CROSS COUNTRY IN PHASES
There are four phases, or sections, to a typical Cross Country program. Because our actual racing season is so short, lasting from August through the end of September, the majority of our work for Cross Country must be done in the summer. With the addition of the summer months, Cross Country season is a 21-week season. These 21 weeks are broken down into four phases of training:
​
Phase I: Building Phase
Phase II: Pre-Competition Phase
Phase III: Competition Phase
Phase IV: Championship Phase
​
Phase I
Like the name says, Phase I is all about building base for the Cross Country season as a whole. Phase I lasts for 4 weeks. In this Phase, we are slowly building mileage; we will start Phase I at about 50% of our total season mileage and end this phase at 75% of our total season mileage. It is in Phase I where runners build good habits for injury prevention, a healthy mind and healthy body, and build endurance as a foundation for the hard work they will do during the other three phases. Consistency is key in Phase I!
​
Phase II
Phase II, our pre-competition phase, is where we continue to build a solid foundation of miles while implementing repetition work. It is best for a runner to only implement one new training type per phase (i.e. repetition, interval, threshold) for the majority of their quality work, but it is okay to sprinkle in some other types occasionally. That being said, Phase II focusses on the addition of repetition work because it only requires the runner to add the stress of speed to their body instead of lactate and aerobic stress. Phase II lasts for 6 weeks, and runners will begin Phase II at 75% total season mileage and end at 100% of total season mileage.
​
Phase III
The majority of our competitions (excluding championship competitions) take place in Phase III or competition phase. Because we are adding the stress of weekly races to the body, we will start implementing interval training in Phase III. Interval training adds the stress of increasing aerobic capacity without adding anymore speed than before (because we added speed with repetition pace). Phase III is 6 weeks long, and runners will begin Phase III at 100% total season mileage and end at 85% of their total season mileage as we start a slow taper into championship season.
​
Phase IV
Phase IV, championship phase: what you've worked for all season long. Phase IV brings the addition of more intense - and exciting - racing environments. In Phase IV, we put a lot of focus on threshold running to put less stress on the body during championship season, while still capitalizing on gains made in the first three phases. Here, we will do a lot of threshold and repetition workouts, focussing more on intensity and less on volume. Phase IV is 5 weeks long, and runners will enter Phase IV at 85% total season mileage, capping off the season at 75% total season mileage for our final taper.
​
***Athletes continuing the season and traveling to Nike Cross Nationals South Regionals will transition into a "Phase V" after State and continue threshold and repetition-paced workouts.***
​