Long Runs: Longs runs are vital to aerobic development and should consist of at least an hour of running and should not exceed two hours. They should be done at a conversational pace; meaning a light pace at which it is easy to carry on a conversation. The length of the long run depends upon the athlete.
Easy Runs: Easy runs are a necessary part of recovery and injury prevention. The length of these runs will vary depending on the athlete. It is important that they are EASY.
Drills: Drills are designed to increase speed, strength, and balance. They are vital for the prevention of injuries. Drills include: lunges, high knees, high skips, butt kicks, Russian kicks, ankle hops, water pumps, push ups, dips, "call your neighbor", "chicken wings", strides, blades of glory, and walking IT stretchs.
Tempo Run: Tempo Runs target aerobic and anaerobic threshold development and prepare the mind and body for the increasing demands of a cross country race. Tempo runs are 3 to 4 mile run at a progressive pace (negative splits). For instance if your goal is to run a 24 minute race your race pace should be 7:43. The first mile should be ran at 8:45, second at 8:15 and third at 7:43. An easy pace calculator can be found at CoolRunning.com.
Intervals: Intervals target aerobic, anaerobic threshold, and anaerobic development. Intervals consist of shorter runs equaling the total race distance completed at goal pace with brief rests. For instance if a runner's goal pace is 7:43, 400 meter intervals should be ran at 1:15 (mile pace in minutes divided by 4) with a 1:00 rest between each interval. The athelete should complete this exercise 12 times.
Core workouts: Each workout should be followed by a core workout. Core exercises should be completed in rapid succesion, moving quickly from one exercise to the other. Exercises include: crunch, reverse crunch, spiderman, plank, side plank, russian twist, leg lifts, and bicycle. Exercises for the glute should also be included.
Fartlek: A form of conditioning which puts stress mainly on the aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress. Most Fartlek sessions last a minimum of 45 minutes and can vary from aerobic walking to anaerobic sprinting. Fartlek training is generally associated with running, but can include almost any kind of exercise.
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