2013 Cross Country Phase I

OK... Track is over, school is out, and we're ready to start our summer training program for Cross County. You're probably all asking "what shall I run today?" Quarters? Sprints? Hills? The answer is none of the above. I'm writing this the day before our district's two-week no-contact period starts so I can't have direct contact with Islander runners until after June 21st. I can, however, post to this blog and keep the Islander Track website updated. At this point in the pre-season you should be simply getting in base training at "E" easy pace. Ok... so what's easy pace. That depends on the runner. For example if you're a 20 minute 5k runner your easy pace is around 8:15 per mile. If you can run 5k in 16 minutes your easy pace is around 6:43 per mile. To figure your pace look at the Jack Daniels VDOT tables accessible via the tab at the top of this blog, find your current level for either the mile or 5k, and your E/L (Easy or Long) pace will be in the first yellow column. Don't worry about the rest of the columns for now... just concentrate on this pace for the next couple of weeks. We'll get to the other paces after the no-contact period. The next question you probably have is how far should I be running? Again, that depends on the runner. Beginners should probably start with 20-30 minutes 3-4 times per week. Don't worry about distance at this point ... go by time. Someone running 5 miles at 8 minutes per mile will take a lot more steps than someone running 5 miles at 6 minutes per mile... it's time spent running that's important, not the distance. If you're starting back after the recent track season, there's no reason you can't run nearly every day. As Alberto Salazar indicates in the clip on the front of our website, it's the consistency that's important. That plus a long run every week. So... run longer one day, maybe shorter (or rest) the next day. Other days should be about the same. Say 30-40 minutes MTWTF ... 1 hour on Saturday... Sunday easy or take the day off.   Also these runs are best done on  grass or over rolling terrain ... like you'll find at Morley, Balboa, or nearly any place other than Coronado (Tidelands park is grassy but not hilly). When running around town, try to stay off the sidewalk and run on the grassy parking strips or lawns. Don't forget to subscribe to this blog so future notifications  will be delivered to your email address.
-Coach Green