Successful youth cross country running depends on so much more than just strong practices or “good running genes.” The following are just as essential for consistent, optimal performance:
Sleep
Young runners need a minimum of 8-9 hours of sleep per night on both weekdays and weekends. This allows the body enough time to repair, restore, and rejuvenate itself for the next day. Proper sleep not only restores lost energy, but helps to prevent injury and illness. Parents should encourage runners to be in bed between 9pm and 10pm on school nights and the day before a race.
Nutrition
Distance running is a tough sport that requires much energy to compete at one’s potential, especially for teenage athletes who are still developing. High school runners of all levels need to consume the right type and amount of food to fuel their bodies to train and race for optimal performance. In the same way, they need to consume the right type and amount of foods to adequately restore the energy and nutrients depleted during training and competition. Improper nutrition is one of the most frequent causes of injury and fatigue.
The recommended daily calorie intake (based on 5 miles of running) for female runners ages 14-18 is approximately 2,700. For male runners ages 12-14 it is 3,000 calories. Male runners ages 15-18 should consume even more calories: 3,500/day.
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for high-intensity activity like speed workouts and races. They should make up a large part of the diet (sports nutritionists recommend 55-70 percent of total calories). The reason for this is that the body’s muscles store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, which depletes after each workout. Low glycogen leads to fatigue. Complex carbohydrates are best which include starchy foods (i.e. potatoes) and grain products (whole grains if possible) like bread, bagels, brown rice, oatmeal, boxed cereal, pancakes, and pasta. Many vegetables and legumes are also good sources of complex carbohydrates (i.e. corn, broccoli, carrots, and black beans).
Fat and protein should make up less of a runner’s diet than carbohydrates, but they are still very essential. Sports nutritionists recommend runners getting 15 to 25% of their calories from fat and 10-20% from protein. While protein is needed to repair muscles that break down after fast running and strength training, fats are important for long, slower runs. During long runs, the body uses a good deal of fat for energy. When the muscles burn fat, the body’s limited stores of carbohydrates are spared, thus delaying fatigue. Lean meats like chicken, turkey, fish as well as low-fat dairy products, tofu, and nuts, or rice/beans (for vegetarians) are good sources of fat and protein.
If possible, runners should try eating a snack or full meal within an hour of a workout and/or race (according to exercise physiologists doing so increases recovery by up to 25 percent). Whether a snack or a full meal, it should be low-fat and packed with carbohydrates as well as protein. Good suggestions for a snack include a peanut butter bagel; a banana and almonds; a granola bar; or chocolate milk.
With the exception of fruit (which are important sources of essential vitamins and minerals), athletes should limit simple carbohydrates like highly-processed sugary foods (i.e. candy, cookies, syrup, jellies, table sugar, and soft drinks).
**For more information on the importance of nutrition see http://www.xcnutrition.com
Hydration
Especially during the summer months, runners should drink between 8-10 glasses of water a day to maintain hydration. The best way to hydrate during the day is with water. Drink a glass of water when you wake-up in the morning and continue to drink water throughout the day. A good rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water every 2-3 hours.
Sports drinks like Gatorade are better choices after practice or a race. Unlike water, sports drinks generally contain electrolytes (i.e. sodium and potassium) that are lost in sweat and need to be replenished within an hour or two afterwards. Because they dehydrate the body, coffee, soda, sweet tea, Red Bull, and other caffeine products should be limited if not avoided altogether during training season.
Rest
Runners need to take off at least one day per week to prevent injuries. This non-running day can be an active rest (low-impact activities like walking or riding a bike for 30 minutes-1 hour).
Proper Footwear
Runners should wear the proper footwear based on their mileage and foot-type (flat, high arch, neutral) in order to prevent common injuries like stress fractures and “runner’s knee.”
Fleet Feet is one good place to visit to find out the type of shoes that have the best cushioning and support for you. They are currently offering all local high school runners a 15% discount on training shoes and 20% off for cross country spikes/racing shoes.
Running Watch
All runners should own a digital running watch! Running watches not only help young runners track their time and progress, but they can help them to learn how to gauge pace and distance, which is an important skill for distance-running. While they are more expensive, many running watches today have a built-in GPS that tracks distance covered, pace per mile, calories burned, etc. GPS watches are not permitted at meets, however.
Running Log
To track running improvement and to keep themselves both motivated and accountable, runners benefit greatly from keeping a weekly running log. You can either purchase one at a local running store or use a free internet-based log such as the one Runner’s World Magazine provides: http://www.runnersworld.com/log or running2win.com
Sleep
Young runners need a minimum of 8-9 hours of sleep per night on both weekdays and weekends. This allows the body enough time to repair, restore, and rejuvenate itself for the next day. Proper sleep not only restores lost energy, but helps to prevent injury and illness. Parents should encourage runners to be in bed between 9pm and 10pm on school nights and the day before a race.
Nutrition
Distance running is a tough sport that requires much energy to compete at one’s potential, especially for teenage athletes who are still developing. High school runners of all levels need to consume the right type and amount of food to fuel their bodies to train and race for optimal performance. In the same way, they need to consume the right type and amount of foods to adequately restore the energy and nutrients depleted during training and competition. Improper nutrition is one of the most frequent causes of injury and fatigue.
The recommended daily calorie intake (based on 5 miles of running) for female runners ages 14-18 is approximately 2,700. For male runners ages 12-14 it is 3,000 calories. Male runners ages 15-18 should consume even more calories: 3,500/day.
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for high-intensity activity like speed workouts and races. They should make up a large part of the diet (sports nutritionists recommend 55-70 percent of total calories). The reason for this is that the body’s muscles store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, which depletes after each workout. Low glycogen leads to fatigue. Complex carbohydrates are best which include starchy foods (i.e. potatoes) and grain products (whole grains if possible) like bread, bagels, brown rice, oatmeal, boxed cereal, pancakes, and pasta. Many vegetables and legumes are also good sources of complex carbohydrates (i.e. corn, broccoli, carrots, and black beans).
Fat and protein should make up less of a runner’s diet than carbohydrates, but they are still very essential. Sports nutritionists recommend runners getting 15 to 25% of their calories from fat and 10-20% from protein. While protein is needed to repair muscles that break down after fast running and strength training, fats are important for long, slower runs. During long runs, the body uses a good deal of fat for energy. When the muscles burn fat, the body’s limited stores of carbohydrates are spared, thus delaying fatigue. Lean meats like chicken, turkey, fish as well as low-fat dairy products, tofu, and nuts, or rice/beans (for vegetarians) are good sources of fat and protein.
If possible, runners should try eating a snack or full meal within an hour of a workout and/or race (according to exercise physiologists doing so increases recovery by up to 25 percent). Whether a snack or a full meal, it should be low-fat and packed with carbohydrates as well as protein. Good suggestions for a snack include a peanut butter bagel; a banana and almonds; a granola bar; or chocolate milk.
With the exception of fruit (which are important sources of essential vitamins and minerals), athletes should limit simple carbohydrates like highly-processed sugary foods (i.e. candy, cookies, syrup, jellies, table sugar, and soft drinks).
**For more information on the importance of nutrition see http://www.xcnutrition.com
Hydration
Especially during the summer months, runners should drink between 8-10 glasses of water a day to maintain hydration. The best way to hydrate during the day is with water. Drink a glass of water when you wake-up in the morning and continue to drink water throughout the day. A good rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water every 2-3 hours.
Sports drinks like Gatorade are better choices after practice or a race. Unlike water, sports drinks generally contain electrolytes (i.e. sodium and potassium) that are lost in sweat and need to be replenished within an hour or two afterwards. Because they dehydrate the body, coffee, soda, sweet tea, Red Bull, and other caffeine products should be limited if not avoided altogether during training season.
Rest
Runners need to take off at least one day per week to prevent injuries. This non-running day can be an active rest (low-impact activities like walking or riding a bike for 30 minutes-1 hour).
Proper Footwear
Runners should wear the proper footwear based on their mileage and foot-type (flat, high arch, neutral) in order to prevent common injuries like stress fractures and “runner’s knee.”
Fleet Feet is one good place to visit to find out the type of shoes that have the best cushioning and support for you. They are currently offering all local high school runners a 15% discount on training shoes and 20% off for cross country spikes/racing shoes.
Running Watch
All runners should own a digital running watch! Running watches not only help young runners track their time and progress, but they can help them to learn how to gauge pace and distance, which is an important skill for distance-running. While they are more expensive, many running watches today have a built-in GPS that tracks distance covered, pace per mile, calories burned, etc. GPS watches are not permitted at meets, however.
Running Log
To track running improvement and to keep themselves both motivated and accountable, runners benefit greatly from keeping a weekly running log. You can either purchase one at a local running store or use a free internet-based log such as the one Runner’s World Magazine provides: http://www.runnersworld.com/log or running2win.com