HS Cross Country first timer

[Anonymous]

DC will be starting at a new school in the fall (9th grade) and wants to get involved in activities right off the bat. She is not athletic but is very committed, a hard worker and will give 100 percent to whatever she does. The only no cut sports team for the fall is cross country so if she wants to participate in a sport it’s going to be that one. She has no problem running over the summer to get ready to participate but I’m wondering what’s the minimum expectation of what she should be able to do by the time she walks on the field in the fall. Cross country as a no cut sport seems intimidating, but I know she wants to give it a try so I figure understanding expectations is the next logical step.

[Anonymous]

Cross country is a great sport and if she can run that is the only expectation. There are other threads on here about new XC runners. Where are you located?

In FCPS they start intense training at the local parks before school starts. Runs are about three miles but in hilly terrain. The amazing thing about XC is the teams can be large and it will give her a group of friends before she walks in the door when school starts. That is huge.

[Anonymous]

It will be very school-specific. My kid’s school has no cuts and everyone is welcomed. It changed my kids life. The kids became his best friends and the lessons of running go far beyond the field. He will now be a life long runner.

I hope your daughter loves it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will be very school-specific. My kid’s school has no cuts and everyone is welcomed. It changed my kids life. The kids became his best friends and the lessons of running go far beyond the field. He will now be a life long runner.

I hope your daughter loves it!

+2
At our fcps HS it's no-cut too, but you're expected to show up everyday and genuinely try.
DD, who was also a new kid in school, found her friends (also in the same boat) via CC.

Where are you Op? If you give us specifics (FCPS, MoCo, parochial, private independent, etc) we can help you a bit better

[Anonymous]

CC is no cut but to participate in meets- you need to be one of the faster kids. If she is okay with that- great but I no some kids feel left out because they only practice.

[Anonymous]

Thank you everyone. We are out of state so any specifically local experiences aren't needed but thank you for your personal experiences. I don't think DC will mind practicing but not competing. Personality wise shes not competitive at all when it comes to athletics, just likes the idea of physical activity and being on a new team (especially since she'll be at a new school).

Do you think making sure she can run 3 miles before school starts is a good reasonable goal for her to make sure she's prepared enough to be on the team? If she isn't at 3 miles is it pointless for her to join or do kids sometimes come in with a lower baseline (knowing that obviously its school specific)

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Thank you everyone. We are out of state so any specifically local experiences aren't needed but thank you for your personal experiences. I don't think DC will mind practicing but not competing. Personality wise shes not competitive at all when it comes to athletics, just likes the idea of physical activity and being on a new team (especially since she'll be at a new school).

Do you think making sure she can run 3 miles before school starts is a good reasonable goal for her to make sure she's prepared enough to be on the team? If she isn't at 3 miles is it pointless for her to join or do kids sometimes come in with a lower baseline (knowing that obviously its school specific)

Thanks!

Yes, it's absolutely worthwhile for her to start running and working toward being able to run 3 miles. The more comfortable she is doing this before joining the team, the more readily she'll fit in and feel comfortable. Now, having said that, if it's no cut and she's not up to 3 miles or at a lower baseline, it's still worth it to join and start working toward that during the season. Most of the kids won't be in tip-top, end of season fitness at the start so from that perspective, she'll be no different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Thank you everyone. We are out of state so any specifically local experiences aren't needed but thank you for your personal experiences. I don't think DC will mind practicing but not competing. Personality wise shes not competitive at all when it comes to athletics, just likes the idea of physical activity and being on a new team (especially since she'll be at a new school).

Do you think making sure she can run 3 miles before school starts is a good reasonable goal for her to make sure she's prepared enough to be on the team? If she isn't at 3 miles is it pointless for her to join or do kids sometimes come in with a lower baseline (knowing that obviously its school specific)

Thanks!

It's a great sport!

I would get in touch with the coach in late spring/early summer and ask him if there are summer practices. Most teams have informal "captain's practices" over the summer to help kids build a base. Some teams have summer training plans.

I think showing up to practice being able to run 3 miles is a great goal. Just know that some days, their mileage will be much higher. There would be a slow 1-mile warmup, then maybe 4 miles' worth of speedwork, then a 1-mile cooldown. This would only be once or twice a week ... but you might want to know.

In our experience, everyone runs at "dual" meets. It's just invitationals that are generally limited to the faster kids. But some invitationals have freshman or novice heats, so she might wind up competing in those. They're usually a shorter distance -- 1.86 miles is typical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Thank you everyone. We are out of state so any specifically local experiences aren't needed but thank you for your personal experiences. I don't think DC will mind practicing but not competing. Personality wise shes not competitive at all when it comes to athletics, just likes the idea of physical activity and being on a new team (especially since she'll be at a new school).

Do you think making sure she can run 3 miles before school starts is a good reasonable goal for her to make sure she's prepared enough to be on the team? If she isn't at 3 miles is it pointless for her to join or do kids sometimes come in with a lower baseline (knowing that obviously its school specific)

Thanks!

It's a great sport!

I would get in touch with the coach in late spring/early summer and ask him if there are summer practices. Most teams have informal "captain's practices" over the summer to help kids build a base. Some teams have summer training plans.

I think showing up to practice being able to run 3 miles is a great goal. Just know that some days, their mileage will be much higher. There would be a slow 1-mile warmup, then maybe 4 miles' worth of speedwork, then a 1-mile cooldown. This would only be once or twice a week ... but you might want to know.

In our experience, everyone runs at "dual" meets. It's just invitationals that are generally limited to the faster kids. But some invitationals have freshman or novice heats, so she might wind up competing in those. They're usually a shorter distance -- 1.86 miles is typical.

Also worth noting that teams will often vary workouts by ability level. Fast seniors might run 8 miles, new freshmen might run 4.

[Anonymous]

This guide is good. She should start running now, 30 minutes a day, as many days a week as she can.

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/running/training-advice/workouts/high-school-summer-training-plans/

Get her a garmin forerunner 45 or any watch w gps tracking.

Couch to 5k app is great is a great 12 week plan if she is starting from 0.

Whenever you know the high school, email the coach and ask for the summer training plan, or check the school’s sports website and past plans may be posted on there.

[Anonymous]

Here’s the McLean High Xc summer training program.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k3VcWTlh5LQtsxt3dcF-hB4GBZn_TMaBKlyc43vsuGg/edit

[Anonymous]

Also, take you daughter to a running store and have her properly fitted for running shoes. Don’t just buy off the rack. Wool running socks also help prevent blisters. Best $100 to $150 spent and it’s really the only equipment needed, other than a water bottle.

[Anonymous]

Heres our coach’s advice

Try to run 5-6 days per week, alternating between long runs, medium runs and shorter tempo runs. Start running at a comfortable pace for 20-40 minutes depending on your running fitness and experience.

· New runners should start at 10-20 minutes (2-3 miles) per day and aim to reach 60-100 minutes per week of running (2-3 miles a day) with the goal of reaching 150 minutes per week (~15 miles a week ) by July 30.
· 1 year experience , start at 25-45 minutes per day (3-6 miles) with one longer run per week (~ 25-30 miles per week depending on pace).
· 2+ years’ experience, start at 35-50 minutes per day (~4-8 miles) with one loner run 60-70 minutes depending on your previous running minutes increasing 5-10% a week (~ 30-38 miles per week depending on pace and number of training days).
· Elite/Varsity Runners, 40-60 minutes per day (5-9 miles) with one longer run 70-90 minutes (~9-13 mile long run for 40-52 miles per week).

*miles are only meant as a gage but runs should be based on minutes.

[Anonymous]

Also, in the summer, it’s better to do your runs early, like before 9 or 10, before it’s really hot. Teens have trouble getting up that early sometimes though. Dress for if its 20 degrees hotter than current temp when running.

Also, in FCPS, they require 20 practices before the first meet, so tryouts and a weeklong camp are the first week of August, so they can have the first meet by late august or early sept. Don’t plan for vacation in august or talk to the school about summer requirements.

[Anonymous]

Many schools in the area have "captain's practices" weekday mornings in July for cross-country. If your kid can make it to many of these it will help her get ready for when the official practices start in August. Email the coach about your daughter's interest and he/she should be able to help her get in touch with the students who will be leading these. The coach may also provide a recommended running schedule for June and/or July (how many minutes a day to run, what level of effort, etc.). Your daughter might want to do some running before the captain's practices start, but running with her teammates will be the most effective way to prepare for the season.