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Cross Country tips from Australian Olympian Sue Grayson
Cross Country running requires the athlete to adapt their speed and endurance
skills, used when running on the track, to running over uneven and undulating
surfaces.
Training Tips
- Include at least one training session a week at an off road venue. Choose
a course that has a variety of surfaces to run on - grass, sand, gravel etc.
- Practice running both uphill and downhill. When running uphill, you
require a strong knee lift and arm swing to help drive you upwards.
- On the downhill, try to avoid a ‘braking’ action, as this will slow you
down.
- Try to use the momentum you have developed to help gain some extra
distance between your opponents.
- Modify an interval/fartlek training session that can be run over a cross
country course or a park that has a variety of surfaces. This will help you
adapt to running at speed over uneven surfaces, enabling the body to improve
its strength and stability.
Competition Tips
- Always allow time to walk/jog over a course before competing. This will
enable you to clearly examine what the surface will be like for running on,
particularly if there are a number of events before yours.
- Choose carefully which shoes, if any, you will wear during the event. Eg.
Long spikes would be unsuitable on a very rocky course, whereas a lightweight
specific cross-country shoe would be more stable in such conditions.
- It is most likely that there will be limited under cover area to warm up
in at cross country events, so always take a couple of changes of clothes,
towel and wet weather gear. It is important to be able to stay warm and
comfortable in the period of time between your warm up and the event.
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