1 of 14

Write now Article Tools

I was a baseball player, I loved the sport more then anything...or so I thought. It seems most cross country runners were not into distance running their whole lives but either fell in love with it when they tried it or got cut from another sport and eventually grew to like it. No matter how you ended up in the crazy sport of cross country (come on who thought it would be fun to run 3+ miles as fast as you could?) its not easy. I will repeat that again, its not easy. The sport of cross country is never master because you can always push yourself to get faster and faster, which takes harder and harder training.

But lets get back to the basics, starting out as a new cross country runner. The first thing you need to do is to get a good pair of shoes. Don't be afraid to spend a decent amount on shoes because you don't need to buy a lot of equipment for this sport. I would recommend not going to a store in the mall such as footlocker because their employees don't usually know a whole lot about running or the shoes they actually sell. Instead I would recommend a local running store. Don't be afraid to ask around for a good one, ask your coach or friends who run for suggestions. A good place to buy shoes online is, the Running Warehouse (http://runningwarehouse.com/) they have cheap prices and free 2-day shipping! But if you are new to running I would recommend going to a local store for your first few pair as they will help answer questions and get you into the right pair.

Once you get a good pair of running shoes you can start running. Before each run you want to make sure you stretch extremely well, your muscles are everything in this sport. One thing to keep in mind is you should never run alone, always run with a running buddy or a group. Not only is is safer but you will be their to keep each other company once you work up to longer runs and you will have each other to encourage on another when your feeling tired. When starting out in cross country you never want to start with to high of a mileage. Mileage is usually measured by how many miles you run in a week, you want to start lower then high because of risk of injury. If your a new runner and you jump right into higher mileage that your body is not used to you will be much more susceptible to over use injuries such as shin splints. Over time slower start increasing your mileage.

Once you start getting a good base mileage down you are ready to include some speed work outs into your weekly routine. Up till now you have been doing mileage is which longer slower runs but you will also want to do some shorter quicker runs from 400 meters to 1,200 meters. This will help work different muscle groups which will be essential when you are racing in cross country.

New cross country runners have to remember this is no easy sport and yes you will be in pain when you first start. Running is also an extremely mental sport it not only takes physical training but you also have to have mental toughness which is hard to just build up on your own. One last thing you should definitely do is create a mileage log. This involves getting a calendar and recording every mile you run onto it. This will help you see how you are training and also give you some information on when to buy new shoes. Running shoes only last about 250-300 miles once they hit this mileage the rubber starts to break down in the soles of the shoes and you will be much more pron to an injury. SO about every 300 miles you may want to consider getting new shoes. Lastly just be persistent don't give up when it gets hard just push harder. Becoming a good runner just takes determination and self motivation.

Learn more about this author, Puller.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Getting started with cross country running?
We want to hear your view. Write now!