I mentioned Why you should run cross country and here is some advice from a few of my friends that know a thing or two about cross county running.

“Be patient. You want to be at your best at the end of the season. Let yourself build into the season, getting slightly more focused each week. It can be hard to maintain 100% for 12-14 weeks, so that gradual approach usually leads to the best performances when they matter the most!”
– Jesse Thomas (State champ at Mountain View, NCAA All-American at Stanford, Professional Triathlete)

“Focus on accumulating quality training runs and sessions over weeks and months. Improvement will come from a body of work, not from one stellar session. Instead of aiming to set the world on fire in one particular workout, aim to stay healthy and execute at a high level week-in and week-out. Often, this will mean holding back a little bit in training. That’s fine, racing is where you measure yourself against other competitors. Don’t let competition in training draw your focus from what’s really important. Minding your priorities is crucial in training and in life. Your friendships & the team should always come first. Keeping yourself healthy, first & foremost, will ensure that you improve as a runner & that your team consistently competes with your talents on-hand.”
– Kenyon Neuman (One of C.O. fastest high school runners ever, University of Colorado, Nike Running)

“Strength matters more than most distance runner can imagine. The better your off season weight and mobility training, the better your season will be, consistency, training, and performance wise.”
– Ross Dexter (La Pine High School 800-meter state champion, coach of high school through NCAA athletes)

“Eat dirt.
Spend your summer running over mountains and through fields.
Be tough. Think tough.
Picture yourself as a warrior who has the speed, strength, and courage to conquer any terrain.
Run with a smile always so your teeth get grit.”
– Lisa Nye (Bend High coach)

“The most important piece of advice I would give a cross country runner heading into a new year is having a clear set of goals for the season and understanding the necessary steps they need to take to work toward reaching those goals. I find that we have many athletes with lofty goals who don’t necessarily understand the effort and diligence that it will take to reach them. I would recommend they have a conversation with their coaches to make sure their coaches understand their goals and are able to give them direction and support to achieve those. That will also provide some accountability and the coaches will know when they need to push the athlete further. Putting in a full effort during summer training is key to a successful season so these are steps that need to be taken early on to ensure the best outcome.”
– Mike Condon (Mountain View coach)

“Get out the door and start walking, hiking and then jogging and running.
If you don’t, the H.S. XC season will be over before your body starts to get in shape. The more you can do
before the season starts, the better you will feel and the more fun running will be.”
– Carol McLatchie (Summit Coach)