§ PR—Personal Record. Running your fastest time on a distance, course, or at an age (for those of us older runners). “Brendan Banes ran a PR at Region.”
§
§ The Loop—the 5.5mile course at Cheatham Hill.
§ Strides—gradual acceleration to a sprint then a deceleration. These should be 75-100 meters in length and should be completed after a long run. They help with form and with speed.
§ Hydration—making sure your body has enough water so the athlete can perform at their maximum potential.
How to score a Cross Country
Meet.
Cross Country is a unique sport in that you can have individual winners and team winners. Individual winners are obvious. Team scoring is a bit more complicated. In a typical meet seven runners will race and the top five runners score. To get the team score, you will add up the finish places for the top five runners. For example, at the 2001 State Championships, our girls finished 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 16th giving us a total score of 31 points. The team with the lowest score wins. If there is a tie then you go to the 6th place finisher. Also the 7th runner is important in bumping other teams back a spot in the scoring. It is important to remember that each runner is important and that your spot could be the one to determine how the team finishes.
Your feet are important therefore you must take care of them. Make sure you have proper running shoes and socks. A general rule of thumb for running shoes is they last about 6 months (maximum) and about 400 miles. Socks are another important item for you. Use socks that have proper cushioning and help with moisture control. Socks come in shoe cut, ankle cut, and then normal length. We recommend ankle cut as we have seen numerous blisters arise with the shoe cut style. All runners should have a running watch with a Chronometer on it. This is important for both practice and competition. The Timex Ironman watches have everything you need and are inexpensive.
Stretching is the most common form of injury protection. It is important to stretch both before and after running. Listed below are the most common injuries and how to treat them.
§ Sore muscles are the most common injury runners face. Ice and Ibuprofen are the best remedies.
§ Blisters are another common injury. Drain the blister (but don’t peel away the skin) then use a gel type skin to treat the blister. Ideally you want them to become a callous. Coach Scott is the blister guru and will help any athlete who has blisters.
§ Shin Splints are one of many overuse injuries. Shin splints are the inflammation of the muscles around the shin. Exercise by pointing your toes on the affected leg and draw the alphabet. Ice also helps reduce the pain.
§
Stress Fractures are typically the result of too much too
fast. Be patient with your body and pay
attention to your sore spots. Proper
training in the off-season is the best way to avoid stress fractures.
§ Dehydration or heat exhaustion can be avoided by proper hydration. Pay attention to the warning signs such as dizziness, cold sweats, and nausea.
§ Overhydration can occur by drinking simply water. Your body needs electrolytes to provide energy so we recommend that you mix or alternate water with a sports drink. Look at the label for sodium/salt content. Pedialyte, Gatorade, Powerade all provide electrolytes.
§ Anemia is a common problem for cross country athletes. The symptoms are general fatigue and listlessness. Typically females are susceptible to anemia but males can experience it also. It is caused by a lack of iron in the diet. Make sure you eat some red meat each week and/or taking a vitamin supplement with iron in it.
§ Plantar Fasciatis is general foot soreness that is related to either overuse or improper shoes. Make sure your shoes support your feet properly. A general rule is 300-500 miles or 5-6 months.
§ Other Overuse injuries are sore knees, joints, and stress fractures. It is important to communicate with the coaches about any soreness or injuries you may be experiencing.
§ Bring a comfortable chair. Find a spot where the athletes run by numerous times.
§ Yell like crazy when they pass. They love all the cheering and hoopla.
§ Get a watch and time splits. You can see how well an athlete is doing by looking at their splits.
§ Do not run beside the athletes. This is considered pacing and can result in the disqualification of the athlete from the competition.
§ Do not touch the athletes during a race. (Obviously someone in need of medical attention is already out of the race so it is ok to help at that point.)
Good items: Fruits—especially bananas, bagels, red meat (to avoid anemia), pasta, vegetables, water.
Try to avoid: Soft drinks, candy, junk foods, fried foods.
Uniforms will be the
responsibility of the athlete. A uniform
can be purchased for $40, which includes a singlet and a pair of shorts. We will be selling them in time for the first
meet.
Booster Club
Cross Country on the WEB
http://hoyatrackandfield.homestead.com The HHS Cross Country and Track and Field Website
http://www.runningincobb.com/ The HHS Cross Country booster club website.
www.gatfxc.com
http://www.dyestat.com/ The Internet home of high school track and cross country
www.runnersworld.com Runner’s World Magazine
http://letsrun.com/ Information about the world running scene