was pondering the merits of xc vs long runs, not just in relation to this sunday but in general.
for example, after sundays street-o blitz i was feeling decidedly shabby on tuesday night and even worse yesterday, leading to me having a enforeced and unplanned rest-day today. i don't like this so i'm having second thoughts about running xc every weekend. however i feel that after a <2hour long run i could quite happily take in an easy run/easy circuits on monday and then be fresh for intervals on tuesday.
i think what im asking is: how much better for me is beasting an xc race than, say, 100mins in the pentlands?
cross country?
Moderators: [nope] cartel, team nopesport
18 posts
• Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
I think that you should be really fresh for you rintervals as that's where your body should be being pushed further. If XC is improving your speed and/or stamina, then it's probably okay if you rest /easy in between. As for the Pentlands - are you getting any other hills (and presumably terrain) running in elsewhere?
(This is all entirely theoretical for me by the way!)
(This is all entirely theoretical for me by the way!)
-
PorkyFatBoy - diehard
- Posts: 654
- Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2004 9:13 am
- Location: A contour-free zone
Re: cross country?
Rocky wrote:for example, after sundays street-o blitz i was feeling decidedly shabby on tuesday night and even worse yesterday
Perhaps more to do with Saturday night
At this time of year it's probably worth piling in the hours so I'd go for the long run on Sunday after the XC. If you find XC races are compromising your training then it might be worth running them a slightly lower intensity, ie as a good temp run, afterall who gives a nope about your XC results.
Depends also on what you are training for. XC is more relevant to middle distance races and 100 min runs to classic races.
-
Godders - blue
- Posts: 416
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 4:37 pm
- Location: Swanston
Re: cross country?
Godders wrote:If you find XC races are compromising your training then it might be worth running them a slightly lower intensity, ie as a good temp run, afterall who gives a nope about your XC results.
i've never managed to not push myself in any form of race when the gun goes!
godders wrote:Depends also on what you are training for. XC is more relevant to middle distance races and 100 min runs to classic races.
beg to differ! you push to you maximum in all races, and your endurance capacity will limit you in a 35 minute race almost as much as a 90 minute one.
-
rocky - [nope] cartel
- Posts: 2747
- Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 1:28 pm
- Location: SW
Here's my thinking.
November to February you need to ensure you pack in heavy training.
this means achieving substantial volumes.
It is important to do quality work such as Intervals, hills, tempo sessions also during this period.
However, the priority is volume therefore if the quality drops off slightly then so be it. This does not mean that you skip the quality sessions or ease up on them, you do them as best you can, you just accept that they are not all the way up there because you are tired.
During the winter, as far as I am concerned most races are just a hard training session, results matter little. ( one or two races get a propper focus though as it is good to go for it properly once in a while, keeps a bit of bite).
Whatever, I would not want to run XC every weekend.
You have to judge what you can do in a hard week in the winter, you have to plan in recovery days, you have to plan in recovery weeks.
In the spring the emphasis swings gradually to quality being more important than volume. Arriving at summer where only top quality, only races count.
Question; are you stiff and sore tired, or weary and lacking energy tired ?
If its the former you can keep running, just take it easier
If its the latter you need to eat more food and sleep more sleep
these 2 are the magic ingredients - we all love em
November to February you need to ensure you pack in heavy training.
this means achieving substantial volumes.
It is important to do quality work such as Intervals, hills, tempo sessions also during this period.
However, the priority is volume therefore if the quality drops off slightly then so be it. This does not mean that you skip the quality sessions or ease up on them, you do them as best you can, you just accept that they are not all the way up there because you are tired.
During the winter, as far as I am concerned most races are just a hard training session, results matter little. ( one or two races get a propper focus though as it is good to go for it properly once in a while, keeps a bit of bite).
Whatever, I would not want to run XC every weekend.
You have to judge what you can do in a hard week in the winter, you have to plan in recovery days, you have to plan in recovery weeks.
In the spring the emphasis swings gradually to quality being more important than volume. Arriving at summer where only top quality, only races count.
Question; are you stiff and sore tired, or weary and lacking energy tired ?
If its the former you can keep running, just take it easier
If its the latter you need to eat more food and sleep more sleep
these 2 are the magic ingredients - we all love em
If you could run forever ......
-
Kitch - god
- Posts: 2433
- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2004 2:09 pm
- Location: embada
It is nothing more than common sense in my opinion. You train noping hard on hard days (noping nail it-no pussying about!!!!) and take it easy on easy days: or you'll get ito the rhthym of half train recovering. A 3km race hours after a hard interval session is stupid, instead of recovering on wednesday with an easy run you could have been having another good hard session today, coulda came out wi me and nailor!
Hard training is about training as much as possible on the verge of injury/illness, which can only be achieved by listening to yourself.
Kitch has it spot on! isn't he your coach?
winter doesn't mean you go apeshit... (which i think a lot of orienteers are stuck into this dogma!) good harder consistent training. Avoid junk miles....they will only make you more susceptible to running slower/injury/illness.
Then again everyone has different opinions, this is just mine.
p.s. a classic race is ?100mins? this doesnt mean you have to be running long duration too much.(100minutes once a week is great!) Again i think hard intervals are the key, where the bodies oxygen transport system is pushed to the max, bringing most benefit. If you have a good system you will run good for any distance within reason. for example iain donnan runs 60miles a week and trains for 5000m-10000m, yet runs a 1/2 marathon for training run in 71minutes. ( and try getting away from him in a 100min terrain run- cos i couldnt ).
Hard training is about training as much as possible on the verge of injury/illness, which can only be achieved by listening to yourself.
Kitch has it spot on! isn't he your coach?
winter doesn't mean you go apeshit... (which i think a lot of orienteers are stuck into this dogma!) good harder consistent training. Avoid junk miles....they will only make you more susceptible to running slower/injury/illness.
Then again everyone has different opinions, this is just mine.
p.s. a classic race is ?100mins? this doesnt mean you have to be running long duration too much.(100minutes once a week is great!) Again i think hard intervals are the key, where the bodies oxygen transport system is pushed to the max, bringing most benefit. If you have a good system you will run good for any distance within reason. for example iain donnan runs 60miles a week and trains for 5000m-10000m, yet runs a 1/2 marathon for training run in 71minutes. ( and try getting away from him in a 100min terrain run- cos i couldnt ).
-
Scotia - blue
- Posts: 493
- Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2003 9:44 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
Re: cross country?
My opinion, for what its worth.
XC is good. The soft surfaces will leave you less sore than running 10k on the road in racing flats like Sunday. You should be able to do XC Saturday and long run Sunday, easy Monday, session Tuesday: timing works well (unlike session Tuesday night, race Weds ).
Thats fine. The only negative will be if you compromise your training by resting up - e.g. skipping a Thursday session. Even then, I'd suggest doing that a couple of times through the winter to keep the competitive spirit going.
Graeme
XC is good. The soft surfaces will leave you less sore than running 10k on the road in racing flats like Sunday. You should be able to do XC Saturday and long run Sunday, easy Monday, session Tuesday: timing works well (unlike session Tuesday night, race Weds ).
Rocky wrote:i've never managed to not push myself in any form of race when the gun goes!
Thats fine. The only negative will be if you compromise your training by resting up - e.g. skipping a Thursday session. Even then, I'd suggest doing that a couple of times through the winter to keep the competitive spirit going.
Graeme
WOC2024 Edinburgh
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
-
graeme - god
- Posts: 4726
- Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2004 6:04 pm
- Location: struggling with an pɹɐɔ ʇıɯǝ
as a keen member of our uni's XC club, i am expected to race well in a number of our big races throughout the year. However, i have set only one goal for XC this season which is for the BUSA champs, every thing else is just treated as a pace run (cos as Kitch said, who cares about ur xc results), and always go for a long run sunday the day after, thus not jeopardising the main orienteering training.
The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.
-
Supersaint - team nopesport
- Posts: 538
- Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2003 3:45 pm
- Location: Burley, Leeds
I wish I'd read that post before the XC 8km road burn up I've just done! I need to run with these guys as I don't push myself hard enough on my hard sessions alone, but I wish they'd get off the roads more! Grrr. And I wish that their hard run wasn't on a Monday. Stoopid XC types...
Will? We've got proper fire now!
-
Becks - god
- Posts: 2633
- Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2003 2:25 pm
- Location: East Preston Street Massif
18 posts
• Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 190 guests