlete with some public accolades for their personal accomplishments. So why not have them perform this task themselves using a PB sheet. Each time an athlete performs a personal best time, instruct them to write the time, date and event on a sheet you post on your locker room wall or bulletin board. Advantages

This sheet will become invaluable for your own records, and posting it publicly will provide your athletes with recognition of their accomplishments (Most of their teammates will browse the list). It will also have a unifying effect on your team, as members realize that back-of-the-packer teammates may not be winning races, but are achieving personal milestones. A sample PB sheet for track and field and swimming is provided on the following pages.

Having team members record their personal bests on a posted sheet will keep you informed and provide them with recognition.


Personal Best Sheets

Reference: Dick Moss (Editor), PE Digest, 1997.

Chart on Next Page

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Personal Best Sheet Have you run/jumped/thrown a personal best his year? Record it for us on this sheet!

NAME

MEET

EVENT

NEW PB

OLD PB

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Keeping a record of a large squad’s results at a track meet can be organizational mayhem—especially if your athletes must run heats and semi-finals, and compete in several events. The results sheet on the following page can make your job a little easier. It contains room forheat/semi/final times and place finishes for each of your athletes in every track and field event. Reference: Adapted from a chart submitted by Bob Cooper of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, originally produced by the coaches of the Oshawa Legion Track and Field Club and Fred Sewell.

A chart that makes it easier to record the results of your athletes at a track meet.


Track Meet Results Sheet Saves Time and Effort

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Sample—Meet Results Sheet

Meet Results

Meet __________________________________ HURDLES

HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE HEAT SEMI FINAL PLACE

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Date _________________ STEEPLE

3/5/10K

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Your bus is loaded with impatient students but you’re still waiting for the final results to be posted—and once they are posted, you still have to write down your athletes’ results. Whether it’s the results sheets for a cross-country race or track meet—or the tournament sheets for a basketball, badminton or wrestling competition—recording results on-site can be frustrating and time-consuming. And by the time the final results are eventually posted, you seldom feel like writing, you just want to get on the bus and head for home. Fortunately, you can use modern electronics to speed the process of documenting results—using a video recorder.

Videotaping results sheets will speed the recording of results so you can leave your competitions earlier.

Videotaping Results Sheets

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Instead of hand-writing the results—a technique that lends itself to mistakes—simply videotape the entire results sheet. Start at the top of the sheet and slowly scan through the results, making sure you use enough magnification to make the writing visible. This technique also allows you to record the results of opposing teams and athletes—information you may not normally obtain because of the time required when handwriting. Save Time by Videotaping You can transfer the results to Posted Results handwritten records when time


Videotaped Results Sheets

Reference: Idea from Jon Cobb, Widdifield Secondary School, North Bay, Ontario.

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isn’t as pressing. Or you can use the videotape as your permanent record by noting the counter number that marks the location of the results on the tape.

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“Make sure you run some miles this weekend!” It’s a common coaching instruction. But does this directive put our female runners at risk? In fact, it might—if our runners aren’t aware of certain safety precautions they should take during their runs. Whether they live in a small town or a major metropolis, female runners are always at risk from assault—sexual or otherwise. The following is a list of safety tips for female runners recommended by the Road Runners Club of America. Most of the suggestions are just common sense but I doubt that many of your runners presently follow them. If nothing else, distributing this handout will increase the awareness among your female athletes that running alone is potentially dangerous—and that certain precautions can minimize the risk. Many of these safety tips apply to male runners as well. However, to be realistic, females are more at risk than males when running alone.

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References: Adapted from the Road Runners Club of America, October 1989 and the Physician and Sports Medicine, February 1990. [$41 U.S. or $62.50 Cdn.; 12/yr, 4530 W. 77th St. Minneapolis, MN, 55435, (612) 835-3222].

A handout that describes ways to minimize the risk of assault on your female runners.


Safety Guidelines for Female Runners

Safety Tips for Female Runners Assaults on female runners can happen anywhere: small towns, big cities, beautiful country trails, downtown parks. Here are some tips to minimize the risk of such an assault occurring and to help you avoid other common running risks.

• Run with a partner or a dog. • Carry identification or write your name, phone number and contact person inside your shoes. Medical information can be essential in the event of a car accident or serious assault. This might include blood type, medical conditions and allergies to medications. • Carry a quarter for an emergency phone call. Place it inside the sole of your shoe, or duct-tape it to your windsuit. • Always be aware of your surroundings. Running in a trance makes you less able to react to dangerous situations. • Running with headphones reduces your ability to detect danger. Muggers have been know to target people wearing headphones. • Run in familiar areas. This will increase your ability to escape if pursued. Make yourself aware of phone booths and open businesses that can be used as a refuge. • Vary your running routes. An established routine might encourage an attacker to plan an assault. • Leave a note or let people know where you plan to run. It could mean the difference between life or death if you find yourself lying in a ditch after an assault or a hit-and-run. • Run facing traffic so you can react to approaching cars and so abductors cannot approach you from behind. • Avoid dangerous areas: deserted streets, overgrown trails, unlit areas. Run wide of parked cars and bushes. • Wear reflective material if running in the dark. Reflective tape is inexpensive and can be applied to any type of clothing. • Don't wear jewelry—it might attract muggers. Necklaces or earrings can be used to subdue/hold a victim. • Trust your intuition. If people or situations don't feel quite right, avoid them…even if you feel a bit silly at the time. • Don't react to verbal abuse or attempts by vehicles to run you off the road—it may provoke an attack. In the case of an aggressive driver, get the vehicle's licence plate and report the incident to the police. • Look directly at people. Muggers often target victims by their avoidance of eye contact. Maintain a confident bearing, but run wide when approaching others. • A whistle can scare off an attacker. However, to be most effective, it should be carried in your hand. Many women carrying a whistle in their pocket have been assaulted. • If an incident occurs to you, to another person, or even if you see something that appears strange, call the police immediately. (Adapted from the Road Runners Club of America and The Physician & Sportsmedicine magazine).

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It can be difficult to develop a cross-country team because it’s a “satisfaction” sport, versus a fun sport. Let’s face it, it takes time to develop an enjoyment for racing through mud, rain and cold and for the physical discomfort that long distance running involves. Since it’s an acquired taste, your best chance for developing a strong program is to give a large number of students a gradual, non-threatening exposure to the sport. Two-Tiered Team

Improve the talent pool for your crosscountry running team by organizing a group within your team whose goal is participation, not competition.

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So why not establish a second tier within your crosscountry team: fun-runners, in addition to your regular competitive athletes. At the start of the year, advertise for students who enjoy jogging and would like to jog with others. Instruct them to come out to your first cross-country running meeting. In this meeting, explain that everyone will start the year as a recreational jogger, and that those who wish to compete must declare their intentions to you. Recreational runners will also receive coaching, but their running A Fun-Runners’ Group Will Eventually will be strictly for fun and fitness. If and when they decide they’d like to become competitive, they are welcome to join the varsity group.


Fun-Runners Will Develop Your CrossCountry Program

This strategy has several advantages. 1. First, it can attract a large number of students, whose first priority is fun, but who will be getting fit at the same time. This can become a great talent pool for you—and the more students you can attract, the more likely it is that you’ll find some who are really talented. 2. It’s a non-threatening way to get students involved in running. After a while, they may find that they want to test themselves and step up to the competitive group. Or their confidence might improve as they realize that the varsity runners aren’t much faster than they are. 3. This strategy may keep students involved who can’t currently commit to your competitive program because of jobs, other sports, etc. Somewhere down the road, they may find their circumstances changed, however, and decide to compete in your program. 4. Finally, the greater numbers will help you in garnering support from school administration and potential sponsors. Example

A coach at a school in Orange County, California tried this strategy after suffering from low numbers in his XC team. After only two years his program grew to more than 70 boys and 80 girls, the largest team in the school, and they became strong divisional contenders both years.


Advantages

Reference: Idea from Edward Derse and Skip Stolley, AAF/CIF Cross Country Coaching Manual, Amateur Athletic Foundation, 1994. [$34.95 U.S., Available from Health for Life, 13352 Beach Ave., Marina del Rey, CA, 90292, USA, 800-874-5339, 310-306-0777, Fax: 310305-7672]. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Here’s an idea that will give your runners some perspective about how fast the world’s best really are. Have your runners perform a timed run over a specified distance (i.e. a 200m or 400m in track). Blow your whistle when your watch shows the world’s record time for that distance. On the whistle, your athletes must stop and see how far they’ve gone in comparison to the world’s best. Aside from providing some interesting perspective, your students will be able to tell their friends and family that they ran a world record time (they don’t have to say they didn’t perform it over the world record distance). Time Trial Idea for Varsity Athletes

World Record! Tweet!

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You can use this concept during time trials to show your varsity athletes their current progress versus their personal goal for the year. Have your athletes run a time trial over their distance, stopping them when your watch shows their goal time. Your students will be able to see how much farther they have to go in the same time to reach their goal. This is a different perspective from the usual, in which time is the variable: (they compare the time it takes to cover a specific distance). Here, it’s the distance covered that’s the variable (they compare the distance covered over a specific time period).

An activity in which students see how far they can run (or swim) in the world record time. Also a different way to conduct time trials, using the same concept.


Run a World Record Every Time

Here are some sample world track records, as of September 1994:

Women Men 100m .......... 10.49 .............. 9.85 200m .......... 21.34 ............ 19.72 400m .......... 47.60 ............ 43.29 800m .......... 1:53.28 ...... 1:41.73 1500 ........... 3:50.46 ...... 3:28.86 Mile............ 4:15.61 ...... 3:44.39 3k ............... 8:06.11 ...... 7:25.11 Dick Moss (Editor), PE Digest. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


Sample World Records

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These days, many cross-country running races take place on golf courses or in grassy parks. While such courses provide safe footing and changes in elevation, they aren’t really “roughing it.” Why not organize a cross-country race with a difference. Adding some jumps, obstacles and quick changes in direction will give your course a whole different dimension and may reduce some of the advantage of those participants who usually win flat running races. Organization

You can use the same grassy course that you always do: this provides the advantages of good footing and safety. However, to add some additional challenge to the course, lay down some obstacles. This could include hay bales that the runners must jump over (available from local dairy farms). Single bales and double bales will provide different heights for the obstacles. Steeplechase barriers are also excellent obstacles, as are tires or inner tubes that must be run through. Finally, you could include a winding chute made out of snow fence, chute rope or banners. This will force your participants to negotiate a number of quick changes in direction.

A school or community cross-country race in which obstacles such as hay bales, twisting chutes and steeplechase barriers must be negotiated.


Putting the “Country” Back into Cross-Country

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References: Dick Moss (Editor), Physical Education Digest, Nov/ Dec 1989.

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Your cross-country obstacle race can be used in school or as a community event and fundraiser.

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Here's an idea for a fundraiser that should become a popular community event: a Halloween Fun-Run. Theme and Awards

Since Halloween is the theme of this race, encourage participants to "dress up" by offering prizes for the best individual and team costumes. "Place" awards for each distance will encourage serious runners, and draw prizes will give everyone the feeling they have a chance to win. Prizes may include anything from pumpkins and Halloween candy to merchandise donated by local merchants. Promotion

Events

It's best to include several distances, to encourage par-

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Get your art department to make some posters you can photocopy and distribute. And, of course, push the event in all the local schools, including your own. Delegate students to contact the local media about the race - the novelty of the idea is sure to generate considerable inter-est. The event is a natural for newspaper and television coverage, and all the attention will make it easier to organize in the future (should you decide to make it an annual race), .

A Halloween Fun Run, in which participants are encouraged to wear costumes, can be a unique community fundraising event.


Halloween Fun Run

Race Course

A circular race course is best, since it keeps your race officials in one place. To measure the course, get a rough measure with your car, then go over it on a bicycle with an odometer (hopefully the odometer will have directions on correc-tions for wheel size and tire pressure). This should be accurate enough, unless you want the course to be offic-ially certified. In this case, there are stricter procedures that should be fol-lowed. Although the weather should be fairly cool, be sure to set up several water sta-tions on the longer course. The ideal is one water station every 15 to 20 min-utes. Fundraising

Charge a reasonable entry fee for par-ticipants. Two to five dollars is below the average for race fees these days, but should make the race affordable to most students and will increase your partic-ipation rate. Approach local merchants for merch-andise prizes in return for publicity. The ideal situation is to get a local sports store as a co-sponsor in return for using their name in the race title (i.e. Jones Sports/Laurier High Halloween Fun Run). Other ideas for raising funds include selling T-shirts and running a conces-sions stand at the finish-line. Stress that the event is a school fund-raiser and put donation boxes at strategic spots.


ticipation by both seri-ous runners and families/students. For example, a one-mile and a 10 kilometer race can be started at the same point, and will accommodate both groups. A 4 X 1 or 1/2 mile relay will also increase participation, since entrants will talk their friends into taking part, in order to make a team.

Warning

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One thing to check before hosting the race is whether the event will be covered by your school's insurance policy. If it isn't, try your city, or your provincial/ state track/road racing association for coverage. Failing that, it might be safer to for-get the event. Any liability suit will name the race organizers as defendants.

Example

Conclusion

If a road-race sounds like a lot of work, you're right. However, you have a large number of volunteers (your students and athletes) and the resources of the school at your disposal. The best idea is for you and your fellow coaches to act as coordinators while your students do the leg-work. Af-ter all, the money is being raised for their benefit. Reference: Mark J. Dengler, (Program Director, Arlington YMCA, Arlington VA), "Halloween race molds 40 people into cohesive staff team." The Journal of Physical Education and Program, April 1986. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


The Arlington YMCA in Arlington VA, used this idea as a fund-raiser last year. By promoting heavily to the community, they drew 200 participants and raised close to $1500 (they did not mention what their entry fee was).

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A fun run series is an excellent way to motivate your students to improve their aerobic fitness. You can integrate these runs into your phys-ed classes or follow the example of Palm Beach Elementary School in Palm Bay Florida and make them school-wide events. Here’s how you can organize your own series of fun runs. Race Names and Scheduling

Fun Run Distances

The distance to be run should correspond to the age and ability of your students. For example, Palm Bay E.S.

Students Can Dress Up for a Halloween Fun Run

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Give the run series a name: your school mascot might provide a suitable series title i.e. the Badger Fun Run Series. Schedule a run every few months during your school year and give each individual run a name that corresponds with the season. For example, the Trick or Trot in October, the Jingle Jog in December or January, the Leprechaun Lope in March and the Sunglass Scamper in May or June. You could even expand this concept by asking your students to dress according to the theme of the run. For example, costumes can be worn at the Trick or Trot , red noses in the Jingle Jog, green clothing at the Leprechaun Lope, and sunglasses in the Sunglass Scamper.

A series of fun runs you can hold every two or three months on a class-wide or school-wide basis. A series of certificates and a personal progress chart are included.


Year-Long Fun-Run Series for Your Entire School

Certificates

Some sample certificates are provided on the following pages. You can photocopy these, adapt them, or get a computer whiz to print some new creations for you. The original certificates, can be signed by the teacher before photocopies are made. This way all the certificates will be presigned and teachers will only have to fill out the student’s name and if desired, the time of completion. Organization

Organizing a school-wide run might seem like formidable task, but it doesn’t have to be as official as a certified race. Here are some ideas for keeping the organization of your runs quick and simple. Lap Counting

In order to keep track of laps run, have some teachers hand out a popsicle stick every time a student completes a lap. Students need only count their popsicle sticks to figure out when they’re finished their run. In the case of a 400m track, four sticks equals 1600m—about a mile. This allows your students to monitor their own laps and eliminates the need for lap-counters.


uses five laps around their school track to make a one-mile course. Kindergartens to twos attempt to run or walk for 15 minutes. If successful, they receive a certificate. Grades 3-6 must run a mile or jog/walk for 15 consecutive minutes in order to collect a certificate.

Result Recording

Eliminate the need for lap counters by giving runners a time and a popsicle stick as they complete each lap

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There are several ways you could organize the recording of results. Here’s one method. As runners pass the finish line, have someone shout out their race times. T e a c h e r s standing at the finish line can record times directly on a class list by listening to the times as they are shouted out However, also tell the students that they must remember their time as they pass the finish line, then go to a table located near the

Motivation

The fact that all student know there is another run coming in several months is highly motivational. Even those who are unfit will want to do better in the next event. And the certificates will motivate some students: many runners will want to collect the entire certificate series. For additional incentive to improve, I’ve included a personal progress chart showing performances over the entire series. Tell your students to keep the chart in their binders or even on their fridge at home. They can record their times after each run and see how they improve throughout the year.


finish line and write their name and time on a slip of paper. The paper slip should later be given to their teacher for recording. These slips of paper become backups in case a group of runners cross the finish at the same time and the teacher can’t record them all. If you wish verification of laps run, tell your students to show you their popsicle sticks for a quick count. When the 15 or 20 minute time period is up, you can blow your whistle and ask all the students who haven’t completed the course to stay where they are. Their teachers can then record their laps and the portion of lap that they completed (i.e. 3 3/4 laps). This might seem like a lot of work, but after the first race, your teachers and participants will know the routine and things should go very smoothly.

Reference: Adapted from Sally White (Palm Bay Elementary School, Palm Bay, Florida), “Li’l pirate fun runs.” The Great Activities Newspaper, November/December 1990. [$24 U.S., 5/yr., P.O. Box 51158, Durham, NC, 27717, USA, 800-9270682].

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See Sample Certificates on Next Page

This certifies that ___________ has completed the TRICK OR TROT Fun Run.

Fitness!

Signed

This certifies that __________ has completed the JINGLE JOG Fun Run. Signed

This certifies that __________ has successfully completed the LEPRECHAUN LOPE Fun Run!! Signed

This certifies that _____________ has successfully completed the SUNGLASS SCAMPER Fun Run! Signed

Personal Progress Sheet: Fun Run Series Name_______________________________ Year__________ Age________

Run Trick or Trot

Jingle Jog

Leprechaun Lope

Sunglass Scamper

Date

Distance

Time

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A cross-country training camp can turn a long weekend into a memorable experience for both yourself and your team members. It's an excellent way to develop team unity and combat the monotony that comes from constantly training on the same terrain. Timing

A training camp can be held any time during your season for a variety if different effects. If held early in the year, it will develop team unity. A mid-season camp will break up training monotony, and a post-season camp can act as a reward for a hard season of racing. Try to hold it on a long-weekend so you're not too rushed once you set up camp. Location State or provincial parks are inex-pensive, accessible, and should allow you to reserve a block of campsites to keep your team together. Be sure the location you choose has a variety of good roads and trails on which to run. Arrangements

Daily Schedule

Here's an example of a daily schedule for a typical training camp.

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Bring tents, sleeping bags and enough food for three meals and an evening snack per day. Typical camping food like hamburgers, hot dogs, and granola are easy to prepare and will enable every student to take a turn as chef. Try to get your school to pay for transportation - always one of the main expenses. It's important that no one be excluded from the trip because of cost.

A cross-country training camp will prevent training monotony, develop team unity and increase future participation in your program.


Cross-Country Training Camp

Other Considerations

Here are some other things to consider when planning your outing: 1. Be sure your school's insurance will cover such a field trip. If it doesn't, a separate policy might be available through a local company. This will increase costs, however. 2. Stress safety with your runners. Have them run in groups of three or more, in case they get lost or someone has an accident. Bring a well-stocked first-aid kit and know the location of the nearest hos-pital. 3. If you're looking for supervisors, consider former runners from your school. Many will still be running (perhaps in college) and can act as role models for your students. Conclusion


Your first run could begin at 7:30am after a warmup and glass of juice. Follow this with breakfast, clean-up and free time until lunch. After lunch, allow more free time until your second and longer run, at about 3:30pm. After supper you can organize team games such as volleyball or touch football. Finish the day with a traditional campfire and skits, singalongs, ghost stories and marshmallow toasting. Avoid the temptation to schedule every minute of the day. Free time is important, allowing your athlete's to do the things they most enjoy: fishing, swimming, boating, exploring, napping, and most important of all - getting to know each other.

A cross-country camp will be a fun and rewarding experience - especially if you have students who've never "roughed it" before. It will give your athletes a better chance to develop friendships and will result in stronger team unity. And when word gets around, it should increase future participation in your crosscountry program.

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Reference: Jim McNamee, "Cross country camp." Athletic Journal, August 1986.

Tricks of the Trade for Middle Distance, Distance and Cross-Country Running

Distance sampling

Long Distance

The Distance Between Us

Going The Distance

The Erdos Distance Problem

The Distance Between US

The Distance Travelled

The Distance Travelled