Cross Country Summer Conditioning: June

Time to switch over from Track to Cross Country...  For the Month of June:

The month of June marks the first phase of our training as we come off of some down time.  Some of you have had 6 months off since last cross country season, others of you who are coming off of the track season may have anywhere from 3-6 weeks.  No matter where you are and how much time you have had off now is the time to get those legs going again.  Over the next month you will slowly build your mileage and the distance of your runs as you get more fit and adapt to the mileage.  At this point we are not doing any "workouts," but we will incorporate strength exercises and some strides into our routine.

Beginning in August we will begin to include tempos, fartleks and strides.  At this point however we are just getting the legs going and enjoying the social aspects of our sport.  The whole goal of summer conditioning is gain maximum fitness with the least amount of stress.  By running in the summer you will reduce the risk of injury and gain fitness so that the stress of training in the fall is not as difficult on your body.  Remember: train hard, but smart.  There is no prize for who is fastest the first day of practice, but there is a prize for who is the fastest in November at the CCS and hopefully the State Championships.

We will be meeting at Los Gatos High School Mondays & Wednesdays from 4:00-5:30 pm for a trail run and some strength drills (hurdle drills, pull-ups, push-ups, plyos, etc.).  We will be running an easy 3...4...5 mile run (longer if you want) with friends at a relaxed pace. Whatever you can do right now, as long as it feels easy and within yourself! Remember, this is just get the wheels going not to win the pointless summer training run championship!

This is the minimum recommendation of what you should be doing for the month of June to be prepared for the upcoming XC season:

Novice Runners:
2 x Team Run + 1 run on your own.

Varsity Runners:
2 x Team Run + 2 runs on your own

Elite:
2 x Team Run + 3-4 runs on your own.  One Rest Day.