Cross Country – District & State Preparation
Your IATC hopes you find the following suggestions and helpful ideas benefitial to your Cross Country program. We have asked a number of outstanding coaches to share their thoughts of how and what they are and/or have been doing to produce the great teams and individuals during their coaching career. Each coach has seen his/her teams produce numerous conference, district and state high finishes and titles over the years.

Jim Boughton – Dubuque Senior (Past Away 2010)
We want to emphasize effortless rhythm, minimize exhausting efforts. Cut down on the workload a little bit, but keep the same basic pattern. Don’t cut down too much!

  • Thursday: Conference Meet
  • Friday: easy 4 mile recovery run
  • Saturday: good warm-up, 2 sets of 5 x 1 minute runs with 30 seconds rest. First set at anaerobic threshold, second set at race pace or a little faster
  • Sunday: No running – Rest

District Meet Week
Monday: 4 mile steady and comfortable but with good rhythm, 4 x 200 race pace, 5 minute cool-down.

  • Tuesday: 4 mile easy run
  • Wednesday: Go through personal warm-up routine
  • Thursday: DISTRICT MEET
  • Friday: easy 6 mile run with some pace changes in the last half.
  • Saturday: easy 4 miles or rest and run Sunday
  • Sunday: rest or easy 4 miles if rested on Saturday

State Meet Week

  • Monday: 4 miles steady & relaxed, 6 x 100 stride with good form
  • Tuesday: good warm-up, 1 x 1000 anaerobic threshold, 1 mile of (200 threshold/200 race pace), end with 1 x 1000 race pace. finish with easy 20 minute run
  • Wednesday: 4 mile easy, 4 x 100 stride
  • Thursday: easy 20 to 30 minute run (some athletes don’t like to taper as much)
  • Friday: Go through warm-up routine
  • Saturday: STATE MEET

Scott Conway – South Winneshiek
I prepare no differently for districts than any other meet. My goal is to run at State. If we can’t run through districts, then we will not run well at state. I don’t believe in peaking. There is no such thing in my mind. For the state meet, we take two moderate days in a row in the middle of the week. It puts a little more spring in their steps and their minds.

Kevin Kearney – South Winneshiek
These are workouts that my boy’s teams have done over the past two or three seasons.
Our girls do virtually the same thing, although pace and total mileage are adjusted to some degree.

District Meet Week

[if you need a great performance to qualify – If I had an exceptional team and was very confident of qualifying I would go harder.]
  • Monday: Warmup. 6×400 @ 85-90. Cool down
  • Tuesday: Easy run. Stretch
  • Wednesday:1 mile easy. 3 x 100 acceleration. 1 mile easy
  • Thursday: Districts
  • Friday: 5 to 6 miles easy
  • Saturday: Off
  • Sunday:Off

State Meet Week

  • Monday: Threshold Intervals on track. 400-800-1200-800-400
  • Tuesday: 4 to 5 mile run with 1-1½ miles in the middle up-tempo
  • Wednesday: Warm up. 2×400 @75, 2×200 @35, 2×100 @15
  • Thursday: Easy run
  • Friday: Easy run. light strides
  • Saturday: STATE MEET
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