The mental part is huge, with the season at the start, my team lost a lot of seniors who I was good friends with, and now it seems like I starting over again. I'm not running for the team but rather myself, it just doesn't work. You need somebody there with you otherwise its tough
O.B.J I wish but I go to a really small college and there’s only 2 other boys on my team both of them are extremely slower than me (I run a 29 min 8k and they run around 37-38 mins) so I’m forced to practice and race by myself
That’s exactly what’s going to happen next year to my team. I’m a freshman and I was really nervous joining high school cross county but it’s been a lot of fun, but besides another freshman they’re all seniors and they’re mainly what makes it so much fun. But I’m very worried that the team will be dead next year.
It’s not hard for me to stay motivated. My running partner is always forcing me to run even when I don’t want to which I really appreciate. And I also remember that my competition is all staying at home not doing anything (I be watching their Instagram stories)
Me, I want to be really motivated more and I want to do better this upcoming season. I want to reach and show my true potential because last season I got injured and I couldn't run the rest of the season. (Bad shin splints) for those who know what I am talking about. 😬
Best advice I have is “Don’t be afraid”. Never fear anything during your race. Once you let something get into your head you’ve already lost. “Just go out there and give em hell” good thing to remember if you’re scared of the outcome.
Honestly everyone thinks that the teeth gritting out for blood strategy works but it's not effective until the last tiny bit of the race. The key to running your best race is staying relaxed and not letting go of the pace no matter what
Sleep is the best recovery tool. Avoid binge drinking it takes away from workout benefits. Stay as stress free as possible. Small sips of water through out the day and take easy days easy!
can you add some more detail re: the binge drinking? Im only a old rec runner but like my drink. is it really that bad? Doesn't seem to make that much difference to my parkrun times but I might be missing out on the big picture. Working on the other things. Trying to get 8 hours and slowing down on the bread and butter easy runs.
@@shaunukhiking as far as i know the alcohol slows the recovery process and breaks down some of the gains made in a workout if drunk too close to a session (and you're never really too far away from a session if you do 3 speed sessions a week)
Not even that but water isn’t necessary during a workout or try to limit the amount you drink certain amounts of gulp after each rep or something to get your body adaptive to working without water bc in a race for 3 miles you don’t get water but always keep in mind that if you don’t feel well make sure you are taking in the necessary water to recover!
When I started as a freshman my times were 8:43 for a mile and 23:03 for 3 miles by the end of the season. Now as a sophomore I improved very much. My mile time is 5:06, two mile 10:53, and 3 mile 17:32. Consistency, mental, and having someone to work with you is key. Update: I had a league meet last week and my time for 3 miles was 16:17 Very late update: my pr for the mile is 4:51
Squid Baller13 after xc I joined track which is where I improved the most. After xc season was over track conditioning started the next day so I didn’t get a break.
@@lord_gibby1698 that's amazing, dude u are an inspiration for me! This is my first year of xc but as of today we ran a timed mile and I got a 5 13! I'm so proud of my self, my 2 mile was like 12 20, ima try it again because I know I can do it faster, and I havent had my first race so I dont know what my 3 mile is
My first 5k was 27 minutes flat, now I’m down to around 20:50 (it’s been 2 years ). Edit: Even though my improvement so far isn’t even comparable with Spencer’s i totally agree with all of them especially staying consistent and summer training
This video could have been 5 seconds long... Tip #1: Do some running Tip #2: Warm up before races Tip #3: Don't get hurt Tip #4: Know how to race Tip #5: Try your best
The part a lot of people forget is how mentally challenging running is. You’re constantly pushing your limits, the winner is whoever is willing to ensure the most pain. Stay motivated, I started at 20:40 and am now at 18:37. Keep grinding!
Thats great improvement! How long a time period was it between those two times? I managed to go from 20:24 my freshman year down to 16:58 my junior year. Now I’m a senior and I’m ready to improve even more
True I’m having sleep issues and I’m going to bed at 9:40 and waking up at 4:50 every night. I did my pr on 6 hours but now I’m starting to feel the fatigue from not getting enough
FlipFlopFish get sleep, it’s not about how tired you feel, after you’ve been through those Monday workouts, your mind is a steel trap and you can push through the pain 100%. Sleep is more behind the scenes, don’t see it as recovery, see it as training, since sleep is what repairs your body and makes improvements.
Jack Epples Well to start off it differs for each person. In my case I had never trained over the summer, was usually injured, and didn’t do winter track. The ‘19 spring I set a goal to not suck. So I trained much more than I had over the summer, I didn’t push too hard or overtrain. I also kept a focused mentality and I love to run which helped. Really it comes down to consistency, everyday showing up and doing the little things right. This vid touches a lot on that. Really to set you up summer training is needed. It takes time. Good luck!
Over the first 4 weeks of the summer I worked up from 4 miles a day to 6 miles a day. Then over the next month worked up to between 8 and 9 miles a day with a 12+ mile run once a week. I already had a decent base coming out of the track season but this building the base has allowed me to run a minute faster on slow courses this year than I did on fast courses last year. Finally get to run a fast course tomorrow and am looking to drop between 45 and 30 seconds from my pr for a low 16
You just got to train hard, sleep, take care of your body when hurting, and don't get lazy in the offseason. I'm not that good but I went from a 30:49 in the first 5k of my freshmen year and now the 1st 5k of my junior year I ran a 22:34
I started freshman year at like a 32 and now towards the end of Junior year am at a 21:39 (rough season) but these tips should hopefully bring me to the ellusive sub 20
Thank's Spencer :) Here's my progression 2016 : 21:25 ( 1 or 2 training / week ) 2017 : 19:15 ( 3 training / week ) 2018 : 17:47 ( 4 training / week ) 2019 : 16:45 ( 4 or 5 training / week ) 2020 : sub 16 :o ( will be very very hard )
If you ever see this my current time is a 21:09, and I am a freshman in high school. I'm trying to stay consistent in the summer, what would be your recommendation on how much to run everyday?
Andrew Greig during summer conditioning of that summer i ran 6-10 miles 5 days a week at sub 7 minute a mile pace for a few months until official practice started
One thing my coach told me that has worked really well for me is to not focus on the person ahead of you, but the person ahead of them. It’s crazy how effective it is when you mentally pass people before you even do
Yo spencer shout out from ireland bro. Maybe a bit of a long shot here but was wondering could you help a brother put and do a running form video. Increasing stride length etc foot placement arm swing etc. I know there is other videos but your form is smooth. Help a brother out. Great videos bro.
For me, blanking out to only focusing on my breathing helps me control my pace as well as keeping myself relaxed. Turned my times from average 22’s to 18’s in 3 months. I have several local races I plan on winning 👍🏽
Freshman year ran 29:06 5k, 17:37 2 mile, and 8:03 mile by my senior year ran 19:43 5k, 11:52 2 mile, and 5:22 mile. Graduated in 2018 currently been in a track club for 6-7 months 5k is currently sitting at 20:06. Want to see how far I can take it with racing it’s a passion of mine my goals for this season is to get in the 18:50s for the 5k and break 35 minutes for the 8k *Update July 23rd 2020* got my 5k down to 19:42 in November 2019 got my mile down to 5:18 this month im writing this
I wish I had more time to improve and run in high school. If your just started out running cross country running in high school give it your all. Train train train! Because your gonna have so much regret your senior year like me. Grind grind in the summer. Run run run! Unlike me. I’m now a senior and regret. I had got poison oak this summer and couldn’t run. Ruined my senior year. Put in work.
Thanks Spencer! I love your content and these tips are helpful. So far my season has been going great and my team is a big favorite to win state! XC season hype!
my coach likes to say that your first mile should be about 10-15 seconds faster than your goal pace, usually the first mile of a race will always be the fastest but there are other strategies out there though. second and third mille try to hold on and push if you can. this is more like a HS strategy for running a fast time
It should depend on the person. I personally like to negative split (faster the 2nd/3rd mile) because I get motivated passing everyone else when they’re slowing down, which makes me speed up even more. However, to do this you need to make sure you don’t go out too slow. Conversely, if you’re a shorter distance runner or sprinter, running a faster first mile or third might be the best bet. For distance-oriented runners, even splitting is great but hard to implement. Just experiment and use your strengths to your advantage!
Andrew McCool exactly I agree partly, 2 races ago was the first time I tried out negative splitting and it was a lot of fun. But I don’t think that’s necessarily the best strategy for running a PR at least for me, and because who knows when you could have a breakout runs and you just feel amazing with a first fast mile and could keep that pace for the rest of the race. But yeah negative splitting is another strat that works for people and it was a lot of fun when I tried it out
When I was a Freshman and Sophomore in High School I started running as soon as the season began, but this year I started running 4 weeks before and I can already run a 5k under 22 minutes. Kind of crazy how preseason workouts really help. And I also plan on running throughout school to further improve my distance as well as time.
U said u we're on the phone with Rey Rivera from old bridge? I asked on another video how he was doing he went to my high school were I ran also heard he had an injury was wondering how he was doing?
I have been looking up to you since I started cross country. My first freshman race this season I got a 17:30. Now I'm going for sub 17 at the next race.
When I watched you at the beginning of the summer, I was running a 20:50 5k. Now at the beginning of my sophomore season, I'm at a 17:50, thank you so much for inspiring to be a better runner
My biggest change that led to big improvements was summer training. In my 4 years, this is the last time I really took it seriously and I trained over summer and hit 500 mile club. This season I’ve crushed every workout so far and PRd in both meets so far, going from 20:03 in March to 19:14 now. I’ve been doing core every other day about for the last 2-3 weeks and getting in the weight room like 2-3x per week. This Saturday I’m hoping to break 19!!
2nd mile is absolutely the hardest in a race. The most important thing is to keep a consistent pace and let the race come to you like Spencer said in his video. Remember that you’re not the only one hurting, every single person in that race with you is hurting at that point. Persevere and kill that final mile
Carlin Reeves I think the easiest way to run the second mile is to go with someone else. If it any point someone is passing you in the second mile try to stay with them until the 2 mile mark and then try to pull ahead from them. It’s easier to chase someone down then it is to run away from someone and mile 2 is by far the hardest to run alone on.
Have a plan. Know exactly what you're going to do in the race. How many people you plan to pass, how hard you'll take the hill, how strong you'll push it near the finish, etc.
from personal experience, don't sprint/run really fast when the race starts. I did this in my first race and then by the first mile I felt like I couldn't keep going and I started walking. so even if everyone is ahead of you at the beginning of the race just know that at some point they're going to start to kind of fall behind from where they initially started at the beginning of the race and it'll definitely save you some energy for the rest of the race.
I'm a freshman and it's my first year in cross country, I run 3 miles at 26 flat, extremely slow but I finish incredibly strong, I sprint the last 170 meters with a speed of 14/16 mph but die so much more afterwards.
Don’t spring the end put all your effort into the middle in the race you, if you run the race very hard you shouldn’t have enough left to sprint your fastest at the end
@@daveygeorge4861 it's not that my legs are tired it's more like I can't process oxygen fast enough for me to use, so I slow down and then at the very end I kinda just take a risk, either I keep a pace and lose to the guy behind me or sprint and possibly pass out. My lungs just aren't meant for Xc mine are meant for 100-200 meter sprints
Im a freshman and I run a 18:32 which isn't to fast but I'm happy with it becuse im coming off a knee injury with no winter spring or summer activities
5 лет назад
In two weeks I dropped my personal best by 2 minutes and 15 seconds!!!!!!!
I just did a 11:59 3k on a hilly course. I’m not very satisfied with this time, is there anyway to improve my time? I do around 3-4 miles a day and 6 miles on my long distance.
Every couple weeks, try to run a little further so maybe a 6.5 mile run for a couple weeks, then to 7, and so on. Also try to have a couple 5+ mile days maybe once or twice a week. Just work your way up to a higher mileage.
Evie It depends what you struggle with, your age, and what part of the season it is for you. Normally I would do 4-5 weeks of strictly building mileage and going on runs maybe one or two track days of 1ks a little under race pace, 800s, or something like that. My favorite summer runs we’re going on 3-4 mile runs a little over my target 5k pace. If it is mid season or early season it is harder to drop time but obviously still possible. I would recommend increasing mileage and maybe doing 1k repeats at race pace or a little below race pace (depending on how many you do) For example if you want to run a 17:30 5k, you could do 6x1000 on the track at around 3:20 per 1000 with 2-3 minute rest. Either way, you just have to trust your coaches and if that’s not enough, if you are running 3ks I would go on a 4 mile run after practice everyday or in the morning before school. I hope this helps.
If speed is your problem, then run intervals once a week, such as 6×800m, 4×mile, 10×400m. Vary them. Do tempo runs about once or twice a week. About 3-5 miles at slower than race pace but faster than a long run. My coach calls it a comfortably uncomfortable pace😂. Also, run a long run at least 2x per week. 6-8 miles at a relaxed pace. A conversation pace. You should be able to have a full conversation with someone during a long run. It is solely for recovery.
First meet I had as a freshman was a about a 24 flat, at the end of the season I PRed at 18:39, and got the best effort award at the end of the season’s banquet
How should u pace? Idk, I hear like speakers n coaches will say start out decently faster than usual but not all out. But when I ask the racers that beat me by a landslide they always say start off the gun as fast as possible for your first mile(I'm HS), the other 2 is just mental. Any thoughts on that?
Definitely should not go all out first mile.. I'd say chill the first mile and work off adrenaline while still going a good pace and hammer the second mile and then the third is mental
Competitive distance running is 95% talent, I along with most people, will never run come close to running at an elite level. If your parents were not gifted distance athletes, I suggest trying something else.
I’m a sophomore in high school and currently at a 18:49 pr. I’m kinda scared cuz my coach said I’m guaranteed to go to districts and this will be my first year going😅
How do you know when to take over. It’s hard finding the right time to drop the hammer and kick it into the next gear. I feel like I’m stuck and can’t push through
Alan Westfallp how do you enjoy it even when its mentally and physically torturing? My time isnt great for 3 mile and i have my first meet next tuesday
Everyone here’s like “oh I ran 25 now I’m running 16” Me running 1830 freshman year, then 1828 sophomore year ;( (First race was yesterday for my sophomore year tho, hopefully I can break 18)
My first XC 5k was a 26:30. After six races I set my current PR of 21:14. I ran a 21:47 at state last Monday and placed 10th (my division is like, one of the bottom 2 in the state) and my team won 1st. I really wish I would have joined XC earlier. This was my first season and last season because I'm in my senior year :( I only got to race 7 races the entire season, too
I watch you and Zack levet all the time and you guys are the best, you guys have helped so much, I started this season as a freshman running 23:00 and now we’re 4 races into the season and i just got 18:57, Pennsylvania state championship is the goal eventually!! Keep doing what your doing it’s so helpful!!
I’m in 10th grade and have only been running for 3 months and have a mile time of 5:28 and I lieterly signed up late for cross country this morning tomorrow is my first practice I’m excited to do this XC season!
My XC season I improved steadily from 22:40 to a 20:17. And I planned on sub 20 but I guess I was moving too fast? I got a muscle strain in the calf area and have to recover for indoor track. Makes me mad, but I rather sprint than run long.
