that's a great one, my whole teams is "bleed for a friend, Die for a brother" cause we're all really close and hoping to make it to state this year, but we all need to hurt to get past regionals.
Thanks for the advice. Im racing cross country right now and enjoying every moment. My worst mistake in my last race was holding back in the start, I was in the top 5 for the first 400 and if I held on and waited for the pace to settle I could’ve stayed there, but ended up placing 13th while passing people through the whole race
Thanks for the tips. I am a sophmore in HS running 16:41 and right now I am ranked #1 in Kansas for 1a schools and I am hoping to take first this year at State and possibly my Junior and Senior year (my pr Freshman year was 18:48)
Something I wish was my coach understanding about the workouts and pacing each one of us since all they both do is say try 100% the entire time no matter what
i got a XC race soon and i have a good chance of going to states (which would be the first in a while for a female at my school) so I'm really grateful for your tips 😭😭
Hey how did you enter a college race unattached? I want to be able to get into some races next year as a college freshman before I am fast enough to get on a team
@@mottesen_runs thank you so much man you are a huge inspiration for me, as you were able to walk on to a top D-1 program. Also love the vids hope you make it to 10 grand after the recent 2:18 marathon
Hey Michael! I had a question about closing the last 1/4 mile of 5k cross country. I'm a sophomore in high school and my pr is 18:56 but my kick at the end is terrible. Do you have any tips to train for it and /or what to do at the end?
Controlling the first mile has made a difference for me, and lifting weights to give me an advantage when hitting hills so I’m not burned out. You have that last gear but your brain doesn’t think you can take any more pain. You can. I’m no expert on specific training so I don’t wanna over step there 😂. Good luck and enjoy your season!
Yeah I would say there are a few aspects that go into a good kick. 1st is the mental barrier of learning how to push yourself to your limit at the end of a tough race. 2nd is just being a strong runner that can handle racing and still be strong enough to hold form and dig deep at the end - this just comes through increasing mileage and sticking good hard workouts. 3rd is actually having speed. This will come through sprints (like strides after runs), good shoes (light weight and spikes preferably).
Hey Micheal! I recently started xc pretty late and joined as a junior, ive had experiences with long distance running like 5k fun runs but never took them serious since they were "fun runs" im half way through the season and I run a sub 15/ 2 mile and a sub 24/ 5k, i know im pretty slow for a junior and I wanted advice how can I at least break sub 18 or 17 5k? i know this process would take awhile to even achieve and I wanted to ask for your advice on this topic, and for interval/vo2 max what would be my recommended running pace for vO2/interval training? my race pace for 5k is around 4:39 to 4:50.
The main learning curve to get faster is upping mileage and being consistent with training (running year-round and running most every day). Start with that. At the point you’re at, improvement can be rapid,l and I don’t know if it’s helpful to be thinking about specific paces for threshold and VO2 max. If I were in your position, I would be almost completely effort based on workouts. Learn how to run tempos and intervals well. By the time you figure out your correct paces they will be faster anyway - so just learn how to push hard and finish workouts strong
I was in the same situation last year. I joined junior year (started off running 23's), finished the season at 20:08 on one of the fastest courses in the nation (so take that with a grain of salt.) This year as a senior, I'm running low 18s and am looking to break 18 at districts this Saturday. So, use me as an example. Your goal is certainly achievable. You got this!
@@jaredhess3376 i appreciate your support! i just finished districts today but sadly placed at low place where i couldn’t make state but finished with a 22:04. luckily i was able to touch 21:54 in my last race so i know I could potentially go lower next year as a senior. I wish you luck on your district meet and hit that pr!
I'm a junior with a 20:05 PR and I've been in XC for 2 seasons. I really want to get to around 18:00 to be in the top pack on my team. This video was really helpful. Do you have any other tips for me?
i always tell my teammate to stand at the last 100 straight/last 400 and cheer me on. I was at an 18:15 coming into that last 300m straight of my race and my friend cheered me on to finish strong and that gave me that last push to break 19 and run a 18:58. I rlly cant tell u much cuz I'm just a freshman and this is my first year of xc but ig I can try to help, but trust me it works.
I like doing long runs at a little bit slower than a minute off my race pace. For example I'm a junior that runs a 16:47 (5:25 pace) so I like my long runs to be around 6:40 pace.
I am a sophomore in high school, my freshman year I ran an 18:20. Ive been training all year doing winter and spring track also but I still havent broken 18, a year later. At this point I dont know what happened but the season isnt over yet and im hoping for a big breakthrough race. I was wondering if I should start running double days or not for more milage and when should I do it since i have school during the day (If I should in the first place)
I feel like if a runner has plateaued, that could be a sign that they're missing something in their training. Some things to check are if you're recovering properly, like good sleep, your eating and hydration, and proper stretching. Another factor could be you're not doing workouts correctly. This could mean you're running your intervals workouts too slow, or you're threshold workouts, long runs, or easy runs are too fast. That kind of stuff. If I were you I'd spend a bit of time to research and really learn all the mechanics of running, like what aerobic and lactate thresholds are and how to work them if you're not familiar with those. Because you're already a fast runner, holes in your training are going to be much more apparent. You might be only be one or two fixes away from seeing consistent improvement. You still have well over a month left in the season so I think you'll be able to figure it out. Side note: Consistency is key! 5-6 active days a week is where you want to be, with the other 1-2 days as easy days or rest days. You need rest to improve.
Dang, yeah I would suggest waiting until the off season to try adding doubles and upping mileage. It’s too far into the season now to be doing that. Then just remember to add mileage slowly when you do
@@TrafficGD thank you for the advice, I just ran a 5k today and got a 17:40 and top 10 in the sophomore race I was in. Feels good to finally have a good race, and first medal of the season
Hey Michael, I've been kind of working through an issue with my XC career recently. In Jr. High I was one of the best kids in the state (ran a sub 11 2 mile) and then hit a 17:34 5k as a freshman in high school. I kind of plateaued through my sophomore year (only dropped to a 17:11) but I feel like I'm making some big fitness gains (I'm a junior rn and ran a 16:47 today). I was wondering if there's a reason why I plateaued. I eat well, I sleep well, I recover well. Not quite sure if my coach understands things like VO2 max and threshold stuff though. And what's your opinion on mileage? I run 6 days a week and peaked at 55 mi, probably averaged high 47 mi weeks for the season.
Yeah the plateau question can be tough. Despite a slow progression, you are least having a steady progression - which is good. My guess is just that you need to stress the body a little more than you are. Lack of volume could be a reason for plateau (but don’t increase until after the season of course). I would say that in high school, the top high school athletes are I. The 60-70 range at their peak so that could be part of it. Not pushing hard enough in workouts and getting good recovery could be a reason for plateau. Mental barriers could be another reason - maybe just need to believe you are ready to run much faster. Overall it’s likely a combination of several things, and you just need to be diligent and trust that it’s working.
Do exactly that - practice. At BYU our coach would have occasional reps in workouts where we would do “fast starts” for the first 200-400 meters of the rep to practice getting off the line and settling into the pace later. Also doing strides after daily runs helps with foot speed.
Hey Micheal so my Championship season starts next Saturday and I am the 8th on my team. My pr is 19:25 and the 7th is a 18:30 is there anyway I can catch up and beat him this season to go to states. Also I have been running 3-7 seconds off my pr each race on hard courses.
With a race coming so soon, it’s too late for increasing fitness. The best way to improve on short notice is to nail the little things - sleep and diet leading up to the race, race execution, digging to your limits at the end. Just be extra intentional about everything you can control and who knows - maybe you’ll surprise yourself
Love the vid… I have a race on Saturday and couldn’t hit speed work pace I wanted yesterday…. Should I retry my speed work or just do a 5 mile Recovery run with strides??
would you say that for less important cross country races, for me I have races that aren’t for winning there for qualifying. Do you believe I should leave something in the tank for those type of races where all I needed to do is get an easy qualify for the next round? Or still take them as a hard race? Because I don’t want to build up unnecessary pressure for a race that I will 100% qualify for even with a bad race.
I tend to think it’s good to leave something in the tank for small meets in the early part of the season, but I would suggest racing hard for the late meets including those qualifying meets. I think they rank high in the importance list
Great advice. Our xc is coming up on postseason here in about 2 weeks so even all this tips can still help until then. Question i have is how important are spikes over cushioned shoes? Ans is shoe rotation recommended at the high school level?
For cross country, I don’t think the cushion is as important (depending on the race surface). But grass for example is already really soft, so I would always choose some kind of spike. weight and traction are very important when the surface is less stable in my opinion. And yes to shoe rotation in training. At a minimum I would recommend 4 pairs of shoes: 2 trainers to alternate, 1 workout flat / super shoe, and 1 pair of racing spikes
I would argue your point about staying in the place you want to finish is actually a poor race mindset because it can go against your actual fitness level. Take how you raced; a 4:42 for the first mile and then 5:04 for the last mile. If you chose a more manageable pace in the beginning (say, a 4:48-4:50 for your first mile) you could have started to catch runners who started too fast and died out. Very good race though, and I think all of your other tips were very good. I just think that sticking to a more manageable pace in the beginning and continuously getting faster is a smarter race plan for placing higher.
You make a fair point. I would agree there are definitely times that being more conservative in the beginning can be advantageous, but I wouldn’t say every time. Thanks for the feedback and input!
@@mottesen_runs I understand that, I just envision a race plan structured around lactate pace for the first mile or so and then start to open up is just how I visualize a 5k to go, but I haven't raced lower distance in a while so its hard to gauge how transferable it is.
My late-race power statement is always "I haven't come all this way to lose now". All the pain is in vain if you don't suffer all the way to the line.
that's a great one, my whole teams is "bleed for a friend, Die for a brother" cause we're all really close and hoping to make it to state this year, but we all need to hurt to get past regionals.
Same
Well said
Thanks for the advice. Im racing cross country right now and enjoying every moment. My worst mistake in my last race was holding back in the start, I was in the top 5 for the first 400 and if I held on and waited for the pace to settle I could’ve stayed there, but ended up placing 13th while passing people through the whole race
Thanks for the tips. I am a sophmore in HS running 16:41 and right now I am ranked #1 in Kansas for 1a schools and I am hoping to take first this year at State and possibly my Junior and Senior year (my pr Freshman year was 18:48)
Huge improvement, my dude. Im a freshman in HS and Im running a 17:47 right now
@@Zoomy_Cookie_Monster dang that's fast as a freshman compared to me
For what, 5k?
Something I wish was my coach understanding about the workouts and pacing each one of us since all they both do is say try 100% the entire time no matter what
nxr heartland on sunday yall im tryna lock in 😮💨
POV: you’re watching this 4 days before sectionals.
basically yeah, 10 days for me 😭😭
Bro just ran faster than my mile PR for each mile, im a freshman and running 18:30 in the 5k, hoping to break that by the end of the season👍
Hey you got it. I'm also a freshman xc runner and your race pace is literally also my mile pr (5:59) 😂
Aye man u got it I went from 20:30 at the start of the season to 17:22 by the end
i got a XC race soon and i have a good chance of going to states (which would be the first in a while for a female at my school) so I'm really grateful for your tips 😭😭
How did the Adidas Avanti TYO treat you?
Very well! Honestly my favorite shoe I’ve worn for cross country
Hey how did you enter a college race unattached? I want to be able to get into some races next year as a college freshman before I am fast enough to get on a team
For most smaller college meets, you can just enter unattached. Or else try contacting the host school about it?
@@mottesen_runs thank you so much man you are a huge inspiration for me, as you were able to walk on to a top D-1 program. Also love the vids hope you make it to 10 grand after the recent 2:18 marathon
State qualifying meet coming up. I got distance spikes for a track can I use those during a cross country meet
Hey Michael! I had a question about closing the last 1/4 mile of 5k cross country. I'm a sophomore in high school and my pr is 18:56 but my kick at the end is terrible. Do you have any tips to train for it and /or what to do at the end?
Controlling the first mile has made a difference for me, and lifting weights to give me an advantage when hitting hills so I’m not burned out. You have that last gear but your brain doesn’t think you can take any more pain. You can. I’m no expert on specific training so I don’t wanna over step there 😂. Good luck and enjoy your season!
Yeah I would say there are a few aspects that go into a good kick.
1st is the mental barrier of learning how to push yourself to your limit at the end of a tough race.
2nd is just being a strong runner that can handle racing and still be strong enough to hold form and dig deep at the end - this just comes through increasing mileage and sticking good hard workouts.
3rd is actually having speed. This will come through sprints (like strides after runs), good shoes (light weight and spikes preferably).
@@mottesen_runs alright thank you! I will incorporate those points into my racing And training 🙏🏻😎
Hey Micheal! I recently started xc pretty late and joined as a junior, ive had experiences with long distance running like 5k fun runs but never took them serious since they were "fun runs" im half way through the season and I run a sub 15/ 2 mile and a sub 24/ 5k, i know im pretty slow for a junior and I wanted advice how can I at least break sub 18 or 17 5k? i know this process would take awhile to even achieve and I wanted to ask for your advice on this topic, and for interval/vo2 max what would be my recommended running pace for vO2/interval training? my race pace for 5k is around 4:39 to 4:50.
The main learning curve to get faster is upping mileage and being consistent with training (running year-round and running most every day). Start with that. At the point you’re at, improvement can be rapid,l and I don’t know if it’s helpful to be thinking about specific paces for threshold and VO2 max. If I were in your position, I would be almost completely effort based on workouts. Learn how to run tempos and intervals well. By the time you figure out your correct paces they will be faster anyway - so just learn how to push hard and finish workouts strong
I was in the same situation last year. I joined junior year (started off running 23's), finished the season at 20:08 on one of the fastest courses in the nation (so take that with a grain of salt.) This year as a senior, I'm running low 18s and am looking to break 18 at districts this Saturday. So, use me as an example. Your goal is certainly achievable. You got this!
@@jaredhess3376 i appreciate your support! i just finished districts today but sadly placed at low place where i couldn’t make state but finished with a 22:04. luckily i was able to touch 21:54 in my last race so i know I could potentially go lower next year as a senior. I wish you luck on your district meet and hit that pr!
I'm a junior with a 20:05 PR and I've been in XC for 2 seasons. I really want to get to around 18:00 to be in the top pack on my team. This video was really helpful. Do you have any other tips for me?
i always tell my teammate to stand at the last 100 straight/last 400 and cheer me on. I was at an 18:15 coming into that last 300m straight of my race and my friend cheered me on to finish strong and that gave me that last push to break 19 and run a 18:58. I rlly cant tell u much cuz I'm just a freshman and this is my first year of xc but ig I can try to help, but trust me it works.
I like doing long runs at a little bit slower than a minute off my race pace. For example I'm a junior that runs a 16:47 (5:25 pace) so I like my long runs to be around 6:40 pace.
SAME!!
I am a sophomore in high school, my freshman year I ran an 18:20. Ive been training all year doing winter and spring track also but I still havent broken 18, a year later. At this point I dont know what happened but the season isnt over yet and im hoping for a big breakthrough race. I was wondering if I should start running double days or not for more milage and when should I do it since i have school during the day (If I should in the first place)
I feel like if a runner has plateaued, that could be a sign that they're missing something in their training. Some things to check are if you're recovering properly, like good sleep, your eating and hydration, and proper stretching. Another factor could be you're not doing workouts correctly. This could mean you're running your intervals workouts too slow, or you're threshold workouts, long runs, or easy runs are too fast. That kind of stuff. If I were you I'd spend a bit of time to research and really learn all the mechanics of running, like what aerobic and lactate thresholds are and how to work them if you're not familiar with those. Because you're already a fast runner, holes in your training are going to be much more apparent. You might be only be one or two fixes away from seeing consistent improvement. You still have well over a month left in the season so I think you'll be able to figure it out.
Side note: Consistency is key! 5-6 active days a week is where you want to be, with the other 1-2 days as easy days or rest days. You need rest to improve.
Dang, yeah I would suggest waiting until the off season to try adding doubles and upping mileage. It’s too far into the season now to be doing that. Then just remember to add mileage slowly when you do
@@TrafficGD thank you for the advice, I just ran a 5k today and got a 17:40 and top 10 in the sophomore race I was in. Feels good to finally have a good race, and first medal of the season
Hey Michael, I've been kind of working through an issue with my XC career recently. In Jr. High I was one of the best kids in the state (ran a sub 11 2 mile) and then hit a 17:34 5k as a freshman in high school. I kind of plateaued through my sophomore year (only dropped to a 17:11) but I feel like I'm making some big fitness gains (I'm a junior rn and ran a 16:47 today). I was wondering if there's a reason why I plateaued. I eat well, I sleep well, I recover well. Not quite sure if my coach understands things like VO2 max and threshold stuff though. And what's your opinion on mileage? I run 6 days a week and peaked at 55 mi, probably averaged high 47 mi weeks for the season.
Yeah the plateau question can be tough. Despite a slow progression, you are least having a steady progression - which is good. My guess is just that you need to stress the body a little more than you are. Lack of volume could be a reason for plateau (but don’t increase until after the season of course). I would say that in high school, the top high school athletes are I. The 60-70 range at their peak so that could be part of it. Not pushing hard enough in workouts and getting good recovery could be a reason for plateau. Mental barriers could be another reason - maybe just need to believe you are ready to run much faster.
Overall it’s likely a combination of several things, and you just need to be diligent and trust that it’s working.
How can you practice and get good at the surge at the start?
Do exactly that - practice. At BYU our coach would have occasional reps in workouts where we would do “fast starts” for the first 200-400 meters of the rep to practice getting off the line and settling into the pace later.
Also doing strides after daily runs helps with foot speed.
Hey Micheal so my Championship season starts next Saturday and I am the 8th on my team. My pr is 19:25 and the 7th is a 18:30 is there anyway I can catch up and beat him this season to go to states. Also I have been running 3-7 seconds off my pr each race on hard courses.
With a race coming so soon, it’s too late for increasing fitness. The best way to improve on short notice is to nail the little things - sleep and diet leading up to the race, race execution, digging to your limits at the end. Just be extra intentional about everything you can control and who knows - maybe you’ll surprise yourself
Thanks!!
Love the vid… I have a race on Saturday and couldn’t hit speed work pace I wanted yesterday…. Should I retry my speed work or just do a 5 mile Recovery run with strides??
If you already did the speed work, I wouldn’t recommend redoing it just cause you missed paces. Recover and prepare for the next one!
Wait we can race xc as an adult? My highschool glory days can be relived?!
Yeah! Lots of college XC meets let you just enter unattached
@@mottesen_runs how do you sign up? Is there a certain website you can use?
lol
awesome video sir
would you say that for less important cross country races, for me I have races that aren’t for winning there for qualifying. Do you believe I should leave something in the tank for those type of races where all I needed to do is get an easy qualify for the next round? Or still take them as a hard race? Because I don’t want to build up unnecessary pressure for a race that I will 100% qualify for even with a bad race.
I tend to think it’s good to leave something in the tank for small meets in the early part of the season, but I would suggest racing hard for the late meets including those qualifying meets. I think they rank high in the importance list
Great advice. Our xc is coming up on postseason here in about 2 weeks so even all this tips can still help until then. Question i have is how important are spikes over cushioned shoes? Ans is shoe rotation recommended at the high school level?
For cross country, I don’t think the cushion is as important (depending on the race surface). But grass for example is already really soft, so I would always choose some kind of spike. weight and traction are very important when the surface is less stable in my opinion.
And yes to shoe rotation in training. At a minimum I would recommend 4 pairs of shoes: 2 trainers to alternate, 1 workout flat / super shoe, and 1 pair of racing spikes
an NCAA champion.
I’ve got one: don’t die
I supposed that was is implied ;)
I would argue your point about staying in the place you want to finish is actually a poor race mindset because it can go against your actual fitness level. Take how you raced; a 4:42 for the first mile and then 5:04 for the last mile. If you chose a more manageable pace in the beginning (say, a 4:48-4:50 for your first mile) you could have started to catch runners who started too fast and died out. Very good race though, and I think all of your other tips were very good. I just think that sticking to a more manageable pace in the beginning and continuously getting faster is a smarter race plan for placing higher.
You make a fair point. I would agree there are definitely times that being more conservative in the beginning can be advantageous, but I wouldn’t say every time. Thanks for the feedback and input!
@@mottesen_runs I understand that, I just envision a race plan structured around lactate pace for the first mile or so and then start to open up is just how I visualize a 5k to go, but I haven't raced lower distance in a while so its hard to gauge how transferable it is.
You can use AI to remove copyrighted music.
Grammar mistake on the video cover :)
Run FASTER in XC
From an NCAA Champion (not, From A NCAA Champion)
From a “national collegiate athletics association” champion. Just depends on how you read it;)
@jeremyrivers6194 🤓