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Question:

Hello, I am a 15 year old Former Sprinter, turned Cross Country Runner…. I have trained for the Cross Country season with the rest of the Cross Country team  for about a month now and have already run three races. I have run a 21:40 at the Berry Invitational race and a 21:10 at the Carrolton Invitational meet.   My question is, if I hope to get a 20:00 or a sub 20 time in the next 2 months, what do I need to do.  I run at practice every week day with the team and am slowly getting better. Would it speed the improvement of my times to run twice a day or do more weights than I do now?  or are there any type of supplements that would help ( I take Mega Man vitamans right now)? I am very serious about becoming good at distance running because I have stopped sprinting and will run the 800 and the mile as soon as track season starts. Not to mention the fact that I enjoy Cross Country running   a lot and would love to be able to improve my running ability. Thanks, Dubose Cole

Response:

I am a 15 year old Former Sprinter, turned Cross Country Runner…. I have trained for the Cross Country season with the rest of the Cross Country team  for about a month now and have already run three races. I have run a 21:40 at the Berry Invitational race and a 21:10 at the Carrolton Invitational meet. Would it speed the improvement of my times to run twice a day or

Be careful, especially if you are new to training as a distance runner. 3 or 4 quality sesions per week should be more than ample for your *first* season. If you’ve got the genetics this will give your body more than enough stimulus to make great improvements. do more weights than I do now?  

Sure, do some weights, but don’t lose sight of the fact that you are a runner. If you want to realise you potential as a distance runner your biggest limitations are VO2(max) and anaerobic threshold. You could spend a lot of time developing an awesome squat and still not run much faster. Have you considered substituting some plyometric type exercises for a session of pumping iron? Hops, jumps, that kind of thing. or are there any type of supplements that would help ( I take Mega Man vitamans right now)?

There are no magic formulas. No quick fixes. You’ve just got to train hard but train smart, and the results *will* come. If you think your diet is poor, then a daily multivitamin wouldn’t hurt. Not to mention the fact that I enjoy Cross Country running a lot

Me too. Unfortunately the season doesn’t start till November here in France.   Miles —

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