Pros and Cons of Cross-Country Running:

The benefits of cross-country are both mental and physical. The runner who is experienced in cross-country is more robust, more versatile and less likely to be thrown by a sudden change in the weather. The physical benefits derive from the greater demands on the musculature already mentioned above. Greater strength around the hips gives greater leg speed. Perhaps more importantly, training and competing for months in the cross-country season provides tough physical training, working over a wide range of speeds, without the damaging effects of the cumulative jarring which results from track.

The phases of training, which will merge into one another, are endurance work, hills, repetitions, tempo runs, strength work and race specific training which is very beneficial for Cross-Training in other sports as well.  Steady runs are an important part of the training, because they continue to develop aerobic fitness while allowing recovery from the more intense sessions. The pace here should be just below your anaerobic threshold.

Race Preparation:

If your season is centered around one or two major events, it is important to taper off the intensity of the training before the event and to focus on the event by doing race specific training.

·        This means finding out as much as you can about the nature of the course

·        How big the hills are

·        Whether there are any difficult sections

·        What kind of shoes to wear etc.

Your training in the last two weeks should be aimed at producing good quality running on the hard days, with plenty of recovery in between. Have two hard sessions in the penultimate week, and only one in the last week done on the Tuesday or Wednesday. In these sessions you are trying to get as close as possible to the feeling of the race:

·        Practicing fast starts

·        Mid-race surges

·        Bursts over the hills, whatever may be needed

Tactical Approach:

Tactically, front runners stand much more chance of success in cross-country, because the breaks in continuity allow more chance of getting away. You, therefore, have to be committed to a fast pace in the early stages. The 'interference effect' is considerable when the number of competitors is large so if three runners are going for a gap, which will only take two, one of them has to slip back. This means that one person just behind will be pushed back a meter, and this effect goes on down the field, so that 100m can be lost in a kilometre.

Success in cross-country demands a courageous approach, which is why it is recommend as a way of developing distance running talent. If you are interested in this Cross-Training approach and require more details, please call Valmé Kruger on 0402126060 or 9980 9994, or email vkruger@tpg.com.au

Training Times and Competitions:

Mondays:

·        Beginners/Younger Athletes (Juniors):        4:00 – 5:00pm

·        Advanced/Older Athletes (Seniors):            5:00 – 6:30pm

Tuesdays:

·        Advanced/Older Athletes (Seniors) :            5:00 – 6:00pm

Wednesdays:

·        Beginners/Younger Athletes (Juniors):         4:00 – 5:00pm

·        Advanced/Older Athletes (Seniors):             5:00 – 6:30pm

Competitions will be on Saturdays:

There will be 2km – 8km races at different times to accommodate everyone. All athletes will be tested before the time to see which session is more beneficial for them and where they will fit in.

Valmé Kruger

Coaching Director