Cross Country Running Tips No One Talks About 

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My coach always told me to remember that everyone is running in the same elements. Rain, snow, hills, mud, etc., and some people will give up because of that, which is good for you! He also told me, that when you start really hurting at 1.5-2mi, everyone else is also hurting. You have to use these to your advantage

Most high school runners go out too fast and run positive splits. I did alright with conservative starts but there were a few races where I got sucked along with a hot pace and suffered like everybody else.

Who's got a race coming up?

This helped me so much! This is my first time doing cross country in middle school I went from 15 minute miles to 14 minute 1.6 miles! I know it doesn’t seem like much but it’s improvement!

One of the best mind games advice I got for XC was if you are running just ahead of someone anytime you make a turn and you are out of sight for a couple of seconds throw in a quick burst 3-5 steps. When your competitor comes around that turn and sees that 1-2 meter lead open to 5-7 meter lead it will be dejecting.

If you're an "800m guy" like Spence you can handle a fast first 200m-400m (which could be like a 30 sec 200m or a 65 for 400m). "Pure distance guys" without raw anaerobic and raw speed can destroy their race by making the first 60 sec too fast and flooding themselves with lactate. If it's a 5km or 8km xc race you should have plenty of time to pass people. My strategy was always to work the middle or 2nd mile when people slow down/lag and save any "sprint" you have for the finishing kick! When I ran NCAA DI XC Nationals the lead pack split the first 800m in like 2:05 (for a 10km!). I was buried back in like 180th place going out in like 2:15 for the first 800m...but if you are disciplined and well trained you can mow people down in the middle of the race. I wasn't quite All American in XC, but I passed 100 guys during the race.

Funnily enough, I am watching this video the day before my cross country race against another school and this got recommended to me. Thanks for the advice!

I’m going into college XC and this was very helpful. Also I loved that Mario cart clip 😂

Favourite parkrun is of course Chester where I have volunteered 200+ times. Last week I was visiting friends and managed a PB of 20:10 at Clumber Park with an age graded score of 78.84% all with my 60th birthday less than a month away! Great video as always and I’ve never known what the age graded scores meant until I saw this - thanks.

My regional xc is tomorrow and last year I came 8th missing out my 2 spots

I had my first High School XC meet earlier today, and saw this video afterwards. It was chilly course and I cannot emphasize enough about how much the “cruise control up the hill and then push at the crest” strategy works.

Wish I had this content back when I was running XC in high school!

my xc season is about to start. this really helped thanks ❤

My big thing is find a pack that makes you feel like you’re going anywhere from about 85-90 percent so that you’ll have a lot to finish. I run about 5:35 for the first 2 but am able to run about 5:10 for the last mile and it really helps.

You posted this video a day after I got a pr in the 5k, almost good timing but i still have a couple races this season

I have three xc races this week had one yesterday one tomarrow and one saterday. I love the tips you gave in this video

I am watching this the day before my biggest race of the year!

Nobody will take this advice because it's a whole lifestyle change, but eating a very low or zero carb diet is the true way to fuel the body. I ran XC for seven years in high school, and ate a lot of carbs all the time and especially before races. I was pretty good, nothing sensational but I was consistently third on the team and went to states. However I never felt very good when I raced, I was always hurting, as you say. Ten years later I came back to running after a debilitating chronic illness (so bad I couldn't sit up straight or stand for more than 10 minutes), which I healed from by eating a zero carb diet. So naturally I am running now on a zero carb diet and I am FIERCE. I have only been training again for two months, doing a lot less mileage and a lot less strength/cross training, and I'm already faster than I was in high school. And I feel way way wayyyyy better when I run. I don't get that "hurting" feeling when I run hard. Not to say I don't get tired, but nothing actually hurts, I don't get chest tightness or breathlessness or stitches/cramps or a sudden draining feeling in my body. I have a deep pool of energy I can pull from even when I start to feel tired, and if I ever do need to dial it back like after pushing a steep hill, my recovery is very quick. The truth is that "fat burning," which is the metabolic state of ketosis, is far healthier and more efficient than carb burning. Fat actually gives more than double the amount of energy per gram than carbohydrates, so you can burn less of it for the same energy output, which means your energy reserves last much longer if you're using fat as your fuel source. However the body will only tap into your fat stores when your glucose stores dry up, so you cannot easily access this metabolic state if you are eating carbohydrates, because the body will always use those first. Evidence actually suggests that the "second wind" phenomenon you may get during a long race is actually the body going into the state of ketosis to meet energy demands, and that's why you may feel a sudden burst of strength and speed. Anyway, I figured I'd drop that here for anyone who trawls through comments sections. If you're looking for a way to up your running game, try dropping all carbs and eating only fatty meat (red meat is by far the best), eggs, and dairy if you're not allergic. Many professional athletes eat this way and all of them swear by it just like me.

I’m in 8th grade and I can run a 12:13 2 mile

I’m running great American xc festival tmr good timing

I’m watching this right before my xc race mine at are at at 2:30 and it’s currently 1:30

It is important not to worry to much about the day or night before the race everybody is nervous. Better work on getting in plenty of carbs in the week before. Whole grain pasta with bolognese is great. Get the sleep the week before make sure that this is well.

I’m running my first xc meet I’ve only done track and basketball and in track I ran 5 : 45 1600m which isn’t good but isn’t terrible but I’m trying to get top 20 this meet hopefully

Love the video my strategy is it is a hill course I try to beat people on the hill and I also try to stay in the front but let the others push them self’s too much to where they push too hard and then I pass them I tried your strategy and I did better and I got a higher place thanks

Just had my last race of the year 2 days ago. Wish I would have seen this earlier 😢

hey everyone. i’m 13 and this is my 2nd year of doing cross country. my best time for 2 miles is 15:15 which i’m not sure is good or not but if y’all have any tips please share them with me.

Nice job Xcountry, like most sports, is so mental

my race is tomorrow at mundy park its my 4th race in my entire life and hope i can do better than last race with 18min and 13sec

Going into my next schoolyear, I’m excited to run. Also literally don’t want to run again. It’s a cc thing.

Nice video... watching this the night before a race!

I’m actually watching after one of the biggest race of the season

I have one this evening lol

Here a day before the conference meet

i watched this video the day after my race lol

Watching this video the day of a meet😂

I ran a 5k in like 23 minutes as a middle schooler

I’m watching this two days before the official season in my school district starts 😅

I had a meet last week and I got a 28:41 how should I train to break 25

This is before my race❤

I got a race tomorrow thanks

Do you know what can help me? My throat starts to close up anytime I'm running in the wind, or running at a tempo pace, and it is really bothering me because it is restricting my airflow to the point my diaphragm gets a cramp trying to work overtime, and i've passed out due to lack of oxygen. Any tips are welcome because google has been 0 help.

I got 2nd in my cross country without any training it was 4K I’m 15 and going to race against my region idk what to train

U literally called me out immediately in the video haha 😂

Watching the day before my race

Thanks Spence

Graham Groves

My day before XC RACE

Thanks G

Two minutes after my cross county

Mabel Village

I’m watching this day before Nike south

Night before!

Day before my race, HELP

I noticed many athletes, particularly in track, say a little prayer just before racing. I would like to know what the thought process is...are these people asking for a win? Is it a form of letting go? I'm not anti or pro anything, just genuinely curious.

What do I do if I’m a big guy in xc (170-180 lbs) racing varsity and my times are being very inconsistent

I also just during the race I talk to my self being like I have to get past this kid then this kid

Day of my xc meet

What's your two mile and 5k PR?

It’s the day of my race lol

W VIDEO BRO! SAVING ME lol

It's currently two days before a really big meet and I'm only doing this sport for basketball conditioning. I'm definitely getting smoked 💀💀💀

I am watching day before

Six days away from my race

i am

Me

My race is in like 9 hourssss

hi

2 days before the race.

Three days out from race day

Who else is watching this at 12 am?

how did u know when i was watching this

Me baby

best tip ever: dont read lettuce run. just dont. ratio of douchbaggery is too tremendous

2 days before race day.

nah I’m watching this ON MY CROSS COUNTRY DAY

The Gucci socks 😭

Every world record from the 1500 meters all the way up to the marathon have negative splits. Take this information as you will.

Decent video but very vague things

The beginning was definitely relatable. I’ve got less than a day for my race. This video was very helpful, thank you!

One thing my coach told me before he stopped coaching was “You have to be willing to push through the pain in order to achieve something great” And every time I think of this quote I always push through the pain and I feel so much better afterwards (mentally) because I know that I gave it my all and I ran a good time because I ran a hard race

I finally got over worrying about pace, and once I did PRs came with it. All you have to do is race, times come when you race well

As my coach always says, “last mile, best mile”

Watching this 2 days out from a flat course race. Gonna be a nice quick one. Thanks Spencer

I appreciate this man. I got a meet with 230 schools tomorrow, and it was rated as the toughest course in New Jersey. These points definitively will help me out pre and post race. Thank you.

my freshman brother ran 17:20 bc of this, thank you so much!! I do 3k's and I am 3rd on the team :D

I used to feel incredibly sick on game day. I was all jittery and had lots of nerves and it made me feel awful. I would end up performing badly and it upset me. But when I started to realise that the sick feeling I was having was all the adrenaline in my system and it would go away as soon as I started playing, my games started to go a lot better. Like you said it’s your body preparing for war. If you try and shift your mindset from “I don’t feel good so I won’t perform good and I’m super nervous” to “I can feel the adrenaline and I can’t wait to get going so I can channel this feeling somewhere” things will start to go a lot better and you’ll have way more fun.

Spencer, these videos have been very inspirational and you have been a guy that has helped me in many ways, good job and thanks for the great vids

About to go into my first cross country season since school (I'm 29, just doing my local county XC league here in the UK) and this was actually really helpful. It'll be very different to the trail and fell racing I'm used to and a 10 year gap means my memories of XC are a bit hazy 😂 Great tips!

HOW DID YOU KNOW MY CROSS COUNTRY WAS TOMMOROW! Thanks for the tips on my division cross country!

Adding to what you said in the end of the video, my coach always says to have a short term memory in cross. If you have a bad race just move onto the next one. He always reminds us of our work ethic, and how our race is coming soon if we just keep working.

As a former xc runner and current xc coach I love this video. I know what I want to say to my athletes but I couldn't put it in words, but I love the way you put things!

Commenting this the day before my last high school league championship race. This video has quickly become a large part of my prerace rhythm lol.

I improved my time by 3 minutes, I wasn’t last, and I beat the girl that kept passing me. This was so helpful!!! I appreciate it!

I am watching This the day before my race 😂

I got a big race tomorrow, I’ve been trying all season to get a sub 17:00, I’m at 17:32 right now, and this video makes me feel better.

I should've run cross country and track.

Looked like footage from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. I ran a Masters Club National XC race there in 2014

watching this before our final race tomorrow, will diffidently use these tips for the race. thanks! Something I've found out (I'm sure many people have done this) but try and keep a rhythm with your breathing, it makes it a lot less stressful when running.

I am watching the day before