Preseason Training for Cross Country
Preseason training focuses on building consistent endurance volume at easy effort levels while avoiding rapid intensity increases. Emphasize gradual mileage progression, introduce hills and form drills carefully, and use strength training to build injury resilience rather than speed.
As preseason training for high school cross country begins, many athletes have questions. Here are answers to the most common questions about preparing for the season ahead.
What Can I Do to Best Prepare for the Upcoming Season?
Runners should focus their efforts on building a strong foundation of endurance with consistent running. Incorporating strength training a few days a week will help prevent injuries and improve overall performance.
How Many Miles Should I Run?
Mileage is easy to quantify, but it’s really the quality of those miles that dictates overall training load. If most miles are run at easy pace, new runners should start with 15-20 miles a week, while experienced runners may aim for 30-50 miles per week. It’s crucial to gradually increase mileage over time to avoid injury.
Refer to the Progressive Mileage Guidelines for age-specific and experience-specific targets. Your high school coach should provide structure for training based on individual needs. Use tools like the Freshman Mileage Progression Guide to understand what’s appropriate for your fitness level.
What About Cross-Training?
Cross-training like cycling, swimming, or yoga can effectively supplement running and prevent burnout. These activities improve overall fitness and develop necessary muscle groups for running. However, nothing trains the body for running as well as running does. If you have time for one activity and you’re not dealing with injuries, running is the most specific form of training.
What About Hill Work?
Hill work is an excellent addition to any cross country training plan. When done correctly, it builds strength and improves running form. Incorporate hills into your regular training runs, especially during the strength-building phase of preseason. Hills naturally build neuromuscular power without excessive impact stress.
What About Speed Work?
Interval training, tempo runs, and fartlek workouts effectively incorporate speed work. However, these place greater stress on the body than easy runs. Be very careful not to introduce too much speedwork while simultaneously increasing your mileage. Specific speed work at race pace or faster is introduced during the regular season, not preseason.
The Running Mesocycle Training Guide covers when to introduce different intensity types appropriately.
Can I Skip a Day?
Missing a day of training isn’t ideal, but listen to your body and avoid overtraining. If a day off is necessary, be sure to resume training immediately afterwards. Consistency matters more than perfection.
What If I Miss a Week?
Missing a week of training can be a setback, but it’s not the end of the world. Athletes should pick up where they left off and make adjustments to their training plan as necessary. See Missing Week Running Training for specific guidance on returning from extended breaks.
Should I Break Up My Long Run Into Two Parts?
Breaking up a long run into two shorter runs can effectively increase mileage without overdoing it. However, ensure the combined runs don’t add too much stress to the body. The cumulative effect still needs to respect Safe Summer Base Mileage principles.
What is My EASY Pace?
Training paces can be determined using blood lactate levels, stress tests, or VO2max laboratory tests. However, using a Calculators for Runners and Coaches is an easy way to figure out specific training paces that are remarkably accurate.
For easy running, conversational pace is the key indicator. If you can’t hold a conversation without gasping, you’re running too fast.
The Bottom Line
Preseason training for cross country does not have to be run at a fast pace. Encourage runners to take it easy as they build up their endurance and bodies to prepare for the season ahead. Consistency is the most important thing. Follow the training plan and have fun!
The athletes who fall in love with the sport during preseason are the ones who stay committed through November. Make it enjoyable, manageable, and focused on building the foundation that everything else rests on.