Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

[GamerShadow]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

thats a decent time for the 1600...5:23...i need one more thing, how many miles do you run a week? then i can help you get better

Like I said, I have no perfect idea, and the mileage changes from season to season. Our normal XC workout during duel-meet season was 7 miles, and we always had 3 days of speed a week (that means hills, speed workouts, or meets.)

In track, however, our coaches are not specialized in distance, so we run about 5 miles on a normal workout. I don't have a very good idea of what else we do, as I was a sprinter last year. (Coach decided I was a sprinter until I busted out a 2:30 800m the first outdoor meet of my freshman year.)

[YoshiSlayer]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

ok, im guessing your V team only does about 30-35 miles at the most...atleast thats what the highschool runners do here for their V team.

well there are a lot of things you might need to improve...ones that i cant see, i.e. your running form, how you move your arms, how you hold your hands, where you keep your head, ect...but i cant help you there because ive never seen you run b4

but anyway, your speed is...ok....same thing with your endurance

how to improve your speed:

first you are going to have decent base mileage, 25-30 miles a week is fine for you.

1.) Short intervals let you train at a higher intensity, but if you're new to speedwork, start with 800 repeats. im guessing you arent new to speedwork but if you are doing the 800's will stop you from running shorter intervals too fast and from overtraining. They also build up lactic acid slowly, which trains you to run with it, instead of making you too tired to move on.

2.) 200 repeats, try and do these at an all out sprint and try and limit your rest to 45 secs, make it 75 secs if you really need to. but these are supposed to be over quick, doing this will increase your leg turnover allowing you to "kick" or put in a "surge" at many points in the race. and since you will be ready for these thanks to the 800's you wont get as tired because you will know how to run with the alctic acid in your legs.

3.) you can also do 150-200 meter sprints uphill, this does the same thing as "2.)" but it adds the hill element to it because almost all xc races have hills in them. doing these will train you to not over power up a hill but to allow you to stay strong and steady when confronted with a hill.

4.) the last thing is another hill workout, instead of going up fast, go up slow for the recovery...and then on the down hill let gravity take you down and lengthen your stride...you will go down the hill fast that way (im sure you know this though) but once you are down the hill donw back down from that pace too much, try and keep that momentum going...it will help in the long run.


how to improve endurance:

endurance starts a long time before the actuall season starts.

1.) just run. dont do anything fancy, just run. start out with small mile runs...say 5 miles on a short day and then add in a long day once a week...say 8-10 miles. and do not run the long day fast...its meant to seem easy when in all reality it is helping you.

2.) once you get your base mileage up then you can start getting faster while still improving your endurance. do some tempo runs. we do this thing called "out and back" run...say about 25 mins out, and then turn around and make it back in 20 mins. or a 20 out and 15 back. or a 30 out and 25 back. you get the picutre. the thing is is that the time running out isnt supposed to be easy...run that the way you would normally run on a distance run day. and then when you come back pick up the pace quite a bit. the run back is supposed to be difficult. expect it to be almost as hard as a well ran race.

3.) add some pick ups during your long runs. it will help strengthen your body and lungs because it forces you to deal with being tired from the start instead of at the end of a run. this is another thing that we do "stride the gaps" run at a normal distance run pace for one block (one street sign to the next) and then on the next street sign pick up the pace considerably but not a sprint and keep that pace until you reach the next street sign. you dont have to do it that often if you dont want to, in that case do 2 blocks easy then 2 fast, and keep that going till your run is over.

its not going to be easy but it works. my teams uses all this stuff and then some more and i think it shows, we have made it to nationals almost every single year since i can remember


if you need any more explination then just ask. but this should all help you get better.

goodluck with your season!

[YoshiSlayer]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

here are some of my times using everything i just told you

these are my most recent times:

800m: 2:04
1600m: 4:47
5000m: 17:14
8000m: 28:07
10000: running one in about 3 weeks

[GamerShadow]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

I am told that my form is crap. I don't make the mistake of moving my arms across my body instead of forward and backward, but I'm pretty sure everything else is pretty bad.

Hmm... 2:04 for an 800m. Are you in college? Or Senior year of HS?

Our provisional state req for the 800m here is 2:08, and our guaranteed entry into states is 2:01. That's where I want to be, but 18 seconds is a lot for me to work toward in two seasons. (My goal is state meet by end of this school year.)

[Lightknight924]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

YoshiSlayer, what state are you from? I run XC, Indoor, and Outdoor Track all year as well. I'm from Lansingburgh in Section II, New York.

These are my times from this year, I'm a Sophmore(anything not 5k is from Freshman year):

5k= 18:35.7(Sectionals)(I think the best on my team was 16:32 or something like that, the kid made it to states and our team took 2nd for our class(Class B) in Sectionals)

400= 60.09
600= 1:42.05
800= 2:21.09
1600= 5:27.09

Yoshi, your workouts are very similar to my team's workouts.

[GamerShadow]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

YoshiSlayer, what state are you from? I run XC, Indoor, and Outdoor Track all year as well. I'm from Lansingburgh in Section II, New York.

These are my times from this year, I'm a Sophmore(anything not 5k is from Freshman year):

5k= 18:35.7(Sectionals)(I think the best on my team was 16:32 or something like that, the kid made it to states and our team took 2nd for our class(Class B) in Sectionals)

400= 60.09
600= 1:42.05
800= 2:21.09
1600= 5:27.09

Yoshi, your workouts are very similar to my team's workouts.

We're pretty close in skill. My 800m is only 2 seconds faster than yours.

By the way, do you run against a team called Smithtown? They have an unstoppable varsity team. We have two kids who are sub 16, and 3 others that are sub 17, and we got owned by them.

Interestingly enough, that is where I would have gone to HS if I hadn't moved.

[YoshiSlayer]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

im in college this year but those times were from highschool

yea 2:04 is pretty bad though from where im from...winning time in state last year for highschool was 1:54 for the 800m

i red flagged this year for xc and track in college because im still no where near where i need to be to make the top team.

i need my 800m to be down to a 2:01 to just make it, i would like to get down to 1:56 though. The 1600m needs to get down to under 4:25. and my 5k needs to get down to under 16:00. yea i have some work to do but those tips i stated earlier are helping me tremendously. i will do a coupld time trials soon and ill keep you updated if you want.

i go to University of Oshkosh Wisconsin, division 3. our xc team is outragiously amazing though, we can take on some of the top division 1 teams. and have placed the last few years at nationals.

[Cindie]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

Uhm, weights isn't actually a bad idea. I don't run for any track and field or anything like that, but i do jog around here every night because i have too, cause i have crooked bones in my knees. But i can assure you that you shouldn't get hurt from wearing weights on your ankles, i have to wear them and when i take them off it makes everything lighter and it makes it a lot easier to run, but you have to start off small, don't start off with a really heavy weight cause then you'd hurt yourself, but start small and get used to the weights getting heavier otherwise you'd probably mess yourself up. Not sure if this helps any, it only does for me because oh my physical disability, but I have a breathing problem as well and it doesn't strain me anymore than it would normally without them. This probably has nothing to do with any of the information you're looking for, but if it helps at all .. your welcome lol.

[YoshiSlayer]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

Uhm, weights isn't actually a bad idea. I don't run for any track and field or anything like that, but i do jog around here every night because i have too, cause i have crooked bones in my knees. But i can assure you that you shouldn't get hurt from wearing weights on your ankles, i have to wear them and when i take them off it makes everything lighter and it makes it a lot easier to run, but you have to start off small, don't start off with a really heavy weight cause then you'd hurt yourself, but start small and get used to the weights getting heavier otherwise you'd probably mess yourself up. Not sure if this helps any, it only does for me because oh my physical disability, but I have a breathing problem as well and it doesn't strain me anymore than it would normally without them. This probably has nothing to do with any of the information you're looking for, but if it helps at all .. your welcome lol.

sorry but, you are wrong

we arent talking about jogging here. sure its ok to walk/fast walk with weights on but when you run, well thats a different story.

us runners already put enough punishment on our knees and ankles, and ever if we added just a single pound it would hurt us more than it would help. my normal training pace...the pace that i run on an easy day...is about 6:30-6:45 mins per mile for at the very least 5 miles. any added weight would hurt a "runners" body more than it could ever help them. so no...weights are a bad bad bad idea. there are different types of workouts one can do to get their legs stronger, i.e. hill workouts, fartleks, tempo runs, fatigue runs. and if a runner really wanted to strengthen up then they would go to the weight room and lift weights...not the bodylifter type weights...just multiple repetitions of lighter weights. runners want to be slim...not bulcky

[GamerShadow]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

Uhm, weights isn't actually a bad idea. I don't run for any track and field or anything like that, but i do jog around here every night because i have too, cause i have crooked bones in my knees. But i can assure you that you shouldn't get hurt from wearing weights on your ankles, i have to wear them and when i take them off it makes everything lighter and it makes it a lot easier to run, but you have to start off small, don't start off with a really heavy weight cause then you'd hurt yourself, but start small and get used to the weights getting heavier otherwise you'd probably mess yourself up. Not sure if this helps any, it only does for me because oh my physical disability, but I have a breathing problem as well and it doesn't strain me anymore than it would normally without them. This probably has nothing to do with any of the information you're looking for, but if it helps at all .. your welcome lol.

So you're saying I should run for seven miles at a 7:00 mile pace with 10 pounds of metal on my ankles? That's just going to break my ankles, rip my muscles, and end my career. Nobody that runs any running sport uses weights during their runs. Nobody. It's just not practical, or safe.

If you don't run, you probably don't know what you're talking about, unless you know the anatomy of a human like the back of your hand.

[Cindie]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

Well hey .. i didn't say you HAD to take the advice, and i said it probably won't help at all but it does for me, but I ALSO said that i don't run for track and field or XC or anny bs like that.. i run because I have to.. and the doctor makes me wear the weights - and if it were as bad as you make it sound i don't think the doctor would make me wear them.. but whatever, it was justa suggestion.. don't shoot someone for suggestin somthing, noone said you had to listen to it ..

[YoshiSlayer]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

Well hey .. i didn't say you HAD to take the advice, and i said it probably won't help at all but it does for me, but I ALSO said that i don't run for track and field or XC or anny bs like that.. i run because I have to.. and the doctor makes me wear the weights - and if it were as bad as you make it sound i don't think the doctor would make me wear them.. but whatever, it was justa suggestion.. don't shoot someone for suggestin somthing, noone said you had to listen to it ..

please dont say "run" unless you actually "run". you by definition are a jogger. Me and shadow are "runners". nothing pisses me off more when someone says that jogging is runner. no it is not. running in my eyes and many others is running where you cant have a conversation while doing it, so anything at around a 7 min per mile pace. sure you may might be out of shape and cant talk while "jogging" but for running you have to be taking atleast a certain amount of steps per minute. So never again can you say you "run" when you clearly are "jogging"

Shadow made this thread asking about "running in general", clearly does it not say anything about "jogging"

[Lightknight924]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

While Shadow and Yoshi are correct about the weights on your legs, it can be beneficial to wear a weighted vest on your upper body to increase your corse muscle strength and your quads supporting it. Core muscles are very, very important for a runner.

Best way to take a runner out with one hit, kick them in the shins.

Also, a "runner" is someone who runs, it's more than just a person running at a fast-like pace, they're a runner. It's part of their spirit.

And Cindy, yes, we appreciate your input, but you are wrong about weight on your ankles being beneficial to the runner, so don't take such offense to your correction.

And no, I've not heard of any "Smith Town" in Section II of New York. The most unstoppable teams in Section II, New York, that I know of are the AA schools which are the largest schools(Shenendohowa, Shaker, Guilderland, Burnt Hills(Actually Class A but are still untouchable for my Class B school(Lansingburgh))).

I'm a runner.

[PinoySkillz]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

Train at 20x Earth's gravity!

Haha, j/k. But on a serious note:

Improving your flexibility will make your movements more economical. Just thought I'd mention it since nobody has said anything about that yet.

PS - I ran XC for Hendricken. That's right...GamerShadow knows who we are. Fear us.

[pntballa18]

Re: Questions on Track, CC, Running in general, etc.

blah blah blah Burnt Hills blah blah blah

burnt hills sucks