Xc practicing - how shud i start??

Question

ok well i'm planning to do cross country for the first time in falll....i'm not a runner....i got tired after i ran the mile which i passed with 9 minutes 16sec....welll ye so they do 5mile practice so i want to start in the summer but as i said i'm not a runner so how shud i start out and how much should i progress??? coz i only have about a month before practice starts and i want to improve before official practice starts so i dont faint or anything during the first practice coz thats embarassing....and also i need a time of 3 miles under 30 min at least.....

so how shud i start training??

shud i start off doing one mile day then add an extra mile every week??

and if i do it in the morning shud i eat breakkfast b4 i go???

PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS I ASKED, NOT JUST ONE!!

thanx

Answer 1

first of all congrats on deciding to joing xc! you should start off easy and work your way up. dont try to rush yourself. i started out hardly able to run three miles and im now the fastest girl on the team! your plan to add a mile every week sounds pretty good, just dont hurt yourself! you defiantly want to eat before you run your body cant go on food you ate last night, wait a little bit though. stay away from milk though and drink lots of water! i would suggest a bagel with peanut butter. good luck!!

Answer 2

HOW TO START OUT AND PROGRESS:  When you first start running I would say run 2 miles and some days run hard and other days make it an easier jog.  Each week you should try to do a longer jog of 4-5 miles to get your endurance up.  When running these long runs don't worry about speed because in time it will come.  After a week of running 2 miles increase between 2-3 miles and vary your runs each day.  The week before your practice starts you should be running 3-4 miles daily and a long run of 6 miles or more.  Also make sure to stretch A LOT as this will make your stride better and prevent injuries.

If you run in the morning (which is a good idea because it's cooler then) do NOT eat before.  The only thing it will do is make you feel slow and give you cramps.  Have the food as a reward afterward.