Every distance coach is working hard to get his/her runners as fit as possible and be in position to run their best in the biggest meet of the season. This is no easy task as every runner comes to the season with a completely different level of fitness and natural ability. They each respond to training differently and the ability to recover can vary also. Even so we do our best to train each athlete to reach his or her Peak ability to perform at the most important times.

In the clip below , courtesy of Complete Track and Field , highly regarded distance coach Scott Christensen talks about Peaking for cross country runners and shares a few thoughts on the topic. Coach Christensen is an acclaimed distance coach.  His high school teams have been ranked in the national top 10 eight times.  He has coached 13 Minnesota State Championship-winning teams and 27 individual Minnesota State Champions.  Coach Christensen has also spent 14-years as a USATF Level II endurance lead instructor and currently serves as lead endurance instructor for the USTFCCCA Coaching Academy.

Coach Christensen begins by pointing out that many coaches think their runners are peaking when the see drops in the times, when in reality it may simply mean they are just now getting in shape after a poor summer of training. These athletes may be cutting time, but are no where near at peak fitness.

He also states that peaking is really a summation of many factors including: strength, fitness, stamina, hormones, enzymes, rest.  He reminds us that the aerobic system needs strong stimulus every 4 days and the the anaerobic stimulus needs strong stimulus every 3 days.

Other key points include the fact that physiological effects can be seen in as little as 24 hours after training: however, the full physiological effects of a training session will not be felt for up to 18-20 days after the workout.

Coach Christensen has also provided a coaching cheat sheet to us for FREE.  Just click THE ULTIMATE WORKOUT PLANNING GUIDE FOR HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY    for more info and you will be able to copy and paste 33 of Scott Christensen’s proven training progressions when you need a perfect workout! A big thanks the Coach Christensen for the generous offer.

The YouTube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. Please note that some schools block access to YouTube.

This clip was taken from Coach Christensen’s training program PEAKING WORKOUTS & STRATEGIES: DISTANCE RUNNERS (click on the link for more info)

In the video clip below from Complete Track and Field Coach Scott Christensen suggests common training markers you can use to gather quantitative and statistical data to measure the fitness of your cross country runners. Whether it’s lactate levels, economy running, heart monitoring or basic 400m runs, Christensen details the benefits of each marker that can be used throughout cross country training cycles.

Coach Christensen is an acclaimed distance coach.  His high school teams have been ranked in the national top 10 eight times.  He has coached 13 Minnesota State Championship-winning teams and 27 individual Minnesota State Champions.  Coach Christensen has also spent 14-years as a USATF Level II endurance lead instructor and currently serves as lead endurance instructor for the USTFCCCA Coaching Academy.

Coach Christensen suggests using vVo2 max pace as the marker for your aerobic training. Heart rate monitors that are properly calibrated for each individual runner are also useful tools, but he prefers vVo2 max, the two mile test, and fractionalizing that for different workouts.

He prefers using fractionalization of the date pace 400 for anaerobic training maker. He also suggests updating their 400 time frequently and adjusting the workouts accordingly.

Coach Christensen has produced a Complete High School Cross Training Program that provides an incredible amount of training for high school distance coaches for more information about that program you can click on the link above.

Coach Christensen has also provided a coaching cheat sheet to us for FREE.  Just click THE ULTIMATE WORKOUT PLANNING GUIDE FOR HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY    for more info and you will be able to copy and paste 33 of Scott Christensen’s proven training progressions when you need a perfect workout! A big thanks the Coach Christensen for the generous offer.

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. Please note that many schools block access to YouTube

Scott Christensen’s program is available for immediate digital access or on DVD. Click the image or the link for more info on his Complete High School Cross Country .  

Our bodies  can utilize two different energy production systems. One requires oxygen to release the energy stored in the food we eat, while the other can release energy without oxygen. As distance coaches you must train both of these energy systems if you want to he help your athletes be successful at distances of 800 meters and greater.   We refer to these types training as Aerobic Training (with oxygen) and Anaerobic Training (without oxygen).

In the clip below Coach Scott Christensen discusses what he refers to as combined zone training.  The 5k cross country race can be divided into two zones. The comfort zone which he describes as the first 80-percent of the race and the critical zone or final 20-percent of the race.  A runners aerobic training is what gets them through the comfort zone, the part of the race where he/she are running easily.  The critical zone, which relies on the bodies ability to produce energy both anaerobically and aerobically , is where the race is won or lost. Keep in mind when planning your training for combined zones races like the 5K  aerobic training requires 20-24 weeks and anaerobic training requires 9-11 weeks. Therefore it would be wise to begin your anaerobic training early in the season.

Coach Christensen is a highly regarded distance coach. His high school teams have been ranked in the national top 10 eight times.  He has coached 13 Minnesota State Championship-winning teams and 27 individual Minnesota State Champions.  Coach Christensen has also spent 14-years as a USATF Level II endurance lead instructor and currently serves as lead endurance instructor for the USTFCCCA Coaching Academy.

He has has put together a complete training program for high school cross country. His program includes Aerobic Training, Speed and Strength Training (Anaerobic Training), Peaking and Motivation.  To find out how to gain access to his training program click the link Scott Christensen Complete High School Cross Country   . You can also find many other great resources at Complete Track and Field

The YouTube video has sound so please make sure that your audio is turned on and that you have access to the site. Some school block access to YouTube. The first part of the video is an overview of his program and his background. The combined zone training info begins at the 5:02 mark

Scott Christensen’s program is available for immediate digital access or on DVD. Click the image or the link for more info on his Complete High School Cross Country .  

Coach Christensen has two other training programs that you might like:  Advanced Topics Symposium in Cross Country (The science behind cross country training) and Training Model for High School Cross Country (includes individual workouts and sequences to follow)

Training a distance runner properly requires and thorough understanding muscle physiology. We must train two different energy systems and understand how they work together to power our bodies so that we can design the most effective workouts.  If your background is not is physiology or exercise science, you might want to turn to some experts that can help you become a little more scientific in your training.

In the first of two clips below renowned distance coach Scott Christensen discusses issues related to fatigue in distance runners. Coach Christensen states that training to delay fatigue will improve performance .  He believes that all other factors being somewhat equal, fatigue will determine winners and losers and finally the athletes with the greatest ability to manage fatigue are the ones setting all of the records.

In the second clip he discusses proper rest intervals during workouts and how to adjust them as the season progresses. Generally speaking he believes they should be shorter early in the season and longer as the season progresses. Exactly the opposite of what one might think.

For those of you unfamiliar with Coach Christensen his high school teams have been ranked in the national top 10 eight times.  He has coached 13 Minnesota State Championship-winning teams and 27 individual Minnesota State Champions.  Coach Christensen has also spent 14-years as a USATF Level II endurance lead instructor and currently serves as lead endurance instructor for the USTFCCCA Coaching Academy.

He has produced several products that are great items to add to your coaching toolbox. The clips below are from his program  ADVANCED TOPICS SYMPOSIUM IN CROSS COUNTRY.  In this program he covers the following topics: (These are just a few. In all it consists of 6 hours of training)

1. Scientific theory of training
2. Role of fatigue in performance
3. Cross Country training theory
4. Influence of Aerobic Training
5. Influence of Anaerobic Training
6. Training Schedules for 5K

The YouTube videos below have audio, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you  have access to the site. Please note that some schools block access to YouTube.

For more information about Scott Christensen’s ADVANCED TOPICS SYMPOSIUM IN CROSS COUNTRY click on the link here or on the image. This and other great coaching resources may be found at Complete Track and Field

When planning the training  for distance runners there are a lot of factors to take into consideration.  Whether it is balancing tempo runs with speed workouts, or working on their form and posture, as a coach you are always trying to gain an edge. How can we train our runners so that we cut time, reduce injury and keep them motivated.

One often overlooked area that can help distance runners is improving their balance. Running is an activity that demands that the athlete be on one foot while performing. Therefore it is critical that they have the necessary strength and balance needed to stabilize their foot on each strike. In reality a runner requires just fractions of seconds to stabilize on each foot strike. If you consider the thousands of foot strikes required in training and racing, improvement in this area will not only reduce injury but also have effect on their performance.

In the video clip below Ryan Warrenburg, strength coach at Zap Fitness Team USA Training Center, demonstrates some very simple exercises that he incorporates into each of his workouts with his distance runners. These are simple exercises that can be completed easily outside of the weight room.

These exercises are one example of the type of strength and conditioning drills that he uses with his distance runners. For a more information about training distance runners you check his dvd. The dvd also includes instruction from elite distance coach Pete Rea. Coach Rea shares the secrets behind his training methods, the different types of workouts you can use within a single training session, and discusses how you can implement them with the individual runner. The bulk of his training ideologies are based on Arthur Lydiard’s training theories. For more information about that dvd click the link Zap Fitness: Proven Training Methods for Distance Running Success

I have also included a second clip. I this clip Coach Rea takes you through two different workouts he is using 10 days prior to competition

The YouTube video have audio, so please make sure that your sound is turn on and that you have access to the site. Please note that some schools block access to YouTube.