Tips for xc practice?

Question

I have XC practice tomorrow at 8am. I have done track the past two years and im not too sure what to expect. I am a mid distance runners but we all run distance practices. Whenever I ran hour long runs it was horrible. I try to keep an even pace but I get cramps in my leg and my chest hurts even with stretching before. Are there any tips for XC training? Is it more or less similar to track workouts and long run days?

Answer 1

I'm not sure about the cramps in your legs and chest.  As for the running, i would assume you are in high school running 5k races 3.1miles?

Usually you run overdistance, which is anything more than the race.  I would assume that you will be running 3-8miles on long days, and doing some speed work and hills on the other days.

Learn to conserve energy and open up your stride on downhills, and pump your arms and learn forward when going up hills.

Cross country is a tough sport, and a lot of people dont realize that.  Good luck.

Answer 2

The trick is to build into it. If you're not used to running for extended periods of time you shouldn't destroy yourself on hour runs. During the season I would recommend working on you endurance because your speed from mid-distance track will carry over. But for now maybe shorten you long runs a bit and build into it.