Understanding cross country, and how to best support a young runner.
So, your high schooler just signed up for cross country, and now you’re wondering what that even means? Or maybe you know what cross country is and you’re questioning why anyone would ever choose to participate in this sport? Well, you’ve landed in the right place. In this guide, I’m going to share everything a parent needs to know to be supportive of their athlete, alongside why I think this sport is transformative for a high schooler’s growth and character development. (Note, for brevity’s sake I’ve used “high schooler”, but this could easily be replaced with “middle schooler”.)
How to Best Care for Your Young Runner
Top 4 things to know about your young cross country runner:
1. They are going to be HUNGRY!
They are going to be HUNGRY. Parents, be ready to increase your grocery budget, because a cross country runner needs to be fed a lot! Especially a high school runner, as they are exercising more than they have in the past, and at the same time their bodies are growing and continuing to develop.
- Eating enough to fuel the work they are doing is more important than what they are eating.That said, well balanced meals are best with plenty of protein, fats, and lots of carbs.
- Snacks! Things like granola bars, protein bars, bananas, peanut butter crackers, apples, etc, are easy for your athlete to take with them to school. Let them snack throughout the day in addition to eating their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A well-fueled athlete is a healthy and happy athlete.
- Timing is important here too. A big meal immediately before a workout or race is not ideal, but having a meal 2-3 hours before is a great idea. Then, a lighter, carbohydrate-based snack closer to their workout or race helps to keep their energy up. After a run, it is important to have a high protein snack within 30 minutes (if possible) to kickstart the recovery process.
2. They are going to be SWEATY.
Even though cross country is a fall sport, expect the cross country season to still be a hot season! Especially if your athlete is running through the summer.
- Laundry! Parents, prepare to have the washer and dryer running more often this fall! If they don’t already, be sure to teach those teens to take care of their own laundry (you’ll thank me for this later).
- Hydrating with electrolytes to replenish sweat losses. I require my high school athlete to bring a 30oz water bottle with them to school and practice. They should be filling that bottle multiple times a day as they stay hydrated. In addition to water, purchase some electrolyte drink mixes or tablets to help them replenish what they’ve lost at practice. You can find some helpful suggestions in “Electrolytes for Runners“.
3. They are going to be TIRED.
Sleep is the number one recovery tool any runner needs to master–easier said than done in high school! Encourage them to be diligent about completing their homework with enough time to wind down and relax before bed. Underscore the importance of sleep–ideally 8-10 hours per night–for performance and injury free running.
4. They are going to be SORE, especially at first!
Being able to distinguish soreness from injury is an important skill to develop. Here is a general rule of thumb that I share with my team: if the feeling is bilateral (both sides of the body) it is likely soreness, but if it is unilateral (one side of the body) it could be an indicator of something worse.
Notes on running shoes for your young runner:
- Proper, quality footwear for daily training can reduce the likelihood of young runners developing injuries. I would suggest going to a local run specialty store and getting fitted for a shoe. If there is not a store near you, purchasing shoes from runningwarehouse.com is a great option. Be sure to look for a road running daily trainer (yep, even if they’re running on grass), and replace every 300-400 miles, or approximately every 3 months. When one of my athletes complains of lower leg or foot pain, the first question I ask them is how old are your shoes: old shoes are often a major contributing factor.
- Specific racing shoes are not a requirement but they can be fun! Depending on the courses that your runner will compete on, purchasing cross country spikes or flats might be appropriate: ask their coach for recommendations. Racing shoes should be used only for racing or a few key workouts; a supportive daily trainer is still a must-have.
Back to the Basics: Cross Country 101
Now that we’ve gotten the critical information out there, let’s dive into the sport of cross country more deeply. Afterall, understanding your child’s sport is crucial to being able to connect with and support them best.
What is Cross Country?
Cross country is an endurance running sport where teams compete on courses that have varied terrain: grass, dirt, asphalt, gravel, uphill, downhill, and more. For high school cross country, courses are typically 5 kilometers or 3 miles long, while in middle school, athletes run shorter distances, such as 1 mile or 2 kilometers.
Scoring Cross Country as a Team Sport
Compared to other forms of distance running, cross country is the closest to a team sport. Generally, a scoring cross country team consists of the team’s first 7 finishers in a given race. The overall finishing places of the top 5 athletes on a team are added up to total the team’s score. The team with the lowest score wins. Athletes finishing 6th and 7th for their team can be thought of as the defense. They add to another team’s score by finishing in front of a runner in their top 5 and are scored in the case of a tie. Athletes who finish 8th and up for their team do not factor in the scoring for that race, even if they finish in front of another team’s 5th runner, and their place will be skipped in the scoring.
Cross Country Conversations with Your Athlete
Every cross country course is different, so when having a conversation with your runner about their race it’s best to ask them open-ended questions like, “how did you feel?”, and “what were you thinking about in the last mile?”. Far too often, athletes get asked, “what was your time?” and that information isn’t really relevant to their performance in a cross country race. And don’t worry, if they ran a personal best time they will let you know without being asked!
Benefits of Cross Country for Young Runners
- Inclusivity
I have seen it time and again, students who don’t feel they “fit in” in other sports find their way to cross country and have a transformative experience. Cross country is inherently inclusive as, unlike the majority of other sports, it is often a “no-cuts” sport. All are welcome to join regardless of ability, and all have the opportunity to work hard and improve their running.
- Resilience
- It takes discipline to show up to practice each day with a positive attitude and continue to do a difficult thing.
- Athletes develop an ability to recover from difficult practices and still choose to come back the next day.
- They are resilient in unity and togetherness, challenging one another to accomplish more as a team than they could alone. The team bonding that happens naturally amazes me every year. Cross country runners make friends for life.
- Integrity
Oftentimes, the coach isn’t able to follow each athlete on every run. That is where integrity comes in: choosing to complete the prescribed run without cutting corners, the core routine, strides, stretching, etc. Former cross country runners are some of the most trustworthy people I know: they follow through on their commitments, and hold themselves to a high standard.
- Socializing
Cross country is a very social sport. Easy running makes up the majority of a cross country runner’s training, often described by coaches as a “conversational” pace. Put simply, we are encouraging your kids to talk with each other! They have 30-90 minutes of uninterrupted time with their friends, and without their phones in their hands, to talk to each other, ask questions, and tell each other stories. There’s a reason run clubs have become so popular among adults; the cross country team at your local high school already figured that out years ago!
Benefits of Cross Country for Parents
- It’s cheap, far cheaper than other sports!
The only equipment needed are high quality running shoes, a watch to time workouts, and a water bottle. Sure, there are other “nice to have” items like specialty running shorts, hats, socks, and those cool looking multi-colored sunglasses. But the basic necessities to participate in cross country are few.
- Shared experiences with your child
Your child participating in cross country gives you a great opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, learn about a new sport, and quite frankly get some exercise chasing them around a course to cheer them on. I invite you to buy in. Just as you would like your athlete to be all in on their training and connecting with their teammates, choose to be all in as a parent. Host a team dinner, provide some post-meet snacks, cheer the team on at their meets. The athletes and the coaches will truly appreciate it!
For those without a school cross country team, or young runners looking for alternate training and racing opportunities, check out this list for cross country clubs across the US.
Evan Covell is a coach with Team RunRun based in Santa Barbara, California. He helps runners set and achieve their goals through personalized, science-based training and injury prevention.