The cross country season returns with a splash at Keysoe
this weekend. If you’re new to the event or are after some tips on how to improve,
read on…
TRAIN OFF-ROAD
Practice makes perfect so if you want to get used to racing off-road then the best way is to train off-road as much as possible. This can be difficult during the winter if you can only get out when it’s dark but if you can make the most of daylight in the early mornings, early evenings or at weekends, take the opportunity to hit the trails instead of the pavements. There are numerous off-road routes in the local area including Batchwood woods, Heartwood Forest, Nomansland Common and Verulamium and Highfield Park to name just a few. There are also a number of off-road parkruns in the surrounding area that will be great practice for cross country races such as Panshanger, and Tring. The St Albans parkrun is occasionally run off-road in the winter.
Practice makes perfect so if you want to get used to racing off-road then the best way is to train off-road as much as possible. This can be difficult during the winter if you can only get out when it’s dark but if you can make the most of daylight in the early mornings, early evenings or at weekends, take the opportunity to hit the trails instead of the pavements. There are numerous off-road routes in the local area including Batchwood woods, Heartwood Forest, Nomansland Common and Verulamium and Highfield Park to name just a few. There are also a number of off-road parkruns in the surrounding area that will be great practice for cross country races such as Panshanger, and Tring. The St Albans parkrun is occasionally run off-road in the winter.
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| Practise running off-road in Verulamium Park |
STRENGTHEN UP YOUR LEGS AND CORE
The undulating and bumpy terrain of a cross country course means the muscles in your legs and core have to work harder to stabilise your body. It can be common to twist an ankle on uneven surfaces so strengthening up your leg muscles with some extra exercises a couple of times a week will help. Do repetitions of squats, lunges and step ups. An even simpler way to improve your ankle strength is to balance on one leg for 30 seconds to a minute. To strengthen your core, master the plank exercise! Hold the position for 30 seconds to begin and for a minute as you get stronger.
The undulating and bumpy terrain of a cross country course means the muscles in your legs and core have to work harder to stabilise your body. It can be common to twist an ankle on uneven surfaces so strengthening up your leg muscles with some extra exercises a couple of times a week will help. Do repetitions of squats, lunges and step ups. An even simpler way to improve your ankle strength is to balance on one leg for 30 seconds to a minute. To strengthen your core, master the plank exercise! Hold the position for 30 seconds to begin and for a minute as you get stronger.
DO HILL REPS
It’s not hard to find a hill to train on in St Albans so incorporate a few into your training runs. Hill sessions will also make your quads stronger so aim to try and do such reps once a month – easy if you come down to Striders every week as Gladstone regularly runs a hill rep session by the Fighting Cocks. If you do a hill rep session on your own, aim for four to eight reps with a jog back recovery. On other occasions, run hard back down the hill and recover at the bottom for 90 seconds to practise running downhill at speed. This help make you stronger and more confident when tackling hills in races. When it comes to running form on hills, driving your arms, lifting the knees and getting up on your toes can help power you upwards. When going back down, avoid the temptation to lean back as this can be bad for your back and will slow you down. Try and lean slightly forwards and go with the momentum.
It’s not hard to find a hill to train on in St Albans so incorporate a few into your training runs. Hill sessions will also make your quads stronger so aim to try and do such reps once a month – easy if you come down to Striders every week as Gladstone regularly runs a hill rep session by the Fighting Cocks. If you do a hill rep session on your own, aim for four to eight reps with a jog back recovery. On other occasions, run hard back down the hill and recover at the bottom for 90 seconds to practise running downhill at speed. This help make you stronger and more confident when tackling hills in races. When it comes to running form on hills, driving your arms, lifting the knees and getting up on your toes can help power you upwards. When going back down, avoid the temptation to lean back as this can be bad for your back and will slow you down. Try and lean slightly forwards and go with the momentum.
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| Hill reps will prepare you for steep inclines in races |
DO FARTLEK RUNS
Due to the hills, mud and obstacles on cross country courses, it can be hard to get into a running rhythm in the same way you can in a road race. Rather than running even mile splits, your pace will often ebb and flow. You might have a fast start, then slow as you tackle a hill, then surge downhill, then slow to take a tight bend or leap to avoid a muddy patch etc. To get used to this, try doing some fartlek training where you randomly mix up your pace and effort during a run.
GET SOME SPIKES/TRAIL SHOES
A poor cross country run can be blamed on the wrong shoes in some circumstances! If a course is muddy then you need to have shoes with a good grip in order for you to run confidently without fear of slipping. People often ask if they should get trail shoes or spikes and it really comes down to how much you intend to race over cross country, how seriously you want to take it, and how much you want to spend on trainers. Trail shoes are more versatile as they can provide adequate grip on most off-road routes and are also suitable for courses where the ground may be more compact, or where you are running on hard paths. You can also train in trail shoes to get your money’s worth. If you want to improve, spikes can be your secret weapon. They are super-light and you can vary the grip depending on the length of spike you insert. For an extremely muddy course like Parliament Hill, spikes will give an edge and help you glide over the mud rather than get stuck in it. Due to their lack of cushioning and the fact you can only wear them off-road, most people rarely train in spikes so they should last longer than your usual running trainers. Only wearing them for races is also a psychological boost, like putting on your armour to go into battle!
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| Spikes give the best grip on extra muddy courses |
FOCUS ON RECOVERY
Even though the distances can be shorter than road races you may have done, cross countries can still take a lot out of you. You might be sore for a day or two after a particularly hilly course or fatigued from a muddy one. So don’t neglect your recovery. Do a short, easy warm down after the race and wrap up in warm clothing. Eat or drink some protein as soon as you can to help aid muscle repair. Take it easy the next day by doing a slow, easy run or by resting.
GET COMPETITIVE
Cross country races aren’t marked with km or mile markers and no section may be the same due to the changing terrain so forget about trying to run even mile splits. Cross country races aren’t about running PBs and your finishing time is largely irrelevant so you don’t even need to race with a watch on. If you’re used to measuring your race performance via time and pace per mile, then you will need to adopt a different racing mentality if you want to run at your best. Competitive success is marked on your finishing position so instead focus on finishing ahead of as many people as you can. Give it everything you have got to the very end – a sprint finish could mean you finish a number of places higher up. That said, there is no shame in finishing last as completing some courses at all proves your mettle!
If you want to know more about cross country racing, checkout the guide to the races we take part in here
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