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Cross
Country
Strategy
and Meet Preparation
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Most
teams will use some form
of meet plan or strategy in running competition. Not only can
this be beneficial to the team effort, but it may add to the
individual runner's motivation to succeed because he will know
his expected objective for that race. Some coaches prefer to have
each individual to just do his best and not plan team strategy.
While no outstanding runner should ever be held back or hindered
by team strategy, usually a combination of individual and group
tactics will lead to the best TEAM EFFORT possible.
The first and Critically Most Important
Tenet is that it takes FIVE GOOD RUNNERS TO WIN. I have coached
many teams with great individual runners and several teams with
state individual champions, but EVERY STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM I
HAVE COACHED HAS HAD THE BEST 5th RUNNER IN THE RACE! I have
checked it out statistically over the last ten years at state. In
the past decade in kansas, out of 100 races in both boys and
girls, the team with the best fifth runner won the state
championship 94 times. The other six times the team won the meet
by having the second-best fifth runner, but had two runners in
the top seven finishers. I have looked at races in other states.
It is the same.
Therefore, everything we do as a team
is to get as many runners toward the front as possible and have
our fifth runner to be the best fifth runner in kansas. It is the
cornerstone to success!
Pack Running!
Pack running is a Cross Country racing
strategy where a team purposely runs together in a pack for as
long as possible in an attempt to finish with the lowest possible
score. Pack running relies on encouragement and pressure from
teammates to make the entire group run faster. (Anyone who has
ever run a relay understands the effect of having three other
runners depending on you to have a good race. Every runner also
knows that it is easier to run with someone than to run by
themselves.)
Pack runners must maintain contact with
each other by running within 10 meters or less of each other. The
confidence, encouragement, and comfort of running in a team pack
helps runners race faster. Competitiors also are discouraged when
they see their opponents grouped ahead, especially at the middle
and later stages of a race. This is true even if the gap is small
and everyone is running at approximately the same pace.
The impact of successful pack running
team scoring grows in proportion to the size of the race. A first
to fifth runner time gap of 60 seconds in a dual or small
invitational may only be several places. In a State Championship,
however, there can be one hundred runners within the same
60-second time span. The smaller the 1-5 gap is while staying in
the front pack the better the chances of placing first as a team.
In the early stages of a race, staying
together in a pack usually ensures that no member of the team
starts too fast or too slow. If a runner begins to fall off the
pace, a teammate's encouragement can help get him or her through
a crisis point in a race.
In reality, few teams have five or more
runners who can run together after the first third of the race.
If we have an outstanding runner, he or she quickly may be far
ahead, with the remainder of the squad grouped behind. Many teams
purposely divide into lead and pollowing packs at a designated
point. In fairness to individual runners, we will designate some
course landmark, or point in the race, where pack running ends
and the race for individual places begins. This is especially
important if we have two or more runners who have a chance to win
the race.
Rules of the Pack!
| 1. |
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No visitors are welcome? Run as closely as possible,
especially through the first mile of the race, and don't
be afraid to tell opposing runners to stay out of your
pack? |
| 2. |
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In a race, never consciously hold back or slow down
so a teammate can stay with you. |
| 3. |
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When leading, never allow teammates to drop back
without encouraging them to stay up! |
| 4. |
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When following, never pass teammates without
encouraging them to go with you! |
How to Build the Pack
The team's top runner opens the door to
victory; the next four to six runners slam the door shut on
opponents.
The team must understand that being
able to run together at the front of the race is crucial to the
team's success. It must be a goal of every training session from
warm-up to cool-down.
Typically, a team breaks into groups of
similar ability once the actual workout begins. We will designate
training groups in advance so every team member can practice
running in a pack with others of similar fitness and ability.
Staying together. . .with every runner within arm's reach of
another. . .should be a goal of every training roup. The
importance of running at arm's length cannot be overemphasized.
In a race, an opponent separating two of our runners can be a
physical barrier that breaks the invisible threads holding the
pack together, even though our runners may be just a few meters
apart.
Pack Racing Strategies
It is much more difficult to run in a
pack druing a race than in training. And the bigger the meet, the
greater the challenge. Having a team race plan is essential for
both small invitationals and championship meets.
The Start
The best laid pack-running strategies
can be thwarted at the very start of a race. Some teams disperse
as soon as the gun fires, with their runners scrambling for race
position in all directions. This is especially common in larger
meets.
We will begin with a plan that
positions our team at the start. In a small meet, where all
members of the team start abreast on the starting line, we will
place the top seven runners on the starting line as shown below:
In all cases, it is always #1's
responsiblity to lead the pack to the front of the race. the
objective is to reach the point where the course narrows in
roughtly this configuration:
In larger meets, much lass room is
available for maneuavering on the course. When teams start from
an assigned starting box, we may place the runners as follows,
assuming the first turn on the course is to the LEFT:
5 - Runner Front:
The objective is to reach the first
left turn in roughly this configuration:
4-Runner Front
3-Runner Front
If the first turn on the
course is to the right (such as at Manhattan or Hesston), reverse
the starting line positions and instruction keys. Whenever
possible, though, put as many runners on the front line with the
number one runner in the middle.
The First
Hill
After the start, the next
challenge to keeping the team together often will be the first
hill. we will train to keep the pack together on hills while
maintaining desired pace, proper mechanics, and proper
implementation of tactics.
The Team
Race Plan
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How are you going to place yourself on the
starting line? |
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Where do you want the pack to be when the
field reaches the first turn or when the course begins to
narrow? . |
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How long do we want the pack to stay intact
before breaking into lead pack and following groups? |
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At what point does the pack-running strategy
end and the race for individual places begin? |
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Me!!