Cross Country 101

Is this the first season you are involved in cross country (XC)? Are you still trying to figure out the sport? Below are some commonly asked questions about a cross country meet along with answers.

What do I need to train for and compete in XC?

• Proper running shoes:  Lots of shoes look like running shoes, but they’re not really shoes meant for high mileage training. We suggest that you go get properly fitted at either Fleet Feet (Carrboro and Durham) or Bull City Running (Durham). A good pair of running shoes will last between 300 and 500 miles, depending on the shoe and the runner. That should last most of our Seaforth athletes through the summer and a month or so into the fall season. Proper running shoes are very light and well cushioned by a high-tech foam. Shoes like this will help minimize the soreness and potential injuries that sometimes happen when athletes are beginning to run:  shin splints, knee pain, hip pain, sometimes Achilles tendon soreness and inflammation, plantar fasciitis. Do yourself a favor and start off on a good foot (ha!) this season by getting some good shoes.

• A water bottle:  You’ll be required to bring a water bottle to every optional workout and official practice, filled with water, so think about getting one that’s sturdy and keeps your water cold. Summer and fall training in North Carolina can be really hot and humid, and constant hydration is absolutely necessary to prevent both heat injury and degraded performance. You should get in the habit of drinking 60+ ounces of water even on days when you’re not running, and more on days that you are running. Hydration is something you need to be constantly doing, as it takes some time for your body to fully incorporate that fluid; if you wait until and hour before you run to start thinking about drinking water, you’re too late. Put your name on your water bottle, and don’t share it with others!

• Running shorts:  These are light, moisture-wicking, and loose enough to keep you from chafing. You will not enjoy wearing your basketball shorts while doing high-school level training; we will be racing in shorts with 5-inch inseams, which is pretty standard in competitive running, so you might as well get used to that look. Getting a few pairs is a good idea. Some runners like to wear compression shorts, and those work well, also.

• Shirts:  The kind of shirt you wear is much less important than the shorts you wear, but most runners have preferences.  Remember that cotton holds moisture and will get heavy pretty quickly on a run in the summer; moisture wicking shirts, which are more expensive, do a good job of drawing sweat off your skin and staying dry. Some runners prefer singlets (like tank tops), and these work well also.

• Socks:  We recommend investing in 3 or 4 pairs of good running socks. The best brands, including Balega and Feetures, are made of moisture wicking material and are constructed to conform to your foot without any seams to rub against your foot when you run. They come in a variety of thicknesses and cushion, and that’s a matter of your personal preference. Getting blisters is absolutely no fun, and will affect your running. These may be the most expensive socks you’ve ever bought, but they’re worth the investment. (Both of our local running stores often run big discounts on socks fairly often.)

• Proper nutrition:

• •  Cross country runners have to eat a lot. I’ll say that again:  cross country runners have to eat a lot. The average boy on our team will need to consume at least 2,500 calories a day, while training, just to equal his calorie expenditure and to make sure that his body has enough of the right macronutrients to recover, repair, and build. The average girl on our team will need to consume at least 2100 calories for the same reasons. (For reference: 2100 to 2500 calories is equivalent to roughly four or five burgers with all the condiments; nine or ten chicken breasts; thirteen to fifteen pounds of broccoli; three to four pounds of rice and beans; or five or six Dunkin Donuts.)  This will seem like a lot at first, but once you get used to making good choices and getting sufficient fuel, you’ll start to notice how strong and fast you’re getting.
  • Make sure that you’re also getting a proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. And make sure that you include a lot of iron-rich foods. Examples:  meats, especially red meats and seafood; green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale; lentils and beans. Unfortunately, it’s harder to get sufficient dietary iron (especially heme iron, the most effective dietary iron for encouraging oxygen transport) from plant sources, but it is possible! In any case, anemia is not your friend, and it can be a problem in endurance sports.
  • Bottom line:  Everyone on our team will have to be eating more than they have been eating once they start working out. This is a performance, health, and safety issue. Be vigilant.

• Proper sleep:  Sleep, rest, and recovery go hand-in-hand with proper nutrition. Training – going out and running, lifting weights, sprinting, performing to near-exhaustion – imposes stress on the body. Right after practice you’ll be weaker and slower. But you get stronger and faster when your body, responding to that stress, builds muscle, new capillaries, and responds by becoming more efficient metabolically. But it can’t do that without proper nutrition (see above) and proper sleep. For teenage athletes, the optimum amount of sleep is considered to be between 8 and 10 hours. This will seem like a lot, especially when you’re in the middle of the school year and have a lot of other things to do (schoolwork, school activities, family activities). If getting faster and eventually running for championships is your goal, though, you’ll make time for sleep. In that 8 to 10 hour window of sleep, your body gets more of a chance to release human growth hormone, one of the main regulators of repair and growth. If you don’t get enough rest (and enough to eat), it won’t matter how hard you work in a workout; that extra effort you’re putting in on your runs and workouts will be lost if your body can’t repair itself. In fact, after awhile you’ll start to get slower as your body goes into a deficit and starts to break down. And that’s when injury starts. So please:  eat enough and sleep plenty.

•  Athlete discounts:  This is not actually something you need in order to run XC, but you might like to take advantage of it. Both Fleet Feet and Bull City Running offer discounts on gear for local middle school and high school cross country and track athletes; usually the discounts range between 10% and 20%, and will cover nearly everything you buy, including shoes. Make sure to tell the person helping you that you’re running cross country at Seaforth High School in Pittsboro, and they’ll hook you up.

• Paperwork:  You will need to complete and turn in all of the required paperwork before you can workout with the team for the first time. You can get registered and turn in your paperwork here:

https://seaforthhawks.bigteams.com/main/otherad/contentID/53550941

• Courage and toughness:  Distance running is a test of will and courage. Do you have that? You almost certainly do, though you may not know it yet. Trust yourself, trust your coaches, trust the process – and you will almost certainly discover deep wells of courage and toughness that you didn’t know you had. This is why we love this sport.

How long is a Cross Country race?

A standard cross country race for high school is 5K which is 3.1 miles. It is possible to compete at shorter and longer distances, but these are not standard and will happen rarely if at all.

Do boys and girls compete in the same races?

No. But we will support each other! We will practice separately building our own culture as a Men's and Women's team. There will be times we will practice as one big team.  At meets we compete as separate boys and girls teams, and vie for conference, regional, and state championships separately, in separate races. But these races occur at the same courses on the same days, usually one after the other. We expect every Seaforth XC runner to cheer on and support every other Seaforth XC runner.

How many teams compete in a Cross Country meet?

A  cross country meet can have as few as 2-3 teams or as many as 50-100 teams. The host of the meet will determine how many teams they can accommodate based on the course, surrounding area for team tents, and volunteers to support the meet.

The conference championship meet will only include schools from our conference, the (Mid-Carolina, a 1A/2A split conference that includes Seaforth, Jordan-Matthews, Chatham Central, Bartlett Yancey, Cummings, Graham, and North Moore and Northwood. Our regional championship meet will include only teams in our region  (NCHSAA 2A Mideast). The state championship meet will include those teams that qualify from their regional championship meet. These divisions and conferences are re-aligned every five years.  Coaches can answer what schools are in our region for the current season.

What is the difference between cross country and track?

Cross country is held during the fall season and has one event for a runner, a 5K race. The course for a cross country race will be on trails through woods and fields, and will sometimes briefly incorporate harder surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. Track is a different sport and happens during the winter and the spring in two separate seasons. Winter track meets take place primarily indoors, although sometimes they happen outdoors. Spring track takes place entirely outdoors. Track has many field events, as well as running events with various distances. Cross country runners can choose to run track in both the winter and the spring if they like, unless committed to another school activity. It is common for the top distance runners around the state to choose to compete in all three seasons, which turns distance running into essentially a year round sport. If you choose this route, your coaches will work hard to make sure you have sufficient rest and recuperation (at least two weeks off) between seasons.

How are cross country meets scored?

In a typical cross country race, teams will enter 7 runners, though sometimes they will be allowed more. The top 5 runners for a school score points. The points assigned to a runner matches their place in the race. This means the lower the score, the better, and the top  5 individual scores are added together for the team score. For example, if the top 5 runners out of 7 runners come in 1st, 4th, 6th, 13th, and 20th, then our team score for that race would be 44 (1+4+6+13+20). If a team sweeps coming in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, the score would be 15 (1+2+3+4+5), a perfect score. If there is a tie between teams, the 6th runner is the tie-breaker! This means even if a runner does not come in the first 5 for our team, they can still be VERY important in the scoring. Runners for Seaforth who don’t place in our top 5 may still place before some of the other teams’ top 5 runners, thus making those other teams earn a higher score. The more runners we have coming in close behind our top 5 runners, the more likely we force a higher score on our opponents and ensure a lower score for us.

Are meets optional?

No, meets are not optional. Every runner is expected to run every race with the exception of any qualifying out-of-town meets and the state championship meet (which is only for varsity runners, and only if they qualify). Because of limitations with accommodations, only a limited number of runners will be able to attend any out-of-town meet. In addition, there will be additional fees to attend any out of town meet; therefore, these meets are optional once invited. Even if a runner is injured, that runner can still attend a meet and cheer on the team. Cheering for others on the team is what Seaforth XC does, and it will be expected. It makes a big difference to the runners to have fans along the course cheering them on. Varsity, JV, boys and girls cheer each other on.

What is a PR?

A PR is a personal record – your best time! For most runners it will change over the season, some more dramatically than others. It becomes a goal to constantly break your PR throughout the season. We will keep track of and celebrate everybody’s PRs.

How do runners line up to start a race?

Each team is assigned a starting box on the start line at every meet. The team is required to start in their assigned box. The starting boxes are usually small thus only a few runners from each team will get to line up on the start line. The remaining runners will line up behind those on the start line. The coaches along with the team captains determine who will get to start on the start line taking into consideration the size of the race, location of the starting box, geography of the start area, etc.

Can my daughter/son ride home with a parent instead of taking the bus?

In order for a runner to ride home with their parent, they first have to confirm the “transportation form” on file with the coaches. You only have to fill out this form for your son/daughter once each season. In addition, a parent or approved adult must sign the runner out when they leave, which means seeing the coach or the parent with the sign-out clipboard. This “sign out sheet” will be very important. The coaches take attendance when they load the buses and then call roll on the buses after the meet to ensure no one is left behind. If a runner leaves a meet without being signed out on this sheet, the coaches will have to go look for the runner. This can cause long delays in departing from the meet when everyone is tired, and as you can imagine, the runners and coaches do not like this delay. Sign out!

Do runners need spikes?

Many runners race in a pair of shoes called spikes. Spikes have plates on the bottom for removable metal spikes that help with traction during a race. In addition, spikes are very lightweight. Spikes are not required and some runners will wear regular training shoes for races. Runners who wear spikes during a race only wear them during the actual race. Runners will wear regular training shoes to the meet and bring their spikes in their bag and change shoes before their race. With the metal spikes on the bottom, these shoes should not be worn on pavement. Fleet Feet and Bull City Running carry XC spikes. If you plan on purchasing some, you should do it sooner than later as inventory often runs very low after Labor Day. If you have questions about spikes or any other kind of gear, please talk to one of the coaches. Spikes are NOT necessary; they’re only a luxury you might like to use.

What do runners wear to meets? And what else can they bring?

Runners wear their uniform to meets. And wear your Seaforth spirit wear! You will find that many runners will sleep on the bus to the meet. Sweatshirts, pj pants, dry socks, blankets and pillows are all allowed on bus and at a meet.  Jewelry is not allowed with the exception of a watch. Girls take note – wear hair bands, no hair clips or hard headbands. When the weather is cooler, runners are allowed to wear white under garments for warmth during a race (but it must be white so that Seaforth runners are match). There may be a couple meets that runners may want a pair of gloves to wear. Runners will also bring a bag with their spikes (if they plan to wear them), extra shirt, personal snacks, water bottle, and money for snacks & lunch at the meet, if that’s available. Some runners will bring earbuds to listen to music on the bus and while “hanging out” at the Seaforth tent. Make sure to label all your spirit wear and your  uniform, these are commonly lost at meets and without a name make it more difficult to return.

What do parents do at meets?

Parents typically look at the race schedule that is listed on the meet information sheet to see what time their own child is running. Parents do not usually go as early as the buses but will arrive at the meet in time to see the race(s) that interest them. At the larger meets, parking can take some time, so be sure to allow enough time for that. Seaforth will have an area set up at each meet to use as a home base for the team and also as a meeting place for families. The runners will keep their bags, pillows, etc. in our area. Parents may want to bring a folding chair to use while waiting between races. The runners usually sit on the ground (on tarps which are set up by the team). Parents watch the races and cheer on the runner from various points along the course. Every course is different, which is part of what makes cross country so much fun for the runners. Parents are encouraged to attend the XC meets and cheer on their athlete, their friends, and the whole team. Never attempt to “run with” any runner during a race to help pace them runner. Even a few steps alongside a runner will get that athlete disqualified – that’s a hard-and-fast rule. Be aware of the “borders” of the course and stay out off the course when runners are anywhere near, crossing only when no runners are in sight.

What if a runner has an inhaler?

If a runner has an inhaler, he/she should run the race with the inhaler. Do not keep the inhaler in your bag at the tent. The tent can often be a very long distance from where you need the inhaler. In addition, there will be so many bags, many of which look alike, under the tent, and it is a difficult and stressful task for someone else to find an inhaler for the runner who needs it in the middle or end of a race.

What if a runner gets injured at practice or at a meet?

Tell the coaches as soon as you can. If working out or practicing at Seaforth, a trainer may be available. Otherwise, coaches will attend to the athlete. If a runner gets hurt or feels too ill on the race course, do not enter course or touch runner unless it’s life threatening or otherwise an emergency. Let the runner decide to leave the race on their own. Entering the course can disqualify the runner.

Some DO’s and DON’Ts for runners before, during and after a race:

Two days before a meet:

• DO drink plenty of fluid to hydrate your body all week long. Bring a water bottle to all your classes! It will be too late to try to hydrate on Saturday morning. Drink only hydrating fluids such as water and sports drinks like Gatorade or Propel. Avoid drinks with caffeine and a lot of sugar, such as soft drinks. Never drink an “energy” drink like Monster or Red Bull.
• DO have protein for dinner two days before the meet!
• DO have a high carb dinner the night before a meet.  Pasta is a perfect choice.
• DO put spikes in your shoes if you plan to wear spikes.
• DO get your bag ready the night before so you are not rushing early the next morning when you are likely to forget something.
• DO make sure all your XC items are labeled with your name – uniform, sportswear, water bottle, personal items, etc.

Meet Day – Before the race:

• Do eat before the race; eat something light at least 2 hours before your race time so your body has time to digest your food. Check your race time to see how to correctly eat at a the proper time. Some races will be hours from the arrival time, so don’t starve yourself either.
• DO wear your XC uniform. There will be race officials at each meet and they require teams to have the same uniform.
• DO NOT wear any jewelry with the exception of a watch.
• DO NOT wear metal hair clips, hard headbands. Hair bands and ribbons okay.
• DO make sure to bring your inhaler if you have an inhaler.
• DO arrive to Seaforth at the designated meeting time to get on the bus.
• DO your warm up run and stretches with the team.
• DO make sure you are at the starting line at least 10 minutes before race time for check-in.
• DO line up in the appropriate starting box.

Meet Day – During the race:

• DO run with your inhaler if you have one.
• DO cheer on your fellow Hawks when you are not racing. Spread out on the course so you are not all in one place.
• DO run hard! “Pain is temporary, but pride is forever!”
• DO expect to see your coaches at work encouraging you on the course!

Meet Day – At the Finish Line:

• DO stay in the order of finish as you move through the chute. If there are multiple runners crossing the finish line at the same time, listen to the race official who will be calling out who crossed first. There will be race volunteers to help you stay in order during the chute.
• DO keep moving in the chute once you cross the finish line. There will be race officials helping those runners who need help through the chute but you must keep moving in the chute. Otherwise the chute will back up and interfere with runners crossing the finish line.
• DO greet the runners around you and congratulate them on a good race. This is not optional. Your coaches will want to see you looking around and saying to your competitors, “Good race.” This is the kind of sportsmanship that Seaforth is about, and it’s a tradition in our sport. You’ll hear about it from your coaches if we see you not acknowledging your competitors, even if they beat you and even if they’re from a rival team.
• DO keep walking around after your run and drink water.
• DO help your fellow runners when they exit the chute if they need help walking.

Meet Day – After the races:

• DO collect ALL your personal items and help clean up the Seaforth area.
• DO help carry the team’s equipment to the bus.
• DO make sure to have your parent sign you out if you are riding home with your parent instead of riding the bus.