Championship Season Preparation, More Than Just Workouts

Preparing for championship season in cross country is not just about hitting the right the workouts and knowing when to taper and when to peak. While those aspects of coaching are important they are just part of the process, and in my opinion, not the most important aspect at all.

My workouts given to another coach and another team might not work at all. As a 30-year veteran of high school cross country coaching I have made my share of mistakes along the way. The hope is that as I gain experience, the mistakes are eliminated. And if I have learned anything, it's that what matters most is explaining the "why" behind a specific workout, recognizing what works for a specific kid, and identifying what a team needs to succeed, then figuring out how can I can provide it.

The whole process starts way before the championship season. Yes, a common saying is that championships are won in the summer. To a certain extent that's true. But a strong summer of training doesn’t mean a championship or PRs are automatic, it’s just an important building block.

As the coach, you have be deliberate about why you do things. In our program we have some basic traditional early- and pre-season workouts. We do these for a few reasons. First is to build a toughness in the runner, so that they know can accomplish hard things. Secondly, the tradition—and it’s not just tradition for tradition’s sake, it's about building confidence. Runners know that previous successful teams did these things, so the correlation is made to future success.

We choose our schedule for a reason. Every team is different and every coach has a method. Our method is to start hard, meaning hard courses that test the runners. This may not be for everyone. The kids will not bust out of the gates with amazing times and that’s something the coach has to prepare them for. 

After some meets on harder courses and usually hot temperatures, our kids are ready for cooler weather and fast times on fast courses, kind of the equivalent of coming down from altitude training. Just as the grind of early season and hills and heat and school starting is starting to get tough, they hopefully get that jump in time. And good feelings take the place of the grind that had been the early season. Instead of being tired and still having many weeks ahead until the end, they should be feeling energized and ready to attack the end of the season rather than just survive it.

We also pick meets for the environment and the competition. We build up certain meets, not just because they are important but to get the kids used to the environment and pressure of regionals and State Finals will be like. If a kid is overwhelmed by the hype, the chances of success are way less. Coaches hopefully can relieve that somewhat by what they do throughout the season. Confidence that you have done something before relieves pressure. Put the kids in situations that make them believe that they can perform in the bigger, more high-pressure environments. 

Don’t do what I did one year early in my career and remind a girl on the line that as 5^th runner we were depending on her. That one didn’t work out so well because that girl was not used to that pressure and her performance ultimately showed it. The best coaching advice I give at the starting line of state finals is “don’t worry, we have done this before, just go do what you do.”

Workouts through all of this need to match the point in the season the kids are at. And just because last year’s team did certain training doesn’t mean this year’s team is ready for that or will respond. Maybe they are capable of more but maybe they need less or something entirely different. It all depends, but knowing what they need mid-season after you have collected data from races and training is key.

In our program there is a philosophy that kids should win workouts and become confident and fit by accomplishing the workout of the day. In other programs the philosophy may be that the workout always wins, and the kids get better by trying to achieve things that they can’t achieve but that the work to come close will make them better. There is no right or wrong way, but the way the coach does it better fit their personality and the personality and culture of the team. 

Don’t try to be someone else. Learn what works for you and build on that.  If I’m giving workouts all season that my kids accomplish and suddenly, I drop a killer on them and they all go home defeated, I’ve uprooted much of the confidence I’ve been building all year. Tom Izzo didn’t wake up one day and decide to be Tom Izzo. That’s who he is and his team knows it. Be you all the time and certainly don’t show up for the big meets and be someone different.

Being consistent all year. Do things for a reason. Let your kids understand what is happening and let them find success and confidence so that when they get to the championship season it’s not a shock. The races may have more meaning, but it doesn’t mean they have to be different.  

The workouts you do the week of regionals have so much less effect on the outcome than all the prep work you can do throughout the season to be ready for Championship Season.