RUNNING STRATEGIES & RULES

( Note - this article is more for coaches than athletes, but it is some good reading none-the-less )

Pack Running

Pack running is a Cross Country racing strategy where a team purposely runs together in a pack for as long as possible in an attempt to finish with the lowest possible team score.  Pack running relies on encouragement and pressure from teammates to make the entire group run faster.  (Anyone who has ever run a relay understands the effect of having three other runners depending on you to have a good race.  Every runner also knows that it is easier to run with someone than to run by himself.)

Pack runners must maintain contact with each other by running within 10 meters or less of each other.  The confident, encouragement, and comfort of running in a team pack helps runners race faster.  A 1st to 5th time gap of 60 seconds in a dual meet may only be several places.  In a CIF or state championship race, however, there can be a hundred or more finishers within that same 60-second time span.

In the early stages of a race, staying together in a pack usually ensures that no member of the team starts too fast or too slow.  If a runner begins to fall off the pace, a teammate's encouragement can help get him or her through a crisis point in the race.

In reality, few teams have five or more runners who can run together after the first mile of a race.  If you have an outstanding runner, he or she quickly may be far ahead, with the remainder of your team grouped behind.  Many teams purposely divide into lead and following packs at a designated point.  In fairness to individual runners, you should also designate some course landmark, or point in the race, where pack running ends and the race for individual places begins.  This is especially important if you have two or more runners who have a chance to win the race.

Rules of the Pack

1.    No visitors are welcome!  Run as closely together as possible, especially through the first mile of the race, and don't be afraid to tell opposing runners to stay out of your pack!

2.    In a race, never consciously hold back or slow down so that a teammate can stay with you.

3.    When leading, never allow teammate to drop back without encouraging them to stay up.

4.    When following, never pass teammates without encouraging them to go with you.

How to Build Your Pack

A team's top runner opens the door to victory; the next 4-6 runners slam the door shut on opponents.

You must make your athletes understand that being able to run together at the front of the race is crucial to the team's success.  It must be a goal of every training season from warm-up to cool down.

Typically, a team breaks into groups of similar ability once the actual workout begins.  Coaches should designate training groups in advance so every team member can practice running in a pack with others of similar fitness and ability.  Staying together...with every runner within an arm's reach of another...should be a goal of every training group.  The importance of running at arm's length cannot be overemphasized.  In a race, an opponent separating two of your runners can be a physical barrier that breaks the invisible threads holding your pack together, even though your runners may be just a few meters apart.

Training to Race as a Pack

As a coach, you must create opportunities for your team to run as a pack.  Start with your warm-up, cool-down, and recovery runs.  These should be easy and enjoyable conversation-pace runs that allow everyone to run together and feel part as a team.  (On recovery runs, you must instruct your lead runners to set a pace slow enough so that it's a recovery run for everyone!)

When doing any kind of segmented training (repetitions, intervals, hill circuits, etc.), weaker runners can do portions of the workout with the lead pack.  For example, if the session for your "A" group is 6 times an 800-meter hill loop with a 400-meter jog interval, your "B" group might do reps 1-3-5 with group "A" with an 800-meter jog interval during reps 2-4; or they could do reps 1-2 and 5-6 with a 1,000-meter jog interval during reps 3-4.

Keeping five or more of your runners together in a pack is difficult during long, steady-pace or tempo-pace training runs.  On an out-and-back course, you can challenge lesser runners to stay with the lead pack until the turnaround point.  With encouragement from teammates, these runners often surprise themselves with how long they can stay up with the pack.  This leads them to realize that with continued effort they can permanently join the lead group.

When dividing team members into groups for a long run, enforce the rules of the pack and encourage some runners to accept the challenge of joining a faster group.

Keeping a pack together during surging or fartlek training can be next to impossible.  Groups must stay together during the fast bursts!  It accomplishes nothing to disperse and then regroup during the slow recovery periods.  If your pack can stay together throughout this kind of training, they can stay together throughout any race.

Always look for incentives to get trailing runners to move up to the pack.  Some coaches award special shirts or shorts for members of the lead pack to wear in training.  Some coaches embroider a nickname for their pack (i.e., Chute-Struffers) on the back of varsity meet jerseys.  Others allow the lead pack to paint their athletic lockers in school colors.  Be creative.

Pack Racing Strategy

It is much more difficult to run in a pack during a race than in training; and the bigger the meet, the greater the challenge.  Having a team race plan is essential for both dual meets and invitationals.

The Start

The best laid pack-running strategies can be thwarted at the very start of a race.  Some teams disperse as soon as the gun fires, with their runners scrambling for race positions in all directions.  This is especially common in larger meets.

The Team Race Plan

1.    How you are going to place your team on the starting line?

2.    Where do you want your pack to be when the field reaches the first turn or when the course begins to narrow?

3.    How long do you want the pack to stay intact before breaking into lead pack and following groups?

4.    At what point does your pack-running strategy end and the race for individual places begin?

Strategy

You must employ many different strategies to win races.  The talent of your team, opponents' talent, course layout and conditions, and weather all will determine the plan for any given race.  As described above, you may choose to run as a pack for as long as possible, although many coaches consider pack running a given element.  A true strategy is a plan for the entire race, not just a portion of it.  For example, your strategy might be to have your team run the 1 1/2 miles hard, and then initiate a long surging finish with 600 meters to go.  In an easier meet, you might set forth a plan to keep your top 3 runners together even if your best runner has to slow somewhat to do so.  If you are outclassed, your team strategy might be to have your top 5 finish within a certain time period.

The strategy for each race is a product of the following factors

1.    Season goals

2.    Course layout and racing conditions

3.    Training periodization and racing schedule

4.    Strength of opponents

5.    Team strengths and weaknesses

6.    Team experience

Tactics

Tactics are the tools your team uses to realize its race plan and win races.  You can specify team tactics, and individuals can employ their own to gain advantage of opponents.  To use tactics successfully, though, your team must practice the various skills that will give your team powerful racing weapons.

Surging

A surge is a planned and substantial pace increase at a predetermined point in a race.  The intent of surging is to break away from the rest of the field by creating a gap that the other runners are unwilling or unable to close.  Once the gap has been established, the surging runner(s) can settle back into normal pace.  The great African distance runners have perfected surging, often throwing in multiple surges over the course of long races.

Surging is effective because it disturbs the natural rhythm of competitors.  Not expecting a sudden pace increase, opponents are forced out of their comfort zone, which forces unprepared runners to cope with added duress.  Because of the extra stress, however, surging requires special training.

Aside from specific surging workouts, you can teach your runners always to respond to sustained pace changes.  On long runs, you might secretly assign certain runners to initiate surges at different points during the run.  Only the surging runner will actually know the intensity and duration of the surge.  None of the runners will know how many surges there will be, so they must respond to every surge.

The Strong Finish

Everyone sprints to the finish line, but a strong finish is an extended drive to the finish that can cover anywhere from 400-1,000 meters.  To train for strong finishes, mirror the training you do for fast starts.  Get your team into the habit of finishing steady-pace and tempo runs with hard finishes.  (This doesn't include recovery runs.)

Hill Cresting

Most runners slow considerably after reaching the top of the hill.  Simply maintaining effort over the top of a hill can yield amazing results.  Your runners will recover a bit on the downhill anyway, so a slight acceleration upon reaching the top can put a lot of distance on the field.  Teach this tactic by always having your runners maintain effort as they crest hills in practice.  Make it a team hallmark.

Turn Surges

Runners can use tight turns to their advantage if they accelerate a few steps into each turn.  Mike like indoor track, the runner will not lose momentum while negotiating the turn.  It is an aggressive racing maneuver that keeps the athlete from settling into a comfortable pace.

Blind Spots

Savvy runners learn how to use their home course to advantage.  When rounding a clump of trees or bushes, an athlete should use the blind spot to gain distance by accelerating for a few steps past the turn.  The tactic sometimes opens a gap that a rival is unwilling to close.  The small physical separation can create a large psychological advantage.

Race Day Preparation

A lot has been written about how to get a team ready for race day.  Not much has been written on what to do on race day.  All the good training your team does can be wiped away by not preparing properly come the day of the race.

Every single athlete on your team must know the true purpose of a meet: a race and to compete.  Racing should be fun, but meet days are not play days.  Leave the footballs and Frisbees behind.

The first step is to arrive at the meet site early.  If you coach long enough, you will learn that buses break down, traffic bucks up, or the bus driver gets long.  Proper planning will prevent problems most of the time, but you should always include a time buffer in your trip plans.  Arrive well before the first race.

Your team should arrive 90 minutes before the first race of the meet.  This is plenty of time for your athlete to relax, use the restroom, and hydrate properly before his (or her) race.  It also allows your team to inspect the course before the race.  The course inspection always should be part of your pre-meet routine.  Your team should use this time to refine race strategies and tactics.  A race course jog or walk-through protects your team from any unpleasant surprises during the race.  Athletes must be prepared to do the course walk through by themselves while you handle last minute details.

Each team group should begin warming up about 45 minutes before race time.  Having your runners take care of restroom pit stops, water and uniform changes (except perhaps the singlet) before they begin the warm-ups.  If some runners want extra warm-up time, let them start a few minutes earlier.

Have each group meet at a predetermined time and place.  Once the team group starts the warm-up, they should stay together until the race.  Members only!  This is the start of your pack running strategy.  As the season develops, you won't need to direct the warm-up; your veteran runners and team captains should assume that role.  Athletes need to learn to take responsibility for their own efforts.  After all, you cannot be on the course with them.  Moreover, your athletes will probably relax more without you hovering over them.  This is the tim3e for them to unite, create their "game" faces, and focus on the race.

The Race Warm-Up

There are several warm-up routines that will get your team ready to race.  Many coaches break the warm-up period into three 15-minute phases (20 minutes for invitational meets):

1.    15 minutes of running to raise body temperature and awake the aerobic system.

2.    15 minutes of static and mobile stretching

3.    10 minutes of race specific running that includes

            a.    strides

            b.    surges

            c.    hills

       Finish with 5 minutes of mental relaxation, and attend to last-minute details before moving to the starting line 5 minutes before the race.

After the Race

As your runners finish a race, meet them at the end of the chute to collect place cards or tags.  Keep your team in the area until the last runner of the group finishes.  They are a team, and the last finisher is as important as the first.  Next, have them re-hydrate (drink water).  If anyone needs medical attention, see to that first.  Have them use the restroom if necessary.

About 10 minutes after the race, have your runners do a short cool-down job (8-10 minutes).  If other races are being run, send them out along the course to cheer their teammates.  Finish with a short stretching session.

For the last race, all other team members should be on the course to encourage their teammates.  After the race, the entire team should cool-down together.  While the length of the cool-down is not important, the time spent together as a team is.  This is the time for you to praise their efforts and accomplishments for that day.

During a team stretch, or on the bus ride home, you can give your assessment of the meet.  Keep the negative comments brief, and focus on what team groups need to do.  Avoid mentioning individual faults or disappointments.  Rather, accentuate individuals and team accomplishments, with emphasis on the team's efforts.  Use the session to direct your team's focus to the next meet.  If there are any big problems, try making the night to reflect first.  Many problems lose their edge with a good night's sleep.