Cross Country
What is Cross Country?
Youth cross country is a sport where teams or individuals run on an outdoor course that includes grass, dirt, gravel, and sometimes lightly wooded terrain. It's a fantastic way for young athletes to build endurance, speed, and mental toughness. With events organized by the USATF Youth Committee, participants get to experience the thrill of competition and the camaraderie of team sports. It's not just about the physical benefits; cross country running also instills values like discipline, teamwork, and perseverance.
When are practices?
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
What are the Benefits of Cross Country?- Improved Cardiovascular Fitness: Regular participation in this endurance-based sport helps strengthen your heart, lungs, and circulatory system.
- Full-Body Workout: Cross country running engages multiple muscles throughout your body. Unlike some other forms of exercise that primarily target specific muscle groups, cross country running engages multiple muscles throughout your body.
- Increased Endurance and Stamina: Cross country running, with its long distances and varying terrains, challenges your endurance and pushes your body to adapt and improve. Cross country running involves sustained periods of running at a moderate to high intensity, which helps to build stamina.
- Mental Health Benefits: Regular participation in cross country running provides an outlet for stress and helps clear your mind.
- Low Impact on Joints: Unlike high-impact activities such as running on hard surfaces or participating in contact sports, cross country running provides a more forgiving environment for your joints.
- Weight Loss and Calorie Burning: It is a highly effective form of exercise for weight loss and calorie burning due to its demanding nature and ability to engage multiple muscle groups
- Social and Team-Building Benefits: Joining a team or running group allows you to form friendships with fellow runners who can provide support, motivation, and encouragement throughout your running journey.
How long is a Cross Country race?
The distance run by youth athletes varies by age, getting progressively longer as age increases. Most races take around 15-35 minutes to complete, depending on the age and experience level of the athletes competing.
The current USATF distances by age are:
2K (1.24 miles) 8 & under
3K (1.86 miles) 9 - 12 years
4K (2.49 miles) 13 - 14 years
5K (3.11 miles) 15+ years
What is the difference between Cross Country and Track?
Cross Country is held during the fall season and has multiple events for a runner. The course for a Cross Country race will be on trails through woods and fields. The surface is usually natural, dirt or crushed gravel. It is not a hard surface. Track is a different sport and is during the spring season. It has many field events, as well as running events with various distances.
Where are Cross Country meets held?
Cross Country meets are typically held on a city/county park or high school/ college campus.
Do runners need spikes?
Many runners race in a pair of shoes called spikes. Spikes have plates on the bottom for removable metal spikes that help with traction during a race. In addition, spikes are very lightweight. Spikes are not required, and some runners will wear regular training shoes for races.
What is the best Cross Country Running form?
Everyone has their own running form. We won’t change it much unless there are some basic things that can be improved, such as:
- Arms: should be firm but not tense. Make sure they are going forward and not across your body. Thumbs should go on top of your fist and lightly brush up against your hips as you run. Avoid “chicken wings” (elbows sticking out) and running with your arms almost completely closed (fists up near your chest). To go faster swing your arms quicker-your legs have to go as fast as your arms do. When tired, shake your arms out and then return them to their normal position.
- Legs: most of your leg motion will just be what comes naturally. We won’t try to change much at all with it. Just remember to try and take longer strides when you are kicking at the end of a race, as well as when you are running down a hill- you’ll cover more ground that way.
- Head: keep your head tilted slightly downward, so that you are looking 10-15 feet in front of you. Avoid leaning your head back with your chin up, especially when you are tired. You want all motion going forward. Don’t ever look back!
- Body: you’ll hear us say “run tall”; that just means to keep good posture, and not hunch over or sit back on your hips. When you sit back on your hips, you end up landing on your heels instead of your toes, and you will not run as fast. When running up a hill, lean slightly uphill but again try to not hunch over. When running down a hill, you can either lean slightly forward to gain momentum, or just run tall but cautious, to avoid falling down.
- Breathing: try to keep your breathing as under control as possible. Breathe in with both your mouth and nose. Do whatever comes naturally to you. When out of breath in a race, take deep breaths to try and get your breathing under control.
- Relax: avoid squinting your eyes, clenching your jaw, or doing anything else that might use unnecessary energy.