News and Announcements
Welcome to the upcoming Cross Country season. Cross Country is a wonderful sport and the team’s future looks great! Your son or daughter has chosen a safe, demanding sport that will strengthen the cardiovascular and muscular systems. As an added benefit, Cross Country also builds team spirit and camaraderie as the athletes encourage each other during training and competition.
La Mirada High School competes with teams from the local area and occasionally with teams from the furthest reaches of California at the large invitationals. Things haven’t changed much when it comes to the essence of competitive running, but the training is more scientific and balanced today. For instance, the importance of a well balanced diet and adequate rest is better understood.
Cross Country is a demanding sport that requires quite a bit of time for most students. Besides our weekday dual and league meets, we also have workouts or participate in invitationals on most Saturdays. Consequently, many of our athletes seem to be busy all the time. For the cross country team member, “Commitment” and “Communication” with each other and with the coaches are key elements to a team’s success.
Commitment means doing what is expected of you as a team member. Every team member received an information packet and knows their responsibilities. Check out the information on this website or ask to see the packet and to get an idea of what our expectations are for the team. Seeing athletes at practice every week day is one of the commitments the coaches expect. Be aware that high school sports teams practice every day after school. In addition, we practice most of the summer and on days off from school. During the school year, workouts typically begin at 2:20 p.m. and last approximately 2 hours. Your child is expected to be at every workout if they are on the team.
Ultimately, our goal is to have athletes show responsibility, consistency, and loyalty. We hope that as parents you understand and support this. While we are aware that unplanned family problems come up, please keep in mind that we expect to see your child at practice Monday thru Friday (or Saturday) and at all meets. If they cannot be there we expect that they will communicate with us early and let us know why.
Communication: We expect every team member to communicate with their coaches. There are problems when athletes do not communicate with their coach. If a problem occurs and a runner must miss practice, we expect that they directly tell their coaches. Do not have your child relay information to us through a friend (who might not tell us.) If there is a problem regarding a scheduled practice, invitational or meet, let us know as soon as you find out, not a day before or after the fact.
Thank you for your continued support of the team, let’s all strive to make this year a successful one.
Athletes
We have superior student-athletes! The typical La Mirada cross-country runner is also a top student, manages his or her schedule well, participates in daily practice, and is committed to improvement and representing La Mirada High School with distinction and sportsmanship. Recently, as many as 9 of our 14 varsity level athletes were selected as All CIF Scholar Athletes—an achievement that requires a GPA of 3.5 or above!
Unlike the stereotypical runner with a tall and thin frame, our runners come in all shapes and sizes. They enjoy the great sense of accomplishment that is earned through conquering distances the average person wouldn’t attempt. Cross-country is about gradual improvement of fitness; improvement occurs in every athlete that stays with the program. It’s not unusual for an inexperienced athlete to move to the varsity level of competition if their training and performances warrant. By the end of the season virtually all the runners discover that their stamina and tolerance for distance running has improved to the point that they can outrun 99% of their high school peers in distances of a half-mile or longer.
Each team has a minimum of 7 athletes, so 21 boys and 21 girls are the absolute minimum for our team. Competition begins in September. The coaches recognize that competition and training at the high school level must accommodate varying levels of fitness and ability. Some beginning runners have never run more than one-fourth of a mile before coming out for the team! Others have competed in 5k runs in the community and are ready for competition at a higher level. By the end of the season, the differences narrow. Improvement comes at different rates depending on the level of physical maturity of the athlete. Those still waiting for their growth spurt need to be patient, which is difficult for teenagers. But there isn’t anything to be done in this regard except “roll with it” and keep running!
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The Program
Preparation for competitive racing includes a gradual buildup of weekly mileage. Training includes a gradual buildup of weekly mileage mixed with speed work and hill runs. Slow runs of 2-3 miles/day for the first few weeks increase to runs of 4-10 miles/day later in the season. Varsity level athletes can expect to do double workouts once or twice a week during the summer. Their mileage may increase to 80 miles per week. All runs are generally around the school area, but runners do venture out into the community on many occasions. When they do, frequent monitoring by the coaches is a must. Running in groups is required for the personal safety of the athletes.
The coaches sometimes like to use the hills around Hillsborough and Clark Park. Many of the runners have difficulty at the beginning of the training season but conquer the hills by the end of the season.
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Equipment
SHOES: The biggest cause of injury in high school runners comes from shoes that do not provide adequate support or cushioning for each individuals feet. There is no such thing as a brand or make of shoe that is best for everybody. Each person needs to be individually fit. If possible, go to a store that deals primarily with running equipment or to a specific salesperson who is an experienced runner. A knowledgeable salesperson can help you make a proper decision based on size, shoe width, running style and type of running training versus racing. For a beginning runner, there are shoes that can serve for training and racing. Be sure that the salesperson understands that the shoe will be used for daily training. 300-400 miles (2-3 months) is about the most you can expect to keep a pair of shoes. See the coaching staff if you have additional thoughts or questions on shoes or other equipment.
Good running shoes cost $70 to $95, but this is the best investment you can make for your son or daughter! And, there is a significant difference between shoes used for TRAINING and shoes used for RACING. Training shoes with a good cushion are recommended. Lightweight shoes are recommended for cross country racing. Do not purchase shoes because they’re the proper color or because they are on sale. Go to a SPECIALTY running store. Sales personnel at these running stores are experienced distance runners and evaluate each athlete’s running style before identifying the best type of shoe. A pair of TRAINING shoes should last 500 miles (4 months) if not used for other activities.
Blisters do occur with new shoes; therefore, a break-in period of a few days by walking or light jogging is recommended with all new shoes. We have also found that double-wall socks can reduce the risk of blisters, though some runners have no problems with standard crew socks.
A personal water bottle is another key piece of gear. Other than the repetitive motion injury risk, dehydration is a major problem. Drinking large amounts of water throughout the day and in the middle of some of the long runs is essential. A personal water bottle is an indispensable part of a runners gear.
Clothes & Other Equipment: It is not necessary to purchase specific running clothing. Uniforms will be worn at the meets. Loose fitting shirts and shorts are adequate for daily practices. Clean, dry socks for each practice will help to prevent blisters, athlete's foot and other foot problems. Students should have sweats tops and bottoms available for "cold" days. It is better to bring them and not use them than to not bring them and needing them at the end of practice, especially when the time changes and the winds come up and the athletes are cool and wet from the sweat.
The coaching staff has made it clear that modesty is expected in the area and style of practice clothing and how it is to be worn. Boys with baggy shorts must have them pulled up. No under-wear should be visible. Watches are required at practice. Also required are dog-tags or a similar type of ID that is fixed to the shoe or worn that in case of emergency can be used as an important source of information as to name and phone numbers.
School Provided Equipment
The school provides competition uniforms for each athlete.
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Physical Impact of Distance Running
Aches and pains: Expect your child to be sore and stiff, particularly in the first two or three weeks of workouts. Running is one of the most physically demanding of sports, and getting into shape is not an overnight process. This stiffness and soreness is normal and will subside as the runner continues to run steadily. The soreness and stiffness will actually be relieved much faster if the athlete continues to run, rather than to sit out a day or two to get better. Inactivity does not activate the same type of muscle warmth that exercise does to promote recovery from aches.
Stretching and proper warm-up are also key components of injury prevention. The weekly mileage tallies can take a toll and, despite the best efforts of the coaches to find a level of training that provides improvement without injury, a few problems are bound to occur. The most common injuries: blisters, muscle strains, shin splints (above ankle on front of leg), heel injuries, and dehydration (which causes headaches, fatigue, slow recovery, and reduced resistance to colds.) A few athletes, through no fault of their own, do become injured as part of the training and competition. Please note that no-one is allowed to run injured. Rest or appropriate medical attention is indicated when injuries occur. Under the best of circumstances the athletes become just plain tired and a day off is needed. That’s fine. In any case, you may find your son or daughter needs an extra hour of sleep, eats more to replace lost calories, and needs to drink a lot more WATER. Racing requires that athletes be rested, healthy, and hydrated.
The coaches vary the workout routines to include occasional swimming and light weight training. This adds strength and cardiovascular endurance in a different way and is another way to prevent injuries.
Complaining: Expect a fair amount of complaining. Getting in shape is never easy, and the mind does not necessarily control the body at all times. When the body wins out, the mind comes up with many excuses to avoid running, or at least running hard. This too will pass once the athlete gets in shape and can finish a workout and feel good.
Running and recovery: Sometimes I wonder how parents let their children run after seeing the kids finish a race. The athletes are wobbly in the knees, covered with sweat, and thick-tongued and incapable of speech. They are pale, sometimes collapse, and not infrequently are nauseated. However, in a few minutes, and after some fluid ingestion, the color comes back, the legs regain function, and the athlete resumes the ability to chatter.
What is happening is that runners are often the type of athletes that become good by pushing themselves. Doing quality workouts over a period of time allows them to push themselves to fairly extreme limits, and recover nicely in a short time. This is one of the cornerstones of the La Mirada High School program's success. We expect quality performances of our runners in workouts which allow the athletes to push harder in races than many of their opponents are capable of doing.
Pains to watch out for: Of all the aches and pains that accompany serious running, the ones that merit the closest attention are those in the joints of the knees and the shins. Knees and shins sometimes take a pounding, and the runner must rest or run on the grass or exercise in a pool or on a bicycle. Shins get easily bruised on some runners, and in some extreme cases necessitate a forced rest. Make sure the coaches are aware of any ongoing pains so that we may monitor them in workouts and make adjustments for each athlete.
Colds and sniffles are not by themselves reasons to avoid running. A head cold is an impediment to one's best effort, but running does not contribute to a worsening cold. It is the lung infections and asthma or bronchial symptoms that need rest and/or medication, and could be cause for alarm.
However, runners as a group tend to be much healthier than non-runners, and have fewer of the nagging minor illnesses that plague so many other students.
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Travel
The team travels to meets outside the local area 3-5 times each season. This exposes the athletes to competition they might not face again until the CIF Meet or State Meet, if the team advances that far. The Mt. SAC Invitational is held at Mt. San Antonio College, in late October. The coaches will only take athletes they feel are ready enough to compete at these out-of-area meets. Should we be fortunate enough to get the girls or boys varsity team to the state meet, it will be in Fresno (Clovis), the last Saturday in November. Even if the teams don’t make it to the state meet, we may have a few runners that go as individuals based on their qualifying times at the CIF Finals meet held at Mt. SAC. Only the top 6% of teams get to go to the state meet, so its always a long-shot.
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Competition
Races are generally 3 miles, but C.I.F. just approved a change to the 5k distance (3.1 miles). Cross country races require athletes to be rested, healthy, and hydrated. Pacing is important—athletes who complete workouts as assigned learn their strengths and limitations as they train. Races are run at aerobic levels; that is, oxygen absorbed matches oxygen consumed, but the effort is great enough that the athletes are TIRED at the end of the race. At races, Freshmen, Sophomores and new runners generally complete a 3 miles cross country course in 20 to 30 minutes (19-23 minutes for boys and 23 to 30 minutes for girls). Varsity boys generally race at a sub 6 minute per mile pace, and the Varsity girls at a sub 7 minute per mile pace. Junior Varsity and frosh-soph paces are much slower, especially at the beginning of the season, so don’t be concerned if your son or daughter isn’t at that level yet.
Each team—Frosh-Soph, Junior Varsity, and Varsity—runs with 7 athletes, so 21 boys and 21 girls are the absolute minimum needed for a team. The team score is calculated based upon the finishing place of the top 5 runners from each team. As you probably figured out, in Cross Country the lowest score wins.
In most meets, the 4th and 5th fastest runners on a team are the most important to a team’s success and opportunity to advance in CIF. Teams with only 1 or 2 super fast runners and no “middle” have virtually no chance of advancing beyond league.
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Participation Guidelines
The coaches want to be sure that team members and parents understand what the expectations are of all runners for practices and competitions.
When you join the cross county team as a competitive athlete, there is an expectation that you be at practice every day and that you compete in the weekly meets and invitationals.
To better illustrate this, I will relate to you a story of one of our past runners. This runner was a very good runner -- she also was a very good club soccer player. She participated in both sports her entire four years on the team, but she rarely missed a practice or meet during that time. The in-season school sport came first, and her club sports second. During her other sport seasons, I made sure that I respected that process. If cross country was the off-season, her in-season sport took priority.
She did not try to miss or leave after-school practices early, she was there every day and did her part as a team member.
I, for my part, helped her where I could. If she needed to leave from meets to make other competitions, I had no problem with that. I was able to communicate with her parents as to when Saturday meets were over and we worked it out.
The point to be made here is that she took her part as a team member seriously. She practiced hard every day, she ran hard every meet, and there was never a doubt about her commitment to the team.
If you are on a a team for any sport at this school, it is expected that you are there during the entire season, from start to finish. While the coaching staff understands SAT’s, PSAT’s, and family emergencies, telling us that you will not be competing because of club sports or vacations is not acceptable. Please don’t expect us to understand or be happy. If such requests persist, you may be asked to leave the team.
Varsity Lettering Requirements
Because cross country has a no cut policy, I would like to take some time to explain the varsity lettering policy for all athletes. To receive a varsity letter athletes must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or above and achieve one of the the following:
- Run in the Top 7 spots during 50% of our meets and invitationals
- Qualify as one of our top seven runners for the League Finals meet
- Qualify to run in the CIF-SS Prelims or Finals race. (only 7 make this)
- Run as a member in good standing of the team for at least three consecutive years
- Coaches Discretion
Athletes who do not achieve ant of the above, can earn a letter by:
- Finishing the season with their name on the Top-5 All-time grade level record list.
- Girls: Achieve a PR under 21:00 on a 3-mile course and train with the varsity team
- Boys: Achieve a PR under 17:45 on a 3-mile course and train with the varsity team
Additionally, to receive a letter, certificate, or award, a runner must:
- Finish the season in good standing. Quitting the team for any reason prior to the end of the season will disqualify an athlete from a varsity letter.
- Show up to the awards ceremony to receive their award.
- Turn-in all equipment checked out to them.
- Pay for any lost equipment.
Sometimes an athlete who has never run before decides to run their senior year. They spend most of the year getting in shape. Often, they expect a varsity letter. In order to receive a varsity letter, you must be a top 10 runner . . . and earn it.
Distance
Races are generally 3 miles, but in 2000, C.I.F. approved a change to the 5k distance (3.1 miles).
Scoring
RACING & SCORING: A team consists of 7 individuals. The team score is the sum of the places of the first 5 finishers, although a team's sixth and seventh runners may displace the other team's scoring runners. Low score wins. In invitational races, there is no limit on the number of members on a team. Further, at some invitationals, the number of scoring places varies. In league competition, we field five teams: boys and girls varsity and junior varsity.
Cross Country Meets and Invitationals: Expectations
LEAGUE & CIF COMPETITION: Since 2004, the Suburban League has conducted three "mass" league meets in which all seven league teams compete at once. The first two meets are scored as a 6-way competition, invitational style --- each school gets 2 point for each win in the league standings. At the end of the season, all 7 schools meet in one race. Teams get one league point for each team they beat. The total of the league points determines the league standings. The top 4 varsity teams automatically advance to CIF competition. In case of a tie, the league meet standings determine the CIF representatives. A ranked team that finishes 4th in league may also be invited to participate in CIF races. In CIF, schools are divided according to size. We are in Division II. The top 16 teams from CIF Prelims will compete in CIF Finals for a CIF Championship. In addition, the top 7 teams in the CIF Finals will qualify for the State Finals in Fresno. Individual athletes whose teams do not qualify for the next round can qualify individually by placing high in their races.
Just what happens in a cross country meet, anyway? At first sight, a cross country meet seems a jumble of bodies in flight amidst much shouting and arm-waving. These meets do really have a semblance of order, and usually follow a general format.
The start: All races should have a fairly long starting line, so each runner can get a toe on the line. If the starting area is smaller, each team gets a "box," a small section of the line, and the team puts runners behind each other.
The course: Most courses are approximately 3 miles long.
The race: Races start in a clump of runners and stretch out over the first half mile, and string out pretty well by the first mile. There is an apparent lull in the middle of the race as the runners don't seem to be changing positions much, but the finishes are always exciting. Many courses do not offer much visibility, so the runners seem to disappear for a while and then reappear for the finish. Other courses let the spectator and coach see more of the race in progress.
The finish: Hopefully there is a chute at the finish to keep the runners in order after they cross the line. Some smaller races just have a pair of cones to mark the finish line. There are various methods of handling the results. The runners are given a numbered card at the finish, to mark their finish placing, and later have the card, and their name taken by a meet official to record. Other races give the runners tags before the race, so the finish officials only have to remove the tags at the finish. It is always important to keep the runners finish in order to accurately give the runners their times, and to score the meet.
The warm-up and warm-down: Each team (varsity, JV, et cetera) should warm up for at least 15-20 minutes before a race, and warm-down for 15 minutes after a race. This should be done as a group, so the members of the team should be together both before and after the race for a period of time. This insures that there is less stiffness and soreness the next day. Each runner needs at least 2 hour after a race before he or she leaves the site.
Team Camp: The team camp is similar in nature to the side lines at a football or soccer game or the bench utilized by the basketball or volleyball teams. It is a place away from spectators, family, friends, and other teams. The purpose of the camp is to create "their space" at the meet event. The camp is used for changing clothes, team synergy, pre and post-race conversation as well as sort of a mobile classroom for the coaching staff.
Please be respectful of the team camp and allow the athletes to be adequately prepared and debriefed at the event. Often the coaching staff may designate a parent(s) as an ambassador of the team or the coaches. Please listen to and follow the advice of this ambassador.
Pre-Race: Get acquainted with the race course and the strategic spectator points; i.e., the start and finish lines. It is also helpful to identify your schools team uniforms.
Be aware that numerous races will be run during the course of the meet. A cross country meet may last anywhere from two hours to a full day. Races may be organized by the number of schools entered, the class level of the runners, or divisions. Find out what time your child is running and in which particular race.
DO NOT expect the attention of your child once they have joined their team at the race site. They need time to mentally and physically prepare for the race with the coach and the rest of the team.
During The Race: Cross country is not a sport observed from a stationary point (i.e. bleachers). There are many ways for the spectator to enjoy watching a race. One exciting aspect is to watch the start. After the start, you wish to move to another point along the course to cheer on and watch runners as they pass by. As the race develops, you may want to move to the finish area as the runners complete the race. Learn the names of all athlete's on the team and encourage them as well.
The athlete's appreciate your support and positive encouragement. All comments should be positive in nature and never negative to our team or any other team. Truly all these students are champions for their courage to participate in the great sport of cross country!
Low Score Wins: As in golf, the object in cross country is to compete for the lowest score possible. In other words, a team that scores 35 points places ahead of a team that scores 40 points. This means that when two or more teams are competing, the first place team has the lowest score, the second place team has the second lowest score, the third place team has the third lowest score and so on.
Scores Are Based on the Top Five Finishers: Although seven to twelve athletes from each team compete at the varsity level and as many athletes as a team has compete at lower levels—eg., girls junior varsity, boys junior varsity—only the first five finishers are counted in determining a team's score. For instance, let's say La Mirada’s first five finishers place 1, 3, 4, 5, and 8 in a meet against Cerritos. Cerritos’ first five finishers, in turn, place 2, 6, 7, 9, 11. This will illustrate 2 points:
(A) low score wins, and (B) what is called displacement. Let’s take a look.
A. Low Score Wins:
La Mirada | Cerritos |
1 | 2 |
3 | 6 |
4 | 7 |
5 | 9 |
8 | 11 |
21 | 35 |
La Mirada wins!
B. Displacement: In looking at the scoring above, it may have occurred to you that the 10thfinisher does not show up in the scoring. What happened to him? First, it is clear that he was a La Mirada runner because if he ran for Cerritos, he would have been their 5th finisher and earned them 10 points instead of 11. Second, it logically follows that although he does not figure directly in the scoring, he does figure indirectly in that he caused Cerritos to lose by 1 point more than it would have without him, i.e., he has displaced a Cerritos runner. Obviously, in close meets displacing can make the difference between winning and losing; hence the 6th and 7th athletes on the same team are just as important as the 1st. While it is exciting and helpful to have a star or two on a cross country team, cross country is still a team sport.
A Lock, Or 3 in the Box: If you think about it, you probably recognize that as runners are crossing the finish line in a cross country meet between two schools (not in an invitational), there is a point at which one team will clearly win if it has a number of its runners across the finish line before the other school’s runners have finished. The magic number is 3. In any dual (or double dual) meet, a team that takes the first three places (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) has a lock on winning the race because even if its 4th and 5th finishers are, at the very worst, 11thand 12th (remember, each team has seven runners who can score or displace) in the race, the opposing team cannot possibly score lower. Take a look:
| La Mirada | Cerritos |
| 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 5 |
| 3 | 6 |
| 11 | 7 |
| 12 | 8 |
| 29 | 30 |
La Mirada wins by 1 point!
Coach’s Note: As you can see this score was close. In the event a race ends in a tie, the winner is determined by the position of the #6 runner from both teams. The team with the highest 6th place runner is declared the winner.
What if Lower Division Races Have More Than One Team?
Up to this point we have given examples of the scoring of varsity races in which only the top seven runners on each team compete. In other words, a varsity dual meet has a maximum of 14 runners, a triangular meet has 21 runners. What happens at the lower levels—like girls junior varsity in which any number of runners can compete
Scoring is essentially the same as at the varsity level. Low score wins and the first five finishers are counted in the score while the 6th and 7th runners may displace. In fact, the only difference at the lower levels is that once the 7th runner from a given team crosses the finish line, no more runners from that team may displace runners from the opposing team(s) and thereby affect the score of the opposing team. Let’s try another example with Cerritos.
Let’s say that La Mirada girls’ junior varsity takes the first 10 places in the race. Cerritos takes 11, 12, and 13 and Bellflower 14 and 15. Cerritos also takes 16 and 17. (Remember, once five runners from each team have finished, the scoring is completed.) On first inspection, it would appear that Cerritos’ score is 69: the sum of 11, 12, 13, 16, 17. But once La Mirada’s 7th girl crosses the finish line, no more La Mirada finishers can displace Cerritos girls. In short, so long as Cerritos has a minimum of 5 girls, each of those girls is automatically awarded the next five places after the 7th La Mirada girl. This is called a sweep, in this case for La Mirada and, in terms of scoring, can occur at the varsity level as well as at lower levels. The actual scoring in this instance is shown in the example below:
| La Mirada | Cerritos |
| 1 | 8 |
| 2 | 9 |
| 3 | 10 |
| 4 | 11 |
| 5 | 12 |
| 15 | 50 |
La Mirada wins by the lowest cross country score possible and Cerritos loses by the highest cross country possible.
(For example, last years Girls Varsity. team placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,5th, at the second cluster meet. Their combined team score was an invincible 15 points! As you probably figured out, in Cross Country the lowest score wins.)
What About Invitationals? In an invitational and similar cross country competitions—e.g., CIF finals—a great many teams run against each other in a given race. Once again, however, it’s still low score that wins, and only the first five finishers for a given team count in the scoring. Furthermore, at the varsity level, each team may still enter only its top seven runners in a varsity race. Therefore, at the varsity level, scoring in an invitational is similar to scoring in a dual or triangular meet. Some invitationals run their races on a grade level format—seniors vs. seniors, juniors vs. juniors, etc.
Dual and Tri-Meets: La Mirada competes in the Suburban League of the CIF Southern Section Conference. Our dual or tri-meets will usually have 4 races (depending on how many athletes the other schools have) in the following order: Boys Frosh/Soph, combined Girls JV & Girls Varsity, Boys Varsity & JV. Meets begin at 3:15 p.m. and races are usually run 20 to 25 minutes apart.
Results: Race results take time to compile. Meet officials receive place cards and use them to calculate team scores and individual times. These results are made available as soon as possible after each race.
Awards: No awards are given at dual meets, only at invitationals. At invitational meets awards are usually given for individuals and team performance's. Individual awards may be given in a finish chute, after each race is completed, or at the end of the meet.
Who We Compete Against:
CIF Section: Southern
CIF Division: II
League: SuburbanSchools in the Suburban League:
Artesia
Bellflower
Cerritos
Glenn
La Mirada
Mayfair
Norwalk
IMPORTANT: At no time is a fan allowed to run along side of the athlete with the purpose of aiding or pacing them. Please be mindful of that and most definitely be aware and look out for other athletes who are in the race. One more reminder for you is to dress for the conditions; fans need to drink water as well as athletes, and to have proper shoes.
Post Race: After a runner comes through the finish chute they might have been given a place card or have a name-tag to turn in to the coach (es) or scoring personnel. The runner's responsibility is to report to the coach(es) and/or to cheer the rest of the teammates on their finish.
Immediately after the race, our athletes need time together. They need time to share their excitement, frustrations, pain, overall feeling and coach(es) evaluations and instructions about the race. This will build strong team togetherness.
Also, be aware that runners have certain responsibilities after they finish a race. The runners need to warm down as a team after the race as well as actively support teammates who are still running or have yet to race. Taking the athlete home immediately after the race may be convenient but is not the best scenario for the team. This practice does not take place in others sports and is not expected in cross country.
It is important to note: after a race, a runner will possibly be more physically spent than you would anticipate. Symptoms may include rubbery knees, general weakness, and the appearance of fainting, glassy eyes, nausea, and salivating. These symptoms usually pass quickly. Coaches, trained in first aid, are aware of these physical reactions and have the responsibility and ability to treat them.
June 27 -- First Day of Summer School
When we met the new runners, many of them had questions about diet and nutrition. Please read the following information for a captain's perspective:
Basic Food Types
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Foods to Emphasize in Your Diet
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Foods to Limit in Your Diet
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Ideal Pre-Competition Foods
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After Practice and Competition
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How to Compute the Percentage of Fat in Foods1 gram of fat = 9 caloriesExample:Kellogg's Low Fat Granola Cereal:
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Credit for this Information goes to Andy Nichols, Head of the Sports Medicine Department at the University of Hawaii.
