Getting in shape for cross country

Question

hi i need to get in shape for cross country. tryouts are in about 11 days and i have been putting off running until today. so i need help. can someone tell me the fastest way to get into shape to be able to run an 8:30 min mile? any suggestions would be great

Answer 1

Well it's no use now anymore.... in 11 days you can't train that much, you're not a miracle worker

Answer 2

try to run 2 miles for a couple of days and see how you get on. if u can do that in under 18 mins then wen u come to do the 1 mile you will be able to do it in a quicker time. good luck

Answer 3

I agree with what the last two said, if you start out running now you might just be able 2 make it down to the mile time you want, but go outside like he said, running on a treadmill is horrible 4 u, a treadmill feels no pain and will keep going and so will you but when you get out there and start really running you won't have the treadmill pushing you and its gonna be hard 4 u 2 keep the pace

                                                               Good Luck!

Answer 4

Try wind sprints.  Go to a high school tract walk. walk around the first time at a normal pace, then run around it at a pace you would normally run, then the third time run your *** off around it.Twelve times around the track is 3.2 miles so you may want to only do this maybe 6 times if  you don't need to go for distance but for a short length (You may have to play with the amount of times that is right for you) This is a good way to build speed.

The other way is to go to a high school (again), and run up the bleachers as fast as you can then walk down them, repeat several times. this is also a good way to build speed.

Make sure to time yourself on the days that you go for your normal runs.

The night before you are to tryout eat pasta, and in the morning about an hour before tryouts eat a good breakfast. I did this before i ran my second 5K and was able to shave some time off of my run.

Answer 5

not a good idea to put it off until now, but your only hope is to start now.  You should begin training with 2 to 3 mile runs, comfortable pace, then slowly build up to what you are able to do, 6 miles? or just run for a certain amount of time.  Core workouts will help you achieve your running goals. best of luck

Answer 6

sorry if this seems harsh but it was a bad move putting off running until 11 days before..  unfortunately you can't improve your fitness much now.. the best advice i can give you is to run a few steady 15 min runs every other day then one or two days in the next week but not less than 3 days before the tryouts go to the track and try running 4-6 laps of the track at the mile pace you want to go, but not in a row, after a good warm up run 4 - 6 400m's (one lap) with 2 min rest in between each repeat in 2 minutes at well, i hope you understand this workout. This workout won't improve your fitness much in 11 days but you will gain confidence running at your goal pace. don't run twice in one day leading up to the tryouts.. try to do some exercise besides running as well as this but also don't overtrain and tire yourself out before the tryouts... a lot to take in i know, so good luck!