How long will it take to get really good for cross country?

Question

ok, so i have 2 mothes to prepare until school starts, and cross country starts the first day.

my school is division 1, and we are really good.

i want to be on the cross country team and make varsity.. but how long will it take to be a good varsity player if i practice? im not a good runner at all, and have no stamina or speed.

any help would be appreciated =)

Answer 1

It's really important that you start jogging/running ASAP regularly, It really helps if you speak with the coach to get an idea of what you need to do.  Our coach always gave us "summer homework" of what our runs were, how long, what strength exercises we needed, etc.  It's also important to stretch!!  Try checking out "Runners" magazine or website, they usually have these beginner plans or "mini plans" to begin training for 5K's or 10k's.  If you follow one of those to pretend like your training for a 5K, that should really help you out when you join cross country. The thing you want to work on first is stamina, because if you can't finish a race, that's not good!  Don't worry too much about speed just yet.  You should be in decent shape by the time season starts.  Also, there are a few other things to think about when you run, such as good running shoes, eating right, making sure you drink lots of fluids (water), and making sure you stretch so you don't injure yourself. ***and your height really isn't a big issue, all of our top runners here in NM were short, I remember our best female runner who usually came in 1st or 2nd, was 5'3 but very thin. (all muscle, LOL).

Answer 2

i run trackk and i am on the distance team. the work outs are pretty similiar to the cross country team. anyway just go out for a jog everyday, start off slow and not too long and gradually build up, eat healthy and get in good shape. but yea theres a really good runner on my team and shes super short and has short legs. short legs means you take smaller but quicker steps and long legs means you take longer and slower strides.

Answer 3

Go on www.runnersworld.com they have a smart coach that will make a good training schedule for you.

Answer 4

it really depends on the person for how fast it will take for you to get good but just start running everyday and take one day off a week start out with like 3 or 4 miles everyday and then just work your way up from there