I'm going out for track in the spring...how should i prepare?

Question

all the questions are sorted about but i tried to organize them for you

whoever answers all or most of my questions with lots of info will get best answer

thank you so much!

[im a freshman]

i've never been in any sports before but i really wanna be in track in the spring.

how do i prepare?

right now im a decent runner...not fast, not slow.

i know i should start running a little each day but how much should i run?

-how long each day should i run to build up endurance and speed?

and im sure i have to avoid certain foods like mayo and stuff

and im pretty sure i need to eat lots of carbs or something

-what should/shouldn't i eat?

i weigh 136 and im 5'6''. im a LITTLE flabby...not very toned either

-should i lose weight and how much? or should i just tone my legs?

i have til spring to get in shape so i don't plan on any dangerous diet

any answers and advice you have will help alot. im pretty clueless

and if you know a website on this stuff i'd love to check it out

thanks =]

Answer 1

For not doing any sports before you are pretty knowledgeable.

For your first question about how long and far you should run, it all depends on what events you are planning to do. for instance a sprinter should run maybe 1-2 miles a day with some sprinting intervals during the run. A person running 800m+ should run 2-4 ,miles and push themselves on speed.

Avoiding certain foods isn't that big of a deal just eat healthy and if you are not training super hard don't worry about loading up on the carbs. Just watch the junk food and make sure to get your protein and other important things, for a snack I would recommend a banana and something like peanut butter.

Don't focus on losing weight just make sure to work on becoming more tone in more areas than your legs, having a strong core is vital to being a good runner so make sure you work on your stomach as well as legs.

Just work hard and if you start training before the season I can tell you that the first week won't be so overly painful.

Good luck in track it is an awesome sport and I bet you will love it.    

Answer 2

i definitely agree with joining the cross country team, it will help you get in shape, if cross country isn't an option then i would recommend running about 1-2 miles 3 days a week to build stamina and endurance these things are crucial if you want to be a good runner and speed 2 days a week since you didn't specify what you were running i can't really say what speed but if you're going for long distance then practice running 800's and 300's, if you're going for middle distance then work on 200's and if you're working on sprints then work on 100's and 200's

definitely try avoiding fast food and unhealthy carbs like cookies and stuff

but you should eat a lot of pastas and pizza right now you don't have to worry much about that since you're so far away from the actual season but when tryouts come carb-load you'll be really energized

and also lots of water stay away from soda that's one of the worst things you could do

maybe just a few pounds since you're going to be working out and eating healthy it shouldn't be that big of a problem

but you should definately tone your WHOLE body not just your legs tone your abs and arms

hope that helps some i'm a cross country/ track runner and all of these tips that i've given you are what my coach has given me so they're pretty helpful

Answer 3

Join the cross county program at your high school and have fun with it, despite your event you will doing in Track, xc will get you into very good shape. The you will need to maintain that level of fitness through the Christmas break.

Here in California, we can not strat official practices unlit about late January or early February. But we can do unofficial practice during the regular school hours for conditioning. If your school has class like this is will be  the last period of the day...get into it. To do this you will need to hook up with the Head Track coach. Tell him/her that you want to do and they will know how to change your class schedule.  

  

Answer 4

Start by fixing your weight and tone. Try to get under 130 pounds and get a more toned body... spring is a long time away so you have time.