Pitt Club Cross Country 

We are splitting our training for cross country season into 5 phases.  The ultimate goal of this training plan is to have every member run her or his best race on November 15th at NIRCA Nationals in East Lansing, MI.  That being said, no training plan is suitable for every runner -- use good judgement when training, and listen to your body.  Here's how our training will look over the next 24 weeks:

 

• Rest and Recovery Phase (3 weeks): May 3rd - May 31st

  • For the entire month of May, the goal is to rest and recover from marathons earlier in the month and any general fatigue from the spring or fall seasons. By the end of May, the goal is to be able to run 50% of the total maximum weekly mileage you decide for the middle of the summer.

• Base Phase (10 weeks): June 1st - August 9th

  • Focus on building to maximum volume.  Workouts should be no more than 85% of current level of fitness

• Pre-Competition Phase (6 weeks): August 10th - September 20th

  • Workouts will concentrate on race-pace, while maintaining volume

• Competition Phase (6 weeks): September 21st - November 1st

  • Workouts will focus on pacing up to 120% of race-pace

  • This will encompass every meet except NIRCA Nats.

• Peak Phase (2 weeks): November 2nd - November 14th

  • Decrease volume, and focus on top end speed.

• NIRCA National Championship Meet: November 14th @ Lexington, KY

 

There are no requirements to be a part of this club, so following this training plan is by no means a must.  It is simply here to provide guidelines for those who wish to be competitive and improve their racing ability.  The greater concern of the club is that everybody has fun! So even if you don't want to train seriously, or if you are new to running, we are more than happy to have you join us on our daily runs and other club activities.