Cross Country Training Thread

Aquals · 09-11-2019 10:37am

National Novice has now been confirmed for Cow Park in Dunboyne. Eek!

Sacksian · 07-09-2020 9:18pm

Time for my annual revival of the xc thread....

The great thing about this year is that the marathon/road guys have no excuses for not doing xc so we could see some larger numbers than usual in some races (if everything goes as scheduled). Just got an email about Dublin and National fixtures for this year:

October 4th, Dublin Novice (no venue, but apparently not Phoenix Park) 6k/3k
October 11th, Autumn Open XC - Abbotstown - not sure of distances - 7.5k / 4k??
November 8th, Dublin Senior (no venue yet) 10k/6k
November 22nd, National Senior - Santry - 10k/8k
December 6th, National Novice - Gowran Kilkenny 6k/3k
December 13th, Dublin Intermediate - Tymon - 8k/5k

Hopefully it all goes ahead.

teacosy · 07-09-2020 9:35pm

Sacksian wrote: »

Time for my annual revival of the xc thread....

The great thing about this year is that the marathon/road guys have no excuses for not doing xc so we could see some larger numbers than usual in some races (if everything goes as scheduled). Just got an email about Dublin and National fixtures for this year:

October 4th, Dublin Novice (no venue, but apparently not Phoenix Park) 6k/3k
October 11th, Autumn Open XC - Abbotstown - not sure of distances - 7.5k / 4k??
November 8th, Dublin Senior (no venue yet) 10k/6k
November 22nd, National Senior - Santry - 10k/8k
December 6th, National Novice - Gowran Kilkenny 6k/3k
December 13th, Dublin Intermediate - Tymon - 8k/5k

Hopefully it all goes ahead.

The Autumn open is the qualifying race for the British & Irish Masters XC. That is not going ahead this year apparently. I’d say the numbers would be down as a result?

MY BAD · 07-09-2020 9:37pm

Castlegar in Galway have an open XC race in a couple of weeks if anyone is looking to dip their toe in cross country

KSU · 08-09-2020 12:08am

Sacksian wrote: »

Time for my annual revival of the xc thread....

The great thing about this year is that the marathon/road guys have no excuses for not doing xc so we could see some larger numbers than usual in some races (if everything goes as scheduled). Just got an email about Dublin and National fixtures for this year:

October 4th, Dublin Novice (no venue, but apparently not Phoenix Park) 6k/3k
October 11th, Autumn Open XC - Abbotstown - not sure of distances - 7.5k / 4k??
November 8th, Dublin Senior (no venue yet) 10k/6k
November 22nd, National Senior - Santry - 10k/8k
December 6th, National Novice - Gowran Kilkenny 6k/3k
December 13th, Dublin Intermediate - Tymon - 8k/5k

Hopefully it all goes ahead.

About 90% certain Novice will be in Tymon as well though unclear whether it will be same course (there has been 3 courses used between intermediates and Seniors over the last few years)

Thought I was out of Novice this year but October means I’m back in for first race in new colours.

Think Numbers will definitely be interesting this year would be a shame to have the demand for once and not be able to accommodate people wanting to run XC

Duanington · 08-09-2020 9:32am

KSU wrote: »

About 90% certain Novice will be in Tymon as well though unclear whether it will be same course (there has been 3 courses used between intermediates and Seniors over the last few years)

Thought I was out of Novice this year but October means I’m back in for first race in new colours.

Think Numbers will definitely be interesting this year would be a shame to have the demand for once and not be able to accommodate people wanting to run XC

I suspect that numbers will be an issue this year, as in - too many will want to run. I'm basing that purely off the number of people chatting about xc this winter though

Sacksian · 08-09-2020 1:48pm

teacosy wrote: »

The Autumn open is the qualifying race for the British & Irish Masters XC. That is not going ahead this year apparently. I’d say the numbers would be down as a result?

Yes, the bulk of that race is usually the selection race but I'd say there'll be a lot of people looking for a good quality race, particularly given the lack of racing opportunities otherwise.

Sacksian · 08-09-2020 2:01pm

KSU wrote: »

About 90% certain Novice will be in Tymon as well though unclear whether it will be same course (there has been 3 courses used between intermediates and Seniors over the last few years)

Thought I was out of Novice this year but October means I’m back in for first race in new colours.

Think Numbers will definitely be interesting this year would be a shame to have the demand for once and not be able to accommodate people wanting to run XC

Duanington wrote: »

I suspect that numbers will be an issue this year, as in - too many will want to run. I'm basing that purely off the number of people chatting about xc this winter though

Hard to know which way it'll go - they might just do it like the AI or Dublin athletics track races - enter early or miss out. Not ideal for championships, but should be some good racing this year if it goes ahead.

Tymon for the Novice...wow...think I've only raced a couple of times there, 1 BHAA and 1 Dublin Intermediates.

Looking forward to it!

Sacksian · 08-09-2020 5:50pm

Euro Cross off...

https://www.athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/euro-cross-in-dublin-cancelled-1039932208/

djemba djemba · 09-09-2020 7:20am

Are the BHAA planning any cross country races?

terminator74 · 09-09-2020 2:04pm

Sacksian wrote: »

Hard to know which way it'll go - they might just do it like the AI or Dublin athletics track races - enter early or miss out. Not ideal for championships, but should be some good racing this year if it goes ahead.

Given the team based nature of XC and the fact that these are championship races, is it more likely that affiliated clubs runners will be prioritized over non-affiliated or individual entries?
Also rather than a first come/first served approach, clubs will have to limit their entries to accommodate maximum entries permitted.

Great that there is a xc season schedule in place, fingers crossed it goes ahead.

spc78 · 09-09-2020 3:39pm

terminator74 wrote: »

Given the team based nature of XC and the fact that these are championship races, is it more likely that affiliated clubs runners will be prioritized over non-affiliated or individual entries?
Also rather than a first come/first served approach, clubs will have to limit their entries to accommodate maximum entries permitted.

Great that there is a xc season schedule in place, fingers crossed it goes ahead.

Aside from BHAA & Autumn OPen XC, the rest are county or provincial board organised and will only accept entries from current registered athletics ireland members

KSU · 09-09-2020 4:03pm

Duanington wrote: »

I suspect that numbers will be an issue this year, as in - too many will want to run. I'm basing that purely off the number of people chatting about xc this winter though

Imagine with no DCM clubs should be able to rope in a few more than usual alright so I expect things to be a lot more competitive at the middle of the pack

Duanington · 11-09-2020 3:45pm

KSU wrote: »

Imagine with no DCM clubs should be able to rope in a few more than usual alright so I expect things to be a lot more competitive at the middle of the pack

Grand, sure you'll be further up away from all of that nonsense so

mylesforsmiles · 12-09-2020 9:18pm

MY BAD wrote: »

Castlegar in Galway have an open XC race in a couple of weeks if anyone is looking to dip their toe in cross country

Looking forward to this. First race in a while. Have heard good things about it from previous years.

MY BAD · 12-09-2020 10:04pm

mylesforsmiles wrote: »

Looking forward to this. First race in a while. Have heard good things about it from previous years.

It's a great race. Enjoy the playground

Duanington · 14-09-2020 11:25am

mylesforsmiles wrote: »

Looking forward to this. First race in a while. Have heard good things about it from previous years.

Hoping to somehow get myself down there for this one too

adrian522 · 14-09-2020 11:59am

If the guidelines remain at a maximum of 200 people including coaches and officials it will be very difficult to see a normal Dublin novice, presumably with clubs limited to a handful of entries each.

Sacksian · 14-09-2020 1:01pm

adrian522 wrote: »

If the guidelines remain at a maximum of 200 people including coaches and officials it will be very difficult to see a normal Dublin novice, presumably with clubs limited to a handful of entries each.

About 200 entries between the men’s and women’s novice races last year - I guess they might be able to do what they did in track and leave enough time to clear the area between races to be safe this year.

KSU · 14-09-2020 3:51pm

Sacksian wrote: »

Euro Cross off...

https://www.athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/euro-cross-in-dublin-cancelled-1039932208/

Maybe not

https://twitter.com/MartonGyulai/status/1305513777346023425?s=20

Wubble Wubble · 14-09-2020 4:03pm

Open event in South Kilkenny this Sunday if anyone's interested...

https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/StSenansACCrossCountry

adrian522 · 19-09-2020 9:36am

Cancelled.

Dublin Athletics Board Cancellations - Message from Cecil
Following the Government announcement and advice from Athletics Ireland this evening, I regret to inform you that the Juvenile Cross Country League 1 scheduled for this Sunday 20th September is CANCELLED and as these new restrictions are in force for the next three weeks the Juvenile League 2 and Novices scheduled for the 4th October is postponed until further notice.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lusk A.C., Fingal County Council and others for all their efforts and hard work in the past few weeks which unfortunately cannot now be realised.
Whilst accepting this decision will come as a great disappointment to us all and in particular our young athletes, we must accept and understand it is in the best interests of the health and wellbeing of us all.
We will continue to plan for future competitions and will endeavour to keep you updated.
On behalf of the Dublin County Board.
Take care and keep safe.
Cecil Johnston
Juvenile Competition Secretary

mylesforsmiles · 19-09-2020 4:29pm

MY BAD wrote: »

It's a great race. Enjoy the playground

Playground was interesting today. Very good testing course. Excellently organised.

Sacksian · 21-09-2020 8:26pm

Autumn Open also cancelled.

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/spar-autumn-open-international-cross-country-festival-cancelled/

omicron · 21-09-2020 11:29pm

Cork county xc going ahead, details went up today, novice first off 4th October, senior the following week then masters and lastly intermediate.

Chip timing and limited entries by the looks of it.

healy1835 · 22-09-2020 11:28am

If someone was coming off a decent level of fitness and decided, 2 weeks out, that he was going to lace up his (still new) XC spikes for the first time ever, is there anything in particular he could do or that he needs to know before race day. Asking for a friend.

Duanington · 22-09-2020 1:23pm

healy1835 wrote: »

If someone was coming off a decent level of fitness and decided, 2 weeks out, that he was going to lace up his (still new) XC spikes for the first time ever, is there anything in particular he could do or that he needs to know before race day. Asking for a friend.

Maybe tell your friend to find a field, run some unstructured fartlek stuff around it first ? Just to get a feel for the surface and shoes etc

Also, your friend could try one or two of their sessions on the grass over the course of those 2 weeks

Also, also - if your friend was in the kind of shape you're in, I'd say to back him\herself and be brave from the start, backing themselves to finish strong and pick people off ;-)

Butterbeans · 22-09-2020 3:07pm

omicron wrote: »

Cork county xc going ahead, details went up today, novice first off 4th October, senior the following week then masters and lastly intermediate.

Chip timing and limited entries by the looks of it.

Looking similar for Kildare county xc. 4th and 11th of Oct dates announced but no further details yet.

Sacksian · 22-09-2020 7:46pm

Duanington wrote: »

Maybe tell your friend to find a field, run some unstructured fartlek stuff around it first ? Just to get a feel for the surface and shoes etc

Also, your friend could try one or two of their sessions on the grass over the course of those 2 weeks

Also, also - if your friend was in the kind of shape you're in, I'd say to back him\herself and be brave from the start, backing themselves to finish strong and pick people off ;-)

This is spot on.

Definitely forget the watch - it might take a few attempts to dial into the effort that'll work for you but the watch will only hinder you. Some people can go hard from the gun all way round and for others (including me) you might need to be a bit more measured. After a few races, you'll have figured out what works for you.

Cross-country racing doesn't suit everyone but marathon training definitely gives you a strength advantage in xc. I think the biggest difference from road racing or marathon running is the constant changes in pace - concertina effect going into/out of corners, changes in elevation, courses cutting up, etc. Which is why a few fartleks or training on the xc course helps.

mylesforsmiles · 22-09-2020 7:57pm

Sacksian wrote: »

This is spot on.

Definitely forget the watch - it might take a few attempts to dial into the effort that'll work for you but the watch will only hinder you. Some people can go hard from the gun all way round and for others (including me) you might need to be a bit more measured. After a few races, you'll have figured out what works for you.

Cross-country racing doesn't suit everyone but marathon training definitely gives you a strength advantage in xc. I think the biggest difference from road racing or marathon running is the constant changes in pace - concertina effect going into/out of corners, changes in elevation, courses cutting up, etc. Which is why a few fartleks or training on the xc course helps.

Very accurate summary of what xc is like and the effort levels required.

I had no interest for my first 5-6 years of running (was fixated on marathons) but I've done lots of xc over the past 2-3 years and I've loved it.

Very different running experience and a serious buzz imo.

Sacksian · 22-09-2020 8:01pm

mylesforsmiles wrote: »

Very accurate summary of what xc is like and the effort levels required.

I had no interest for my first 5-6 years of running (was fixated on marathons) but I've done lots of xc over the past 2-3 years and I've loved it.

Very different running experience and a serious buzz imo.

I'm always trying to convince people to do xc and I still haven't quite accepted that some people just aren't into it.

It's just a different buzz to everything else, especially if you're in a club and you have the team aspect.

A lot of the season usually clashes with the preparation for and recovery from the various Autumn marathons so there might be a few people making the transition like you did and getting the chance to embrace the mud this year!

mylesforsmiles · 22-09-2020 8:06pm

Sacksian wrote: »

I'm always trying to convince people to do xc and I still haven't quite accepted that some people just aren't into it.

It's just a different buzz to everything else, especially if you're in a club and you have the team aspect.

A lot of the season usually clashes with the preparation for and recovery from the various Autumn marathons so there might be a few people making the transition like you did and getting the chance to embrace the mud this year!

Very true. Hard to twist the arm of fellow club runners to do xc. Hopefully this year will be different though. Team aspect is a brilliant idea. Castlegar xc got decent numbers last Saturday so that looks like a good sign.

Aurelian · 24-09-2020 12:18pm

Any general first time XC race advice?

Timmaay · 24-09-2020 8:50pm

Set the bar low lol, don't kid yourself that it's gonna be like a road race etc, it's alot more physically demanding, like your running with lead weights on your feet, when you eventually stumble over the finishline the main feeling is usually relief that it's over and a good sense of achievement, that's as positive as you can hope for in my view ha, fun/enjoyment etc etc, they don't even come into the equation and shouldn't, its not what xc is about haha.

DukeCaboom · 24-09-2020 9:07pm

Aurelian wrote: »

Any general first time XC race advice?

From personal experience the main difference between road & x country is you get lapped during a x country race

KSU · 24-09-2020 10:08pm

Aurelian wrote: »

Any general first time XC race advice?

If you are coming from a road running background or longer distances ease into the race. There is a tendency to go from the gun for most people and alot get sucked into going out too fast. If you don't do alot of shorter distance stuff this will come as a shock to the system so you are better of working through the field as you will see carnage of those who went out too fast later in the race.

joe35 · 24-09-2020 11:01pm

Don't think cause you can race 10k on the road I can do 8k CC no problems.

It's a big difference. Just start of handy enough and enjoy it. I find CC far more enjoyable, you're not watching your time. You're just emptying the tank and enjoying the race.

Best of luck

Aurelian · 28-09-2020 11:32am

Thanks for the advice. It was my 1st race in any running discipline and I hadn't run in 4 months, so, was glad to manage under 21 minutes. Really eager to actually train for it now and see if I can improve.

healy1835 · 28-09-2020 12:52pm

KSU wrote: »

If you are coming from a road running background or longer distances ease into the race. There is a tendency to go from the gun for most people and alot get sucked into going out too fast. If you don't do alot of shorter distance stuff this will come as a shock to the system so you are better of working through the field as you will see carnage of those who went out too fast later in the race.

I'm torn between this approach...and the complete opposite; flat out for 2 Miles and try to cling on! Race is 'only' 4k...

Duanington · 28-09-2020 1:36pm

healy1835 wrote: »

I'm torn between this approach...and the complete opposite; flat out for 2 Miles and try to cling on! Race is 'only' 4k...

What distance is the race?

I'd back you to finish strong but I'd also back most people that fly out of the traps to fade towards the end, usually sooner than they think they might.

joe35 · 28-09-2020 2:15pm

Cross country is a different animal, while adrenaline and pure thickness will push you on on the road, in xc you'll just want to die.

My advice for anyone in there first race would be take it steady and try finish strong. It's like uphill all the way. If you go hard for the first k and then have 5 or more tough Kms after that you're in trouble.

Let us know how you get on and best of luck

Or even 3k, still tough, you'll get it hard to do 2 miles flat out xc

Sacksian · 28-09-2020 2:15pm

healy1835 wrote: »

I'm torn between this approach...and the complete opposite; flat out for 2 Miles and try to cling on! Race is 'only' 4k...

4k sounds very short. If it was 6k, I'd go with the original advice but I'm not sure people will be coming back to you quickly enough over 2.5 miles to benefit from a conservative start. Maybe treat it like an aggressive 5k race: hard out, hold on and try to go again if you can.

The other confounding variable is that xc distances can be a little inexact. In which case, you could be looking at anything between 3 and 5k!

healy1835 · 28-09-2020 2:16pm

Duanington wrote: »

What distance is the race?

I'd back you to finish strong but I'd also back most people that fly out of the traps to fade towards the end, usually sooner than they think they might.

4km DD

Venue and course are new so not entirely sure of what awaits...

Duanington · 28-09-2020 3:03pm

healy1835 wrote: »

4km DD Venue and course are new so not entirely sure of what awaits...

Balls out it is so :pac:

In all seriousness, it probably depends on the course and conditions - 4km does seem very short alright but I suppose you have to keep the conditions in mind

jamule · 28-09-2020 8:21pm

Louth novice this weekend, 6km of bliss. I need a week of rain, going yielding at tge moment with plenty of grass on the course. no hill though

I got a new pair of nike cc spikes, some strange looking spikes on them, feel great though.

Cartman78 · 30-09-2020 8:44pm

Aim not to finish last...... anything better than that is a bonus :-)

token56 · 01-10-2020 9:21am

For anyone interested in the Leinster XC Championships

https://athleticsleinster.org/2-uncategorised/238-leinster-xc-2020?fbclid=IwAR1NsMzmv8zfLrkrUe2-pNSF8v7meXg4PUd1QaO3cWuBmxENhc6DkJIhcVg

It is a pity that there will be no spectators allowed but it will still be great if it can go ahead. However I presume if Dublin (or any other county) is still on Level 3 lockdown then they will not be able to take part.

Seannew1 · 05-10-2020 5:32pm

Really enjoyed the return to racing yesterday. I did my county's novice. Looks like that's the end of it with increased restrictions. What a shame as return to athletics from what I have seen has gone extremely well.

Sacksian · 05-10-2020 8:27pm

Seannew1 wrote: »

Really enjoyed the return to racing yesterday. I did my county's novice. Looks like that's the end of it with increased restrictions. What a shame as return to athletics from what I have seen has gone extremely well.

It's great to see how well the athletics competitions have been going, including the track & field stuff during the summer.

But hard to know what the rest of the winter will bring. I'm hopeful that, there'll be a decent chance of some sort of xc competition season, even it's after Christmas.

Ceepo · 06-10-2020 12:14pm

Sacksian wrote: »

But hard to know what the rest of the winter will bring. I'm hopeful that, there'll be a decent chance of some sort of xc competition season, even it's after Christmas.

All XC fixtures have been cancelled in Tipperary under the present guidelines

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