| Wish to increase your running speed off-road? | | | | Cross Country Running Tips #3: Practice Tempo |
| Then you need some cross country running tips. | | | | Changes |
| It is all about being able to deal with change and | | | | One of the toughest parts of running cross |
| surprising circumstances. But even that you can | | | | country is the variety in running speeds you have |
| train for. Check out this article for a range of | | | | to deal with as you are running races. Your |
| different cross country running tips. | | | | competitors may want to try "take you out" |
| Running cross country is so entertaining. If you | | | | early in the race by sudden sprints, and it is hard |
| are lucky you will have to deal with rain, wind, | | | | to let them go and have the confidence that you |
| snow, fog, cold hands and ears as well as sliding, | | | | will pick them up later. There is the terrain to |
| falling, mud, tripping over tree trunks, etc.... If you | | | | consider which may mean that you take it easy |
| want to make the most of your cross-country | | | | going up a hill, but then try to get away downhill if |
| running session, then you should prepare yourself | | | | that is your strength. Or vice versa. At some |
| for some of these conditions. | | | | point it becomes a tactical and mental challenge as |
| Cross Country Running Tip #1: Familiarize Yourself | | | | much as a physical one. Again, the key here is |
| with the Terrain | | | | experience. |
| This type of running is so different from running | | | | To get used to all these tempo changes it is |
| on solid, flat concrete pavements and streets. | | | | important to do tempo runs and fartlek training. |
| When you run cross country you have to deal | | | | Tempo runs will help you get used to faster |
| with rougher circumstances, especially when it has | | | | paced running without producing lactic acid in your |
| rained and you are dealing with slippery, muddy | | | | legs. Fartlek is also known as "speed play", a more |
| tracks. There is no better way to prepare for | | | | or less unstructured training session in which you |
| this, than to experience it often. Of course, there | | | | incorporate lots of tempo changes. There are |
| is time for track work and running through city | | | | more structured fartlek sessions as well, e.g. |
| streets, but if you want to do well in cross | | | | pyramid runs. In pyramid runs you typically |
| country running you should regularly run on trails, | | | | change your speed every 5 minutes or so. You |
| through woods etc. | | | | first build up your speed in 3-6 steps, then you |
| Cross Country Running Tip #2: Familiarize Yourself | | | | build it down again. It is important to do these |
| with the Weather | | | | types of runs fairly often during the racing |
| Like the terrain, you also need to familiarize | | | | season. Keep in mind though that these are "hard" |
| yourself with the cross-country running weather. | | | | training sessions, so leave enough time for you to |
| The weather may be wet and cold or generally | | | | recover for your weekend races. |
| unpleasant. So, run in bad weather often. Go out | | | | These running tips should help you make the next |
| when it is raining, rather than staying at home in | | | | your best cross country running season yet. |
| front of the fire. It is good to get the experience | | | | Apply these principles in your running training as |
| of bad weather running already in your training, so | | | | well as possible and soon you will reap the |
| that your race performance is not too much | | | | rewards. |
| affected by adverse weather conditions. | | | | |