My daughter (10th grade) runs high school cross county and also competes in the 400 and 800 meters during track season. Her main interest is the 400 and 800 meters, although she was an individual State qualifier in cross county this year. Some say she will have to determine whether she is going to specialize in cross county or the 400 / 800 as they are two different running styles. Would you agree?
We see that she has difficulty transitioning from cross county to track--speed training has to be introduced.
Does cross county hurt the progress of a 400 and 800 runner?
Moderator: George Payan
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George Payan
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I don’t agree that she has to specialize in cross country or the 400 / 800. Cross country and track & field are two different sports. Whatever success and training she had in cross country ends there. Since her main interest is the 400 and 800 meters, she will have to train different from cross country because the demands are different in all three races.
She is running from a slower tempo to a faster tempo, which is why she is having a difficult time with the transition. Because she is young, she does not have to specialize. She will know by her senior year what she wants to do. As soon as track season is over, get ready for cross country.
A coach once tried to specialize a basketball player in track and field. He pressured her so much that she ended up going to another school so she could play basketball and run track and field. She ended up with a full ride scholarship in basketball and became the fastest sprinter in the world.
In the Endurance section of the web site there is an article written by Skip Stolley. You will get an understanding of what the challenges are for an 800 meter runner from this article.
Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com
She is running from a slower tempo to a faster tempo, which is why she is having a difficult time with the transition. Because she is young, she does not have to specialize. She will know by her senior year what she wants to do. As soon as track season is over, get ready for cross country.
A coach once tried to specialize a basketball player in track and field. He pressured her so much that she ended up going to another school so she could play basketball and run track and field. She ended up with a full ride scholarship in basketball and became the fastest sprinter in the world.
In the Endurance section of the web site there is an article written by Skip Stolley. You will get an understanding of what the challenges are for an 800 meter runner from this article.
Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com