Cross-Country: 5k Intra-Squad Race
(Time Trial)
The end of
the summer marks the start of the cross-country season! July 31st was when the cross-country
season “officially” started, while schools around the state start the first day
of school on different dates. The first day of practice included runners of
different abilities, talents or reasons for running. Hopefully you put in a
good base over the summer and got acquainted with your coach and teammates. If
you haven’t heard it before, then I guess now is good as any “CHAMPIONS ARE MADE IN THE OFFSEASON.”
Now that
school is starting back, this part of the season is a great time to see where
your runners are at with their training. I recommend that 10 to 14 days after
the first practice begins that you have a 5k Intra-Squad Race (Time Trial). Choose
to do this under the stadium lights at 8 pm with an announcer and a good
script. I encourage you to invite parents and alumni.
What’s the benefits of having an
Intra-Squad Race?
Not only are
you getting to see what kind of work your athletes put in over the summer, but
this is an excellent opportunity for newcomers to get to simulate a race day.
Plus, as a bonus, parents get to see what goes on behind the scenes leading up
to race time. Who knows, they just might want to help at future meets.
5k Intra-Squad Race (Time Trial):
If you do
want to simulate a cross-country race by using the 5k Intra-Squad Race as a
trial run, then the minute by minute planning really comes into play during the
pre-race warm-up, so tell your runners to plan on arriving 90-minutes before
their race.
My recommendation for a warm-up
routine is the following:
Their warm-up
should begin 75 minutes prior to the race. (It’s important to stress to them
that the race distance equals the warm-up distance, while the cool-down
distance equals half the race distance). So, they will begin to do a 3-mile
race day active warm-up. After their warm-up run, do very light stretching (working
out from the big muscles to the periphery). Then do 4 minutes of stationary
active (jumping jacks, burpees, front jacks). Then we usually do our drills (A-skips,
B-skips, side slides, high knees, butt kicks, tinman, running backwards, lunges,
carioca, etc.), which takes about 8 minutes to do. Twenty-five minutes before
the start, take 15 minutes to do all of your "housekeeping chores"
like changing into racing flats or spikes, going to the Porto Potty, pinning on
your number, taking off or at least unzipping your sweats, etc. Ten minutes before
the start, have them report to the starting line and begin to do a series of 50
to 75-yard strides with a jog back recovery. And if it were an actual race, we
would huddle in the center of the field to have prayer and then do our team chant.
I thought I would throw that in there, since that was one of my favorite parts
of being on a cross-country team. Then they will be ordered to the starting
line. Once again, if it were an actual race, we then would line up in our
starting box, which is usually four in the front and three in the back. The
line-up depends on the starter. So, after their pre-race routine, they will do
a 5k Time Trial on the track (which is 12 ½ laps). Then after the time trial, I
would introduce the coaches and then the top 7 returning runners, while
announcing their PR times. At this point, you could say a few things about your
program, talk about the importance of team harmony, and stress self-improvement
for athletes. When you finish your announcements, have your runners then do a Race
day cool-down protocol (See below).
While your
runners are cooling-down, this is an excellent time for the coach to meet the
parents and give out handouts, such as team schedules.
Suggested Post-Race Procedure and
Protocol:
• Follow
race with gradual 8 to 10-minute cool-down run.
• Take in 16
ounces of water immediately from your water bottle not the fountain.
• Follow
with 4 to 5 minutes of general leg stretching.
• Elevate
legs 6 to 10 minutes.
• Take 12 to
16 ounces of glucose polymer/electrolyte drink.
• Massage
stick, then 10 minutes of ice therapy.
• Eat proper
meal within 2 to 4 hours.
• Drink 24
ounces of additional fluid.
• Sleep 8 to
9 hours, in bed normal time.
To the coach, a 5K Intra-Squad Race (Time Trial) allows you to see what fitness level your runners are at, so that you can make an assessment and implement a proper training plan for each individual and the team. Also, the time trial let’s your athletes get familiar with a pre-race routine. This not only helps their performance, but also helps their focus and preparedness before they take off.
For the athlete, getting into the habit of performing the same race day routine will help
to get you into the right frame of mind, and reduce the chances of something
throwing you off in the hours leading up to the event.
Personal Advice if You’re Ever Late
for a XC Race
When I first
started coaching a USATF youth running club, we were walking the course when we
heard the gun go off. My runners frantically stripped off their warm-up suits
and tried catching up with the runners who were already 100-yards down the
course. What went wrong, I looked at the start times for the National race
instead of the qualifier race. Also, when I was coaching at the high school
level our bus broke down, so we had to transfer buses, which in turn caused us
to be late.
So, if you
ever arrive late for a race and don't have time for all the above, spend as
much time as possible doing the strides with the recovery jogs. Those are the
most important parts of an emergency warm-up. Don't waste time stretching. Just
be prepared to Run!
There you
have it. My suggestions for having an Intra-Squad 5k. Good luck!
Submitted by Coach McMillion
(08/04/17)