r/CrossCountry 2d ago

r/CrossCountry General Q&A Thread

1 Upvotes

Please use this thread as the general Q&A for all one off questions, questions that only apply to you, questions that can be easily answered, etc.

This thread reposts every 4 days


r/CrossCountry 6d ago

Weekly Training Thread

1 Upvotes

This is the location for all questions, discussions related to cross country training.


r/CrossCountry 2h ago

Training Related Stretching/Mobilities Routines

3 Upvotes

What's your post-practice stretching/mobility routine that I can steal? How often are you doing core workouts? (I'll take that to steal too) Thank you!


r/CrossCountry 9h ago

General Cross Country Does anyone have Galen Rupp running in highschool footage?

3 Upvotes

Hello! I was curious about Galen rupp's higschool career and tried finding oregon state champs or big meet footages of maybe him running there, but unfortunately I couldn't find any. Only ones that exist are Footlocker nationals and pretty much it. I also looked on various websites for oregon state, youtube, runnerspace,​ Dyestat, etc. I couldn't find anything. Is there anyone who has footage of him or have clues where to find it? Thanks!​


r/CrossCountry 2d ago

Training Related First time XC coach

13 Upvotes

Hey coaches! I’m a first-year cross country coach this season. I ran indoor and outdoor track, but I never competed in cross country, so I’m looking to learn as much as I can.
What advice would you give a brand-new XC coach? If you could go back to your first season, what would you do differently?
I’m especially interested in:
Weekly training structure and practice plans
Favorite workouts for beginners and varsity runners
Building mileage safely
Race-week routines
Team culture and keeping athletes motivated
Resources (books, podcasts, YouTube channels, etc.) that helped you become a better coach
I’d really appreciate any tips, sample schedules, or lessons you’ve learned over the years.


r/CrossCountry 3d ago

Training Related XC/Running Camps in Wisconsin and Midwest

5 Upvotes

What are some good running/cross country camps in the Wisconsin area? I've been looking into some that I'd be interested in attending next year, 2027, when I'll be going into my sophomore year. Some that I'm interested in are the UW Madison Camp of Champions, UW Whitewater, and Auw Eau Claire. Are these worth it, and does anyone have any experiences they could possibly share, or give me advice? I would also be going alone, most likely.


r/CrossCountry 3d ago

Training Related When do I get the bucket hat?

Post image
4 Upvotes

I hit 250 miles last week but I haven’t gotten a confirmation email or anything, when do I know when it’s coming? I have my address plugged into the profile settings so do I just wait? Thanks.


r/CrossCountry 6d ago

Meme or Picture Yo will they survive?

Post image
44 Upvotes

r/CrossCountry 6d ago

General Cross Country New 3 Mile PR 🤤

24 Upvotes

I got a whopping 26:56 after running around my hometown's lake which is a little over 3 miles, my previous record was 31:00 so I guess I'm doing something right 😁 (Freshman)


r/CrossCountry 6d ago

r/CrossCountry General Q&A Thread

1 Upvotes

Please use this thread as the general Q&A for all one off questions, questions that only apply to you, questions that can be easily answered, etc.

This thread reposts every 4 days


r/CrossCountry 7d ago

General Cross Country Is this a good workout split to pair with running?

0 Upvotes

Cy’s post run Calisthenics 

Tuesday

4-6 miles easy

Weighted pull-ups 3x6-10

Weighted chin-ups 3x8-12

Weighted dips 3x8-13

Pistol squat 3x8-12

Knuckle pushups 1x failure 

Knuckle planks 3x+10 sec each week

Thursday

4-6 miles easy

Defecit pushups 3x6-10

Weighted dips 3x8-12

Explosive squats/box jumps

Weighted chin-ups 3x8-23

Body weight pull-ups 1 x true failure (additional pull-up negatives)

Knee raises for hip flexors 2x-10-15


r/CrossCountry 7d ago

General Cross Country UA Uniform Tops

4 Upvotes

Anyone have any experience/information/takes on the UA tops for high school kids? I got thrown into ordering new uniforms and there doesn't seem to be any good way to see what these things look like in real life. We're looking at the "showtime fitted singlet" for ours.


r/CrossCountry 7d ago

Training Related How can I improve my endurance quickly before september after not running for so long due to schedule?

4 Upvotes

I'm going to be a junior in hs and i want to join xc. I did track and soccer freshman year but I didnt do any sports sophomore year because I had no time w academics and clubs. This year im taking 6 aps and 1 honors class and im secretary of 2 clubs and part of 5 clubs so its gonna be worse (for context purposes). Because of preparation for these classes, I had no time to start running again. Also, on my easy runs, i usually run around an 11:30 mile pace, but i still get tired after doing like 2 miles. sorry for the stupid question but What are some workouts I can start incorporating so I can noticeably improve/get faster quickly before the season starts?


r/CrossCountry 8d ago

General Cross Country Middle school coach interview

13 Upvotes

Hello! I am interviewing to be a middle school xc coach. Any tips? Any questions I should ask them? I’m a parapro for the school. We have multiple middle schools and they each have their own coach. I ran xc in college. Always at the back of the pack. I am currently running a girls on the run type program at a community center. But I don’t know much about coaching.


r/CrossCountry 9d ago

General Cross Country Newbie HS coach question regarding shorts for HS teams

12 Upvotes

We're redoing our uniforms and have black shorts for both boys and girls. Generally speaking, can kids wear whatever shorts they want if they all match? I'm thinking like girls wearing a mix of tights/shorts if they have their own tights, for example. I coach in Wisconsin, if that helps.


r/CrossCountry 10d ago

Injury Question Constant chest and stomach cramps during runs

6 Upvotes

Constant chest and stomach cramps during runs

Before anyone asks, I have already checked with a doctor and cleared any heart issues, or medical issues.

Almost every time I run, I’ve constantly run into a side stitch and chest pain around the halfway mark of my stamina. I’ve tried drinking water before during and after, eating less before runs, and drinking electrolytes, but it still persists.

I would hope I could fix it before the season starts, so any tips of people who experienced this would be great!


r/CrossCountry 10d ago

r/CrossCountry General Q&A Thread

1 Upvotes

Please use this thread as the general Q&A for all one off questions, questions that only apply to you, questions that can be easily answered, etc.

This thread reposts every 4 days


r/CrossCountry 11d ago

General Cross Country Transfer portal track/xc help

9 Upvotes

hello, currently Im a rising sophomore running d3 track and field and a sorta academic school. I improved a lot freshman year going 3:49 in the 1500, 1:52 in the 800 and 26:32 in the 8k. I have good grades and am wondering if I have a shot at transferring D1 potentially to an Ivy League school. If so how can I start reaching out to coaches.

sorry if any of these are dumbass questions I don’t know anything about the transfer portal and everything I found on google has been confusing.

edit: not currently in the transfer portal sorry for giving that impression


r/CrossCountry 11d ago

General Cross Country Son got dropped at practice/ got lost

0 Upvotes

At an unofficial XC coaches practice last week my son and another runner were told by the coach to run together. It was pouring rain. The other runner is a much faster runner but my son isn’t terribly slow. They are both freshman; my son is unfamiliar with the route, I do not know about the other boy. The faster runner left my son about half way. My son said he told him “you know the way back “ and left him. Thankfully I was there early at pickup. I saw others cone back but not my son. Eventually we found him (older teammates hopped in their car and went get him). Another adult who coaches the club team and knows the XC coach and other runners heard the XC coach tell them to run together but from what I’m hearing the faster runner told his parents my fin says he knew how to get back. In reality he went against the coach’s instruction and to me it is a huge safety concern and also a form of bullying (“like I’m better than you, I deserve yo run with who I want, I don’t care if you tell me yo run with him I’m doing what I want”) . It’s been days. I’ve told my son to take it up with the XC coach himself. I do know the faster runner’s parents, they are good people.

Going forward, I’ve instructed my kid not to run with that fast kid ever and if at these unofficial practices there is t someone at his pace, to get back in the car and come home to run on his own. Should we as parents still directly talk to the coach to ensure that kid gets disciplined?


r/CrossCountry 13d ago

Weekly Training Thread

2 Upvotes

This is the location for all questions, discussions related to cross country training.


r/CrossCountry 14d ago

General Cross Country very first season!

14 Upvotes

hi! it's going to be my first season of xc ever this fall, and i'm super excited- but i have so many questions. i'm going into my sophomore year, and i'm also xc skiing in the winter!

question 1- stuff for races? what do you usually wear to run? any specific equipment that i should look for before the season starts?

question 2- how do i balance school with full time sports?

any other advice is appreciated!


r/CrossCountry 14d ago

r/CrossCountry General Q&A Thread

5 Upvotes

Please use this thread as the general Q&A for all one off questions, questions that only apply to you, questions that can be easily answered, etc.

This thread reposts every 4 days


r/CrossCountry 16d ago

Training Related How to lose fat without compromising my performance?

5 Upvotes

16F 5’2 114lbs

Hi, I’m a long distance track/XC runner and I was really wanting to lose fat. I know that fuelling and eating enough is really important for endurance athletes, and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. However, I’ve been wanting to lose some fat, and I was wondering how could I do that while still training and running well? Right now my mileage is quick low, probably 15-20 mpw and I’ve mostly been doing easy running. I also need to start strength training I know. According to various calculators my tdee is around 1500. If anyone has advice that would be great!

Also not sure how relevant this is but I’m vegetarian/transitioning to vegan

Edit: thanks to everyone who read it and offered advice. I know it’s shallow but the main reason for wanting this was to feel better about myself. I’m not sure how there are so many elite distance runners who don’t have much body fat and run so fast so I guess I thought if they can do it I can too.


r/CrossCountry 17d ago

Training Related XC Sub-17 Plan

1 Upvotes

If I do the following consistently and stay consistent in-season can I break 17 in XC and go sub 4:40 in track? What should I try to improve or add to my schedule and training. I know these are ambitious goals but I know I didn't hit my full potential this previous season, especially considering I didn't PR after the first meet and hit a wall. Thanks!

I am a rising junior with the following times:

800m- 2:13, 1600m - 4:57, 3200m - 11:00, and 5k XC - 18:32.

My previous training in-season has always been about 18-25 miles with 2 workouts and a mid-long run on Saturday. This winte, I got a private coach and didn't race in-school and got my mileage up to 35-38 miles for 8 weeks and did more intentional workouts. Then during spring I joined the school team again, and my mileage dropped and I slacked again, hitting the PRs above.

Now, in summer, I'm back with my private coach and building up to 35 miles and about 25 miles of biking outside per week. I also go to planet fitness for strength training (mon, wed, fri) hitting Push, Legs, Pull, and incorporating runner's specific exercises along with muscle building exercises. Then, once I maintain the mileage I will add 2 workouts per week again, and I assume it will be mostly tempos and intervals until we get closer to the start of XC. I also do hill and normal strides 2-3x a week, my kick at the end of a race is very weak and is a big factor holding me back, along with my mindset of "giving up" at the last portion of a race. Thanks again for any help!


r/CrossCountry 17d ago

Goal Setting Trying to figure out what’s a realistic goal

5 Upvotes

I’m about 10 months into running. During my first XC season, I never really went to team practices, and my PR ended up being 20:50 for the 5K.

My track season was pretty similar, although I became a lot more consistent after getting a Garmin. Throughout track, I averaged about 12 miles per week each month from December - may probably simmilar throughout xc . By the end of the season, I ran 4:57 for the 1600m (coming off being sick) and 2:09 for the 800m.

This summer, I increased my mileage to about 25 mpw in June, and my plan is to gradually build up to around 40 mpw during XC season.

I’m wondering what a realistic range for my 5K could be with the higher mileage. If anyone has been in a similar situation, what do you think I should aim for? My ultimate goal is to break 17:00 eventually, but I’d like to know what would be a realistic expectation for this upcoming XC season. I wanna make varsity this year at the least which is a sub 19 5k

i have no basis for my fitness my Garmin predictor says I’m around 18:20 shape but I don’t trust it gets a good read on my hr cus it says my max is 220 and ion believe that