1. Tom Kloos – Saint Mary’s College
Managing the Long Season:
CROSS COUNTRY
2. Cross Country: Managing the Long Season
Get out fast, surge the hills, and Kick!
1Managing
Volume
2Communicate
the Plan
3Race with
Purpose
3. MANAGING VOLUME
1
• All you get from a “500 mile summer” is a
t-shirt
• Activity > Mileage (“FitBit training”)
• Is this sustainable?
• Peak running volume in late-September
(NV) to mid-October (CA)
• Reduce volume with championship season
Cross Country: Managing the Long Season
4. 2Communicate the Plan
Cross Country: Managing the Long Season
• Upsell summer to new runners;
downplay summer to veterans
• Talk through The Plan early and often: pre-
summer, camp, start of season
• Explain why we’re not racing WoodSACford
• Races to remember are run in November
5. 3Race with Purpose
Cross Country: Managing the Long Season
• Why is this race on the Calendar?
• Early season fitness test
• Break from the training
• League Meets
• Tempo Run
• Find your 5th man
• ONE Championship Preview
• Opt for Open over Sweeps
• NOT “because we always have”
or “to get ranked”
6. 3Race with Purpose
Cross Country: Managing the Long Season
• Psychologically Holding Back
• Very Specific Race Plans / Goals
• Team Spread
• Last Mile
• Rotate out one varsity athlete each week
• Fly off the radar
• Emphasize training > racing
• Keep the mileage up
• Stay out of racing flats