PURPOSE OF SUMMER TRAINING

Often times, you may ask yourself, "Why run so many miles?"  This is a valid question and you need to understand the reason behind why we train this way.  The coaching staff has carefully carefully planned out the training based upon several factors.  First of all, there is well over 35 years of experience in your coaches, who have run well over 40,000 miles throughout their lives.  They have trained through many different styles and under different coaches.  Also, Coaches Hagin and Johnson have had experience training high school distance runners for the past 25 years.  There has been countless hours of research and made observations of many distance runners over the last four decades, as well as have read about athletes that trained in the pre 1960's.  Also, much discussion has been made with other coaches and listened to how their programs were structured.  All of these things have been woven into personal experiences which result in the coaching staff's training philosophy.  Certainly what may work for one team or group of high schoolers may not work as well with another group.  You must adapt your philosophy to the needs of your team/group of athletes.

The basis of a successful cross country is a solid training base.  This foundation is laid carefully and gradually over a period of three months (12 weeks) in which athletes must understand and be patient with the system.  Avoid short-cuts and seek to be consistent is the key.  This is the opposite of what most want.  We live in a instant society with hopes of making great progress instantly.  Distance running works quite the opposite, as the more gradual you build the base, the stronger it will be.  In other words, if you wish to race well in November, you must do the patient foundational work in June, July and August.  The base period consists primarily of distance runs, hills and steady state runs.  This period lasts about three months (12 weeks).  The following is why this base foundation is necessary.

1. This type of training allows your body to adapt gradually (3-5 miles per week increase) to avoid injury.

2. This type of training keeps you fresh, and even though you are training high mileage, you do not feel "over-trained."

3. This type of training raises your aerobic capacity, which is the ability of your body to process oxygen which, in turn, helps fuel your muscles.  The greater the base, the greater your aerobic capacity.

4. This type of training prevents you from peaking too early and will allow you to peak in November, during the League, CIF and State meets.

5. This type of training develops strength for hill courses like MSAC (Mount San Antonio College), which is the CIF Championship course.