YMS Cross Country

Off-Season Training

October 20, 2016

With winter on the way, what will you be doing to stay in shape? It doesn't have to be running. If you play a sport over the winter or swim indoors that should be sufficient enough to keep you in shape for the track season starting in March. If you do plan on running, here are some tips:

Run with a group. Never run by yourself
Find a safe place to run. Try to avoid areas without sidewalks. If you are going on a run by yourself, tell someone where you are running and how long you plan to be gone.
Don't wear too many layers. You should wear these layers: (1) a layer on top to block the wind, (2) a moisture-wicking layer on the bottom, and (3) on very cold days a middle layer.
Always wear a hat and gloves on the coldest days.
Run on fresh snow and shorten your stride to lessen the chance of slipping.
Use a treadmill or an indoor track if the weather gets too bad.
Start by running into the wind to make the trip back easier.

Running in the winter is about building/maintaining your endurance. If you want to keep some speed add in a tempo or LT workout once a week, but they should probably be run on a treadmill since it can be tough to run that pace when there is snow on the ground. In terms of mileage, you should try to build up to 15-20 miles per week by the time track starts. Start your training with 6-8 miles per week now running 3 or 4 times in a week. If you have questions or want a more concrete plan to reach a specific goal, contact Coach Miller.

After-School Running Group

Starting next week there will be a group of runners meeting every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday after school from 2:45 to 3:45 to run near the middle school. While Mrs. Stillmunkes will occasionally run with this group, it is important to know that this is an unofficial group and will often be unsupervised. Mrs. Stillmunkes set up a Remind account to let parents know when the group will be unsupervised and any other information. You can join it by texting @c7cek to 81010.

5K Club

To make it easier to train over the winter, runners can consider joining the 5K Club. If they join, their name will be added to our 5K Club page so they can try to find other people to train with. Runners don't actually have to participate in any of the races listed on the club page, but if they do they will be eligible for awards at the end of the winter. If runners participate in a race that isn't on the list, send an email to club@ymsxc.sportssites.us to make sure they get credit for it. The races don't actually have to be 5Ks and if you have any pictures from those races that you’d be okay with us posting on social media please send them to club@ymsxc.sportssites.us. 5K Club is open to current fifth through eighth graders.