Cross Country

2010-2011 Michigan Lutheran Seminary Cross Country

Cross country is a varsity sport open to anyone in 9^th through 12^th grades . The race is 3k which is 3.1 miles. Running is scary if you have not trained for distance races before. It is a skill that anyone who wants to can learn. The skills of a distance runner are being able to propel the body forward, have confidence, willpower, and a team spirit. We are not born with all these skills. They come with practice. Ask any cross country runner and they will tell you that they did not think they could run that far at the beginning but all of a sudden…they become distance runners.

It does take practice and a team to help you through those practices.

The Michigan Lutheran Seminary Cross Country Team would like to invite you to consider this fun, tough, fulfilling, confidences building, God glorifying sport. The rest of this letter is a suggested summer workout program and exercise definitions. Cross Country Camp is the week before school starts and is not mandatory. Camp information is at the end of this letter.

If you have any concerns or questions or are interested in running please email or call me.

Thanks ,

Prof. Kathy Kock

MLS Cross Country coach (kfk@mlsem.org 989-245-8497)

Summer Information

Exercise definitions + Summer workout calendars + Camp information

MLS Cross Country Philosophy Running for:

God – in all we do, we praise our God. Practices, meets, bus rides, dealing with team mates (the list is endless) all are done as an act of praise and thanks. We are witnesses for Christ.

Team- we do not compete for ourselves but for our team – MLS.

Life – the skills you learn here will be with you for the rest of your life. Learning to work hard and for others and learning how to accomplish goals are skills that are worth practicing.

• Exercise definitions

• • • Warm ups – run at an easy pace until you are loose and somewhat sweaty – the amount of warming up depends on what the workout is. 10 minutes for warming up and then cooling down.

• • • Easy Runs – run for various amounts of time, if you can hold a conversation while you are running- then you are running at an easy pace. If you can hear yourself or someone else gasping for breathes – you are running too hard. If you cannot hear your breathing at all you are running too slowly.

• • • Fartlek – Swedish for speed play – started in Sweden in the 1930’s by the Swedish national coach (a little history for you). You will be running for a set amount of time but varying the speed and length of the increased speed. So – you will be running along and then speed up to a 40M sprint then decide to slow to race pace for 1,000 M then an easy run pace for 1,000M then run a pickup for 2 minutes then speeding up for a sprint for 100M etc.

• Always warm up and cool down

• • • Long run – a run that will increase every week – the pace will be the same as your easy run

• • • Timed Run – a run for a specific distance that will help to keep track of your progress. The distance will be 2-3 miles. Warm up and cool down- 10 min. each

• • • Threshold – there is much science involved in the rationale behind this type of workout, the short of it is – when you work out anerobically (with little oxygen) glucose is used for energy without the use of oxygen. This all happens faster than aerobic metabolism – which is good because you need a lot of energy to keep up with your effort – but – this process produces waste that bugs your muscles and results in fatigue. The aerobic system can use this waste but at a certain threshold the waste is produced faster than it can be used – then you feel the burn in your muscles and are pooped. By working at a slightly higher than threshold level your body becomes more efficient in the way it uses resources.

• The workouts will be more controlled once the season begins – for now, listen to your body and let that be your guide.

• Warm up and cool down! 5-10 min. before and after

• Work out specifics

  • • Threshold 1 –

    • A 10 min. at Threshold – 5 min. break – 10 min. at Threshold

    • B 8 min. at Threshold – 5 min. break – 8 min. at Threshold

    • C 5 min. at Threshold – 5 min. break – 5 min. at Threshold

• • • Threshold 2 –

    • A 20 min. at Threshold

    • B 15 min. at Threshold

    • C 10 min. at Threshold

    • Strides – 80 meter runs – slowly pick up the pace until the 40M mark, the middle 10 steps are a relaxed fast pace – then start slowing down. In the beginning of the summer start with 4 strides and work yourself to 8 strides. This work out helps to increase foot speed without killing your body!

• • • Core – strengthening the stabilizer muscles – the muscles from ribcage to the hips – these are the muscles that keep everything in line - happy stabilizer muscles mean a happy body and helps prevent injuries! Beginning of the summer start with each exercise at 30 sec. And work up to 45 sec. By the end of the summer

    • Crunch – lay on the ground – knees bent – chin up – crunch up – shoulders off the ground – once the shoulders leave the ground they stay off the ground

    • Cross crunch – one leg on the other knee – crunch shoulder to opposite leg that is up – shoulders leave the ground

    • Superman – lay on your stomach – bring opposite arm and leg off the ground – give a glute squeeze – lower the arm

    • and leg – repeat with the opposite arm and leg

    • Plank – push up position and hold – this can be done in full push up position or on your elbows – do not lock your elbows – keep your body in line – no sloping

    • Lunge – stand with feet together, step forward and lower your knee to the ground, the thigh of the foot that went forward should be parallel to the ground – switch legs

    • Squat – feet a bit wider than shoulder width, sit on an imaginary low stool

    • Push up – watch your back – keep it in line with your hips and shoulders – no sloping

    • Backward push ups – use a chair or on the ground – the more straight you can keep your legs the harder this is

• The internet is a great source of exercises – use the “core”

• • Stretching – necessary for muscle health and injury prevention – finish every workout with good stretches and you will run happy for many years

    • Wall stretch – push up position at a wall – about 3 feet away from the wall – keep one leg straight and bend the other – lean the hips into the wall slightly – switch legs

    • Bent leg – use something for balance if needed – put all your weight on one le – bend at the knee – switch legs

    • Cross legged Toe touch – cross your legs and keep them straight – touch your toes – twist right if your right foot is in front – switch legs

• • Hurdler stretch Down dog

• • Tea Time Ball roll

• • Camp fire World’s Greatest Stretch

• •  

    Lunge stretch Plank calf stretch

     

• Plyometrics – any exercise that use the stretch-shortening cycle to produce an explosive movement. Muscles work together to lengthen and shorten. When the muscles are shortened and lengthened against each other and worked to react quickly in the shortening and lengthening phases – they will become quicker. The word “plyometric” comes from two Greek words meaning “greater, longer, and wider” and “to measure, to appraise, to compare”. This term is used to describe the greater tension that could be developed in muscles when a quick stretching phase is followed by a fast contraction eccentric phase which is the muscle lengthening under tension is followed by a concentric phase in which the muscle is shortened. concentric contraction. OK –

• So jumping exercises are basically what is involved. This is hard to monitor on your own because each jump should be .2 of a second in length – that is fast!

• Jumprope – jump for time, jump for reps – 100 jumps in 60 sec. is ok – 150 jumps in 60 sec. is good

• Vary jumping , backward, hopscotch, goose step, one foot, high knee

• Bounding – Superman – leap tall buildings in a single bound

• Skip – for height and distance

• Hops – single and double leg hops – no more than 25 M – start with 10 M

• Low box hops – Hop over a hurdle – one leg, double leg, forward, lateral

•  

  • • Summer Work out Calendar

Schedule A is for experienced runners who can run 20-30 minutes without difficulty.

Schedule B is for those who have run before but would struggle with 30 minutes right about now.

Schedule C is for runners new to the sport.

In all cases be mindful of the weather temperature. Be careful where and when you run. Be tough with yourself but realistic. Keep track of your progress and try to add mileage each week. Be mindful of your eating habits. Water beats everything. Juice and sports drinks are fine. Whole foods rock! Vegetables and fruits are wonderful. Eat well and be happy.

Work out notes

Run 3-5 times a week. If you take any time off make it in the beginning of the summer not the end.

Core everyday, plyometrics – start 2 times a week – up to 3 times a week at the end of summer – keep the distances for plyometrics no more than 25 meters – jumprope all you want

Stretch after every workout

Keep track of your workouts on the calendar – do this for your own benefit

Cross Country Camp

August 16-20 (Mon-Fri) with check in on Sunday Aug. 15^th. CC Camp is not mandatory – but a fun team building time. We will both work on our running fitness but also get to have fun with teammates.

Sunday 15^th – check in 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Supper will be served from 5:30-6:00 pm in the sunken garden.  A free will offering will be collected to defray the cost of this meal.

first team meeting 7:30 pm in the chapel.

first warm up run 8:00 pm

bedtime is 10:30 pm

Monday – Friday

1. breakfast

2. lift and stretches

3. run

4. rest

5. lunch

6. run

7. rest

8. supper

9. agility and stretch

10. free time and chapel

11. bed

We will be adding miles every day. We will run in town and travel to area parks and run some trails. Bring a swim suit because we will also go to a beach at least once.

If you have any questions or concerns before that mailing please get in touch with me ( kfk@mlsem.org )

You need to have your physical and medical records on file at MLS before you may participate in camp, or practices.

Bring inhalers and allergy meds along.

To register for Cross Country Camp simply email me and let me know you are coming. If you have any questions – email or call me. I am looking forward to a fun fall! kfk@mlsem.org or 989-245-8497 .