Chicago Public League Sports Blog

Girls Frosh-Soph Cross Country – St Patricks Invitational

By Victor Gonzalez (Lane Tech class of 1989) and Ilona Koziel

Ilona Koziel was a former sprinter, Jumper and cross country runner at Lane Tech H.S.

Experience was the big winner in the girls Frosh-Soph race.  Fenwick dominated the race, but the CPS managed to get some runners in to the top ten. 

5th place – Clarissa Fryan (So) Lane Tech HS	6th place - Araceli Gutierrez (So) Mather HS

Clarissa Fryan and Araceli Gutierrez both agreed that the big difference in their performance was the experience they had gained from their freshmen year.  Clarissa stated that she felt stronger after a full year of cross country and a summer of training. 

Araceli competed well despite some previous running injuries.  Her coach stated that all the construction at Mather has made it difficult to get the athletes the proper ice treatment.  Despite the injuries, she will be busy trying to break 19 minutes by the end of the year.  After talking to this young lady, I was impressed with her attitude of just doing her best and thinking about the future.

Jordan Ashley Micus is only a freshman but has run cross country in the past.  She has competed in cross country since fifth grade.  Her goal is to make the varsity team by the end of the year.  Jordan’s performance justifies the need for feeder programs.  With all the cuts in the CPS, it will be a while before the CPS has the funding for 7^th and 8^th grade cross country programs.

We wish these girls and the rest of the newcomers to the CPS the best of luck this season

8^th place – Jordan Ashley Micus (Fr) Northside HS

St. Pat's Invite photo album

Summer Workouts, Part 4 - Structuring Summer Workouts

 

Lane Tech Girls Cross Country team members working out on the school lawn last summer

by:Victor Gonzalez

***Warning – Do not use these workouts if you are already in full time summer running program.  Please listen to your coach. ***

Cross country athletes should start the season healthy and fit enough to start longer intervals such as 800 or mile repeats.  If the athlete trains properly over the summer, he or she should start the season ready to get the most out of the season workouts.  Good teams will start in late August with quality competitive workouts.  They are like a pack of aggressive mush dogs.  They attack, they look in tune and they push each other. If the team athletes don’t do a good job, they are just doing September workouts to finish a 3 mile race.  I can usually spot athletes that didn’t train over the summer by the bad posture and the disconnection from the workout.  It looks they are just trying to survive the workout.

If you train properly over the summer:

• Your distance base will help you recover from a tough day of running
• Your quicker runs have helped you develop a more efficient running form
• Your interval, fartlek and tempo runs have prepared you to overcome the uncomfortable feeling of lactic acid and heavy breathing.

With everything in place, the coach can focus on training the athletes to peak performances in late October.

*** This is just an example of some structure.  If you feel meaningful pain, speak to your coach or doctor about altering your running schedule. ***

Freshmen and New runners                        

Incoming freshmen and new runners should work on increasing their distance.  It is not uncommon for new runners to struggle through a one mile run.  For now, don’t worry about the pace; just keep trying to increase your distance.  It should take you a couple months to work your way to 3 - 5 miles a day.  Don’t forget to take a rest day.  After a full season under your belt, you will feel much more comfortable with the workouts.

Phase I (for second year runners) – In phase 1 you are just trying to increase the distance and your ability to cope with faster workouts (June – Mid July).

Sunday	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Rest (You can also Rest on Saturday and workout on Sunday)	Med Distance 3-5 miles* Optional – 5 to 10 Easy (100 – 200) yard sprints	Med run at faster pace	Med Distance 3-5 miles* Optional – 5 to 10 Easy (100 – 200) yard sprints	Fartlek Or Med Intervals with good rest. (Alternate every week)	Shorter Run 3 to 5 miles	Long Run 5-8 miles* Or Race (you can do this on Sunday instead)

*  If you are struggling to finish these workouts at a reasonable pace, break them up into two segments.  In between the segments, stretch your legs.  When you are recovered, do the second segment.

Don’t forget to warm-up and stretch before any fartleks, tempo runs, intervals or sprints

Related
Part 3
Part 2
Part 1

Summer Workouts, Part 3 - Mixing in More Intense Workouts

 

***Warning – Do not use these workouts if you are already in full time summer running program.  Please listen to your coach. ***

There are several ways to safely increase your intensity over the summer.  During the summer, runners should not only be increasing their endurance base, but they should be preparing their bodies for quality running during the season.  It is not enough to show up for the season, runners should be capable of doing long repeats at race pace.  It is not unusual for cross country teams to start the season with mile and ¾ mile repeats.  8 mile long runs will not prepare you to train at race pace.

The problem with doing more intense, faster running over the summer is that you are also increasing the probability of injuries.  Most coaches look forward to getting a healthy team in the beginning of the season.  Keep in mind, while you are planning your summer workouts you are also trying to stay healthy.

Over the summer, I don’t think runners should do more than two intense workouts per week.  I would recommend postponing any intense workout if you have any meaningful pain, especially lower leg pain.  I have stated in a prior article that hard working runners should not feel pressured to run through pain over the summer.  If you have done your job the whole summer, taking a few days off to recover from injuries should not hurt your season.

Ways to increase the pace over the summer:

Racing – I would not recommend racing more that twice a month over the summer.  I recommend racing over the summer because it keeps athletes motivated.  So often, athletes forget why they are training over the summer.   Track races, road races and the occasional cross country race can be found throughout the summer.  With the help of the internet, you should have no problem finding them.

Fartleks – Fartleks are runs where you alternate the pace that you are running at.  This workout can be custom fitted to the athlete’s specific training requirements.  For example, an 800 runner can do 200 (Race pace), 200 (recovery) for an entire 2 mile run.  A 5k runner can do (800 race pace, 400 recovery) for 4.5 miles.  If you can’t run that long, then cut it down (600 with 400 recovery) for 2.5 miles.  The point is to increase your leg turnover and simulate some of the conditions of a race, i.e., the heavy breathing, the lactic acid build-up in the legs and the pacing.  I often see beginners go out too fast for their first run and then not having enough energy to finish the workout.  I would prefer the athlete go a little slower in the beginning until he or she gets the feel for this type of workout.  A couple of times over the summer I would get bored and change this workout to “tree to tree”.  Every time I would run by a tree, I would alternate the pace.  It’s not much, but it would take away some of the monotony of running.

Tempo Runs – My introduction to tempo runs happened in college.  Let me inform you that tempo runs suck.  They are not fun.  Tempo runs typically last 20 to 25 minutes at pace of (30 to 45) seconds slower than your race pace.  A 17 minute 5K runner would run about 6:00 to 6:15 pace for about 22 minutes.  If you do it right, you should be pretty tired after that.

Intervals or Repeats – The bread and butter of training!  Interval training is part of most successful training programs.  Not only is it used in running, but also in other endurance sports such as swimming, speed skating and rowing.  Everyone and their mother has an opinion on the pace, the amount of rest and the amount of intervals you should do.  I love 800s and 400s, but remember you are just trying to get ready for the beginning of the season.  Long repeats with medium rest are traditionally associated with summer interval training.  Both my high school and college coaches believed in mile repeats early in the season.  I believe in long intervals over the summer but I understand that they are hard to do if you are on your own.  If you feel you can’t do long intervals, do 800s until you find someone to workout with or until you can work your way up to ¾ or mile repeats.

 

Summer Running - Part 2

Lane Tech cross country runners training at Lane Stadium last summer.

by Victor Gonzalez (Lane Tech, class of 1989)

Over the summer, workouts can be varied.  You are not as restricted as you are during the season.  In my running days I tried to combine some structure with some freedom.  The structure can be as simple as dedicating certain days to a specific type of workout.  For example, I might dedicate Sundays for my long run.  Generally, I just tried to put in mileage over the summer.  My high school coaches used to preach long slow distance (LSD) over the summer.

During my first few years of coaching, I assumed the same strategy.  After reading articles by the former New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard, I had convinced myself that was correct.  Arthur Lydiard believed that distance runners, including middle distance runners, needed a large endurance base.  With this strategy, Arthur Lydiard produced many Olympic caliber runners.  Another coach that I used to read about was the great York High School distance coach, Joe Newton.  I got so excited when I realized that Joe Newton and Arthur Lydiard knew each other.  After a few clinics, coach Newton started recognizing my face and that is when I asked him about long slow distance.  If you’ve ever met coach Newton, you will know that he is charismatic, funny, and very supportive, at least he was to me.  I asked him about doing long slow distance over the summer and his answer still surprises me to this day.  “If you don’t run 7 minute pace, you might as well be taking a f****** nap.”  I’m paraphrasing because it was almost 20 years ago, but that is what I remember.

As I continued attending clinics, especially sprint clinics, I learned more about how the body learns on its own when executing certain drills.  For example: Instead of telling sprinters to stay low during the start of their race, you might start sprinters from their stomach for very short races (5 meters or less).  The race is so short, that the sprinter will learn that any move up will only be wasted.  After some time the athlete will learn on his own to stay low.  Another example is to do lots of leg drills that require faster leg turnover than race pace.  With a little instruction and with the help of the drills, the sprinter will learn to stay low and increase their turnover rate.  How does this relate to distance running?  If you apply this example to distance runners, you might see why a faster running pace will force the runners to find the most efficient way to run.  Advocates of running faster, not longer will tell you that you want athletes to practice with a faster turnover.  They will tell you that long slow distance will encourage horrible habits.  One example that I see often, especially in girls, is the foot kicking out at the end of the push-off phase.  Long slow distance does not encourage athletes to fix these small flaws in their stride.  When the athletes run faster, they are learning to run efficiently.  They are also working with a faster turnover.  If you are running 8-10 miles at 8 to 10 minute pace, you might consider changing some of those runs to 6-8 miles at 7 to 9 minute pace.

So after all that, where do I stand?  Somewhere in the middle, of course.  I still believe in the benefits of long slow distance, but now I acknowledge the weaknesses also.  I will finish this article with the same thought that I started with.  Have a great productive summer and don’t forget to vary your workouts.

Get your shoes and start running - Part 1

Coming Soon

Summer Workouts Part 3 - Mixing in more intense workouts

Summer Workouts Part 4 – Structuring the summer weeks