If you listen to these tips I guarantee you will achieve your goals INSTAGRAM: / theathletespecial Strava: / strava PLAYLIST: open.spotify.com/playlist/73x...
Best advice I have is “Don’t be afraid”. Never fear anything during your race. Once you let something get into your head you’ve already lost. “Just go out there and give em hell” good thing to remember if you’re scared of the outcome.
Honestly everyone thinks that the teeth gritting out for blood strategy works but it's not effective until the last tiny bit of the race. The key to running your best race is staying relaxed and not letting go of the pace no matter what
The mental part is huge, with the season at the start, my team lost a lot of seniors who I was good friends with, and now it seems like I starting over again. I'm not running for the team but rather myself, it just doesn't work. You need somebody there with you otherwise its tough
O.B.J I wish but I go to a really small college and there’s only 2 other boys on my team both of them are extremely slower than me (I run a 29 min 8k and they run around 37-38 mins) so I’m forced to practice and race by myself
That’s exactly what’s going to happen next year to my team. I’m a freshman and I was really nervous joining high school cross county but it’s been a lot of fun, but besides another freshman they’re all seniors and they’re mainly what makes it so much fun. But I’m very worried that the team will be dead next year.
It’s not hard for me to stay motivated. My running partner is always forcing me to run even when I don’t want to which I really appreciate. And I also remember that my competition is all staying at home not doing anything (I be watching their Instagram stories)
Me, I want to be really motivated more and I want to do better this upcoming season. I want to reach and show my true potential because last season I got injured and I couldn't run the rest of the season. (Bad shin splints) for those who know what I am talking about. 😬
Sleep is the best recovery tool. Avoid binge drinking it takes away from workout benefits. Stay as stress free as possible. Small sips of water through out the day and take easy days easy!
can you add some more detail re: the binge drinking? Im only a old rec runner but like my drink. is it really that bad? Doesn't seem to make that much difference to my parkrun times but I might be missing out on the big picture. Working on the other things. Trying to get 8 hours and slowing down on the bread and butter easy runs.
@@shaunukhiking as far as i know the alcohol slows the recovery process and breaks down some of the gains made in a workout if drunk too close to a session (and you're never really too far away from a session if you do 3 speed sessions a week)
Not even that but water isn’t necessary during a workout or try to limit the amount you drink certain amounts of gulp after each rep or something to get your body adaptive to working without water bc in a race for 3 miles you don’t get water but always keep in mind that if you don’t feel well make sure you are taking in the necessary water to recover!
When I started as a freshman my times were 8:43 for a mile and 23:03 for 3 miles by the end of the season. Now as a sophomore I improved very much. My mile time is 5:06, two mile 10:53, and 3 mile 17:32. Consistency, mental, and having someone to work with you is key. Update: I had a league meet last week and my time for 3 miles was 16:17 Very late update: my pr for the mile is 4:51
Squid Baller13 after xc I joined track which is where I improved the most. After xc season was over track conditioning started the next day so I didn’t get a break.
@@lord_gibby1698 that's amazing, dude u are an inspiration for me! This is my first year of xc but as of today we ran a timed mile and I got a 5 13! I'm so proud of my self, my 2 mile was like 12 20, ima try it again because I know I can do it faster, and I havent had my first race so I dont know what my 3 mile is
The part a lot of people forget is how mentally challenging running is. You’re constantly pushing your limits, the winner is whoever is willing to ensure the most pain. Stay motivated, I started at 20:40 and am now at 18:37. Keep grinding!
Thats great improvement! How long a time period was it between those two times? I managed to go from 20:24 my freshman year down to 16:58 my junior year. Now I’m a senior and I’m ready to improve even more
This video could have been 5 seconds long... Tip #1: Do some running Tip #2: Warm up before races Tip #3: Don't get hurt Tip #4: Know how to race Tip #5: Try your best
My first 5k was 27 minutes flat, now I’m down to around 20:50 (it’s been 2 years ). Edit: Even though my improvement so far isn’t even comparable with Spencer’s i totally agree with all of them especially staying consistent and summer training
Jack Epples Well to start off it differs for each person. In my case I had never trained over the summer, was usually injured, and didn’t do winter track. The ‘19 spring I set a goal to not suck. So I trained much more than I had over the summer, I didn’t push too hard or overtrain. I also kept a focused mentality and I love to run which helped. Really it comes down to consistency, everyday showing up and doing the little things right. This vid touches a lot on that. Really to set you up summer training is needed. It takes time. Good luck!
You just got to train hard, sleep, take care of your body when hurting, and don't get lazy in the offseason. I'm not that good but I went from a 30:49 in the first 5k of my freshmen year and now the 1st 5k of my junior year I ran a 22:34
I started freshman year at like a 32 and now towards the end of Junior year am at a 21:39 (rough season) but these tips should hopefully bring me to the ellusive sub 20
One thing my coach told me that has worked really well for me is to not focus on the person ahead of you, but the person ahead of them. It’s crazy how effective it is when you mentally pass people before you even do
Thank's Spencer :) Here's my progression 2016 : 21:25 ( 1 or 2 training / week ) 2017 : 19:15 ( 3 training / week ) 2018 : 17:47 ( 4 training / week ) 2019 : 16:45 ( 4 or 5 training / week ) 2020 : sub 16 :o ( will be very very hard )
True I’m having sleep issues and I’m going to bed at 9:40 and waking up at 4:50 every night. I did my pr on 6 hours but now I’m starting to feel the fatigue from not getting enough
FlipFlopFish get sleep, it’s not about how tired you feel, after you’ve been through those Monday workouts, your mind is a steel trap and you can push through the pain 100%. Sleep is more behind the scenes, don’t see it as recovery, see it as training, since sleep is what repairs your body and makes improvements.
Freshman year ran 29:06 5k, 17:37 2 mile, and 8:03 mile by my senior year ran 19:43 5k, 11:52 2 mile, and 5:22 mile. Graduated in 2018 currently been in a track club for 6-7 months 5k is currently sitting at 20:06. Want to see how far I can take it with racing it’s a passion of mine my goals for this season is to get in the 18:50s for the 5k and break 35 minutes for the 8k *Update July 23rd 2020* got my 5k down to 19:42 in November 2019 got my mile down to 5:18 this month im writing this
Over the first 4 weeks of the summer I worked up from 4 miles a day to 6 miles a day. Then over the next month worked up to between 8 and 9 miles a day with a 12+ mile run once a week. I already had a decent base coming out of the track season but this building the base has allowed me to run a minute faster on slow courses this year than I did on fast courses last year. Finally get to run a fast course tomorrow and am looking to drop between 45 and 30 seconds from my pr for a low 16
For me, blanking out to only focusing on my breathing helps me control my pace as well as keeping myself relaxed. Turned my times from average 22’s to 18’s in 3 months. I have several local races I plan on winning 👍🏽
Thanks Spencer! I love your content and these tips are helpful. So far my season has been going great and my team is a big favorite to win state! XC season hype!
I watch you and Zack levet all the time and you guys are the best, you guys have helped so much, I started this season as a freshman running 23:00 and now we’re 4 races into the season and i just got 18:57, Pennsylvania state championship is the goal eventually!! Keep doing what your doing it’s so helpful!!
When I was a Freshman and Sophomore in High School I started running as soon as the season began, but this year I started running 4 weeks before and I can already run a 5k under 22 minutes. Kind of crazy how preseason workouts really help. And I also plan on running throughout school to further improve my distance as well as time.
If you ever see this my current time is a 21:09, and I am a freshman in high school. I'm trying to stay consistent in the summer, what would be your recommendation on how much to run everyday?
Andrew Greig during summer conditioning of that summer i ran 6-10 miles 5 days a week at sub 7 minute a mile pace for a few months until official practice started
I wish I had more time to improve and run in high school. If your just started out running cross country running in high school give it your all. Train train train! Because your gonna have so much regret your senior year like me. Grind grind in the summer. Run run run! Unlike me. I’m now a senior and regret. I had got poison oak this summer and couldn’t run. Ruined my senior year. Put in work.
Hey Spence! I try these things but the thing I find myself doing most often is setting a goal that I KNOW I can achieve (pushing the limits a bit but achievable) and not letting myself drop out of it it’s like a promise I keep to myself whether it’s just in a practice with the guys that are better than me or in a race passing numbers
Yo spencer shout out from ireland bro. Maybe a bit of a long shot here but was wondering could you help a brother put and do a running form video. Increasing stride length etc foot placement arm swing etc. I know there is other videos but your form is smooth. Help a brother out. Great videos bro.
The staying relaxed tip helps a lot. Last race my coach told me at the line that I need to chill out and run like I would at practice. I got a PR of 20 seconds in the second race of the season, finally breaking 17 minutes
From all the videos I have watched and advice from my team the most important factors are Summer Conditioning, Good Nutrition, and Being focused and mentally ready for the season.
When I watched you at the beginning of the summer, I was running a 20:50 5k. Now at the beginning of my sophomore season, I'm at a 17:50, thank you so much for inspiring to be a better runner
My biggest change that led to big improvements was summer training. In my 4 years, this is the last time I really took it seriously and I trained over summer and hit 500 mile club. This season I’ve crushed every workout so far and PRd in both meets so far, going from 20:03 in March to 19:14 now. I’ve been doing core every other day about for the last 2-3 weeks and getting in the weight room like 2-3x per week. This Saturday I’m hoping to break 19!!
One thing that helps is finding a teammate to run with and to compete in races with on top of racing, me and my teammate train together and we run harder when the other is right on our tail, friendly competition helps miles
from personal experience, don't sprint/run really fast when the race starts. I did this in my first race and then by the first mile I felt like I couldn't keep going and I started walking. so even if everyone is ahead of you at the beginning of the race just know that at some point they're going to start to kind of fall behind from where they initially started at the beginning of the race and it'll definitely save you some energy for the rest of the race.
As a senior summer training is a very useful tip. When I first started running I never trained over the summer because I could never make practices due to where I lived. This year I was able to pr significantly compared to last year because I trained over the summer. So far my pr is 21:24 and I’m hoping to get it to close to sub 20 by October.
First meet I had as a freshman was a about a 24 flat, at the end of the season I PRed at 18:39, and got the best effort award at the end of the season’s banquet
I’m in 10th grade and have only been running for 3 months and have a mile time of 5:28 and I lieterly signed up late for cross country this morning tomorrow is my first practice I’m excited to do this XC season!
He said this but if you’ve never run during the off season, this is a must! You’d be amazed on how will improve when you do summer training, I didn’t run during the summer/ off season freshmen year but this year I’ve run over 500 miles with a month left and I can already tell I am much faster than last year and I’m so excited to see how much I have really improved during a race
Excelent tips. Thank you. I went back to track and field this year with ups and downs. I have been able to participate in a 1.500 meters and 5k track events. As well as a road 5k race. I was in the last/last 2 positions on those. And I was number 70 out of 330 in the road 5k. I will be participating for the first time in a 10k cross country. I will probably be the last person but i am not going to quit. You are right, your guide is simple but straight forward. The important is your accumulated training not training a lot just a few days.
I have been looking up to you since I started cross country. My first freshman race this season I got a 17:30. Now I'm going for sub 17 at the next race.
The mental aspect is the most important. You have to be locked in not only before the race, but during the race you cannot let anything or anyone making any moves get into your head. Settle down, make your move at a smart position, and kill their motivation. If you can weaver their confidence to win, even for just a second, you have just claimed yourself a victory. Pushing ahead early will not help you at all, wait until late in the race to make that final push and leave them behind. The moment they question their own abilities, and begin to look back, they lose that drive to push harder, and you have locked yourself in that #1 spot.
I’m a sophomore and this is my first year trying out for cross country ever and here I am trying to improve as fast as I possibly can before tomorrow where I gotta run a timed 2 mile which isn’t that bad I know but the corse is kinda hard and this is my first time trying this so thanks for all the tips
Good tips. PR 16:44 in high school. Build base heavily in Summer. Ran 70 plus. However, mental is important too. Figure out how to numb your mind. For me, this was easy 🥱
U said u we're on the phone with Rey Rivera from old bridge? I asked on another video how he was doing he went to my high school were I ran also heard he had an injury was wondering how he was doing?
Great Video. I went from an overweight XC runner in 9th grade with a time of 21:13 To now about a year later a 10th grader with a time of 17:39 and only getting faster.
How do you know when to take over. It’s hard finding the right time to drop the hammer and kick it into the next gear. I feel like I’m stuck and can’t push through
Alan Westfallp how do you enjoy it even when its mentally and physically torturing? My time isnt great for 3 mile and i have my first meet next tuesday
When the great cyclist Eddy Merckx was asked how to become a better cyclist he replied, simply, "ride lots". Would say the same thing about running - "run lots". Different distances, different paces, different surfaces (do some training on the surface you are going to race on) but get out there and run! If I was going to select one type of workout above all of others for X Country I would highlight longish reps on grass with short recovery at your race pace. You have to get the body accustomed to holding the pace long after extreme fatigue has set in.
This is my second year of running XC and my time has went from 16 my freshman year to 13 on golf courses but still 15 on hills, but yeah I noticed that mindset is very important cause I haven’t had the best one and it has really brought me down so keep positivity and don’t let other things make you feel down
Best advice I have is “Don’t be afraid”. Never fear anything during your race. Once you let something get into your head you’ve already lost. “Just go out there and give em hell” good thing to remember if you’re scared of the outcome.
Honestly everyone thinks that the teeth gritting out for blood strategy works but it's not effective until the last tiny bit of the race. The key to running your best race is staying relaxed and not letting go of the pace no matter what
The mental part is huge, with the season at the start, my team lost a lot of seniors who I was good friends with, and now it seems like I starting over again. I'm not running for the team but rather myself, it just doesn't work. You need somebody there with you otherwise its tough
O.B.J I wish but I go to a really small college and there’s only 2 other boys on my team both of them are extremely slower than me (I run a 29 min 8k and they run around 37-38 mins) so I’m forced to practice and race by myself
Michael K Same thing happened to my team. All the seniors have left and now we’re just rebuilding
Yo what do you guys usually think about mid race cause usually mid race my mind is always telling me to slow it down when I know I can go faster
That’s exactly what’s going to happen next year to my team. I’m a freshman and I was really nervous joining high school cross county but it’s been a lot of fun, but besides another freshman they’re all seniors and they’re mainly what makes it so much fun. But I’m very worried that the team will be dead next year.
At my school there is 74 kids in my middle school doing cross country. There are only 7 girls including me!
I did 800m in college. Our coach always told us to run fast and turn left.
Haha true
9MRSG wise man
Nahhhh bro im finna turn right
He’s not wrong I suppose
who’s here trying to stay motivated during quarantine😅
Israel David 🙋♂️
Me 🤦🏿♂️😆
Man still gotta be running everyday. Gotta get that grind in though
It’s not hard for me to stay motivated. My running partner is always forcing me to run even when I don’t want to which I really appreciate. And I also remember that my competition is all staying at home not doing anything (I be watching their Instagram stories)
Me, I want to be really motivated more and I want to do better this upcoming season. I want to reach and show my true potential because last season I got injured and I couldn't run the rest of the season. (Bad shin splints) for those who know what I am talking about. 😬
Content cop “Freshman that sprint the warmup”
as a freshman... Why other freshman.
Literally everyone on my team
People say i sprint, i dont really im just a faster jogger
My legs are just longer than most on my team
Same
tip: hit puberty
Luke Alverson wrong
It does help
@@hungrygarfield it does I was one of the youngest I my states and people where like a foot taller than me
@@roqu0794 that and testosterone
If your a girls it kinda sucks tho
I am 3 months 24 days old and my 5k time is 7.862 seconds (a little rough I know😳). I’m hoping to cut that in half by next week
Your a god at 4 months you should be at 1 second🐐😳
Joseph Bison wut
Nick Z OMG YOURE SO FUNNY AHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Good time,I'm younger and faster tho
How old are you really, jokes like that sound funny if you are still a little stupid boy.
Sleep is the best recovery tool. Avoid binge drinking it takes away from workout benefits. Stay as stress free as possible. Small sips of water through out the day and take easy days easy!
can you add some more detail re: the binge drinking? Im only a old rec runner but like my drink.
is it really that bad? Doesn't seem to make that much difference to my parkrun times but I might be missing out on the big picture. Working on the other things. Trying to get 8 hours and slowing down on the bread and butter easy runs.
@@shaunukhiking as far as i know the alcohol slows the recovery process and breaks down some of the gains made in a workout if drunk too close to a session (and you're never really too far away from a session if you do 3 speed sessions a week)
shaunukhiking alcohol can easily stay in your system for 2-3 weeks which in turn affects your workouts benefits and how well you recover!
Not even that but water isn’t necessary during a workout or try to limit the amount you drink certain amounts of gulp after each rep or something to get your body adaptive to working without water bc in a race for 3 miles you don’t get water but always keep in mind that if you don’t feel well make sure you are taking in the necessary water to recover!
Eddie Zamora facts
When I started as a freshman my times were 8:43 for a mile and 23:03 for 3 miles by the end of the season. Now as a sophomore I improved very much. My mile time is 5:06, two mile 10:53, and 3 mile 17:32. Consistency, mental, and having someone to work with you is key.
Update: I had a league meet last week and my time for 3 miles was 16:17
Very late update: my pr for the mile is 4:51
Eli Hernandez what type of offseason work did you do mileage wise?
Squid Baller13 after xc I joined track which is where I improved the most. After xc season was over track conditioning started the next day so I didn’t get a break.
@@lord_gibby1698 that's amazing, dude u are an inspiration for me! This is my first year of xc but as of today we ran a timed mile and I got a 5 13! I'm so proud of my self, my 2 mile was like 12 20, ima try it again because I know I can do it faster, and I havent had my first race so I dont know what my 3 mile is
Jordy Cambara dude those times are amazing. Keep training everyday and be consistent and trust me you’ll do even better
How tf do you get your 3 mile pace faster than your mile
The part a lot of people forget is how mentally challenging running is. You’re constantly pushing your limits, the winner is whoever is willing to ensure the most pain. Stay motivated, I started at 20:40 and am now at 18:37. Keep grinding!
Thats some solid improvement, 18:30s is pretty fast
how long did it take to go from 20:40 to 18:37?
Thats great improvement! How long a time period was it between those two times? I managed to go from 20:24 my freshman year down to 16:58 my junior year. Now I’m a senior and I’m ready to improve even more
That’s literally my exact same times I was at 20:41 now I’m at 18:36
"Run smart, not hard" is the best I've got. Comes from my captain who happens to be really wise, but not that fast.
Maybe: Arthur word to the wise, listen to fast people, not “smart” ones
Run smart and hard
This video could have been 5 seconds long...
Tip #1: Do some running
Tip #2: Warm up before races
Tip #3: Don't get hurt
Tip #4: Know how to race
Tip #5: Try your best
thats how coaches be like lmaoo
When you already do this ;-;
My first 5k was 27 minutes flat, now I’m down to around 20:50 (it’s been 2 years ).
Edit: Even though my improvement so far isn’t even comparable with Spencer’s i totally agree with all of them especially staying consistent and summer training
lilPidgey nice job
lilPidgey why are my times identical to yours 😳
My first 5k was 25 it’s been 3 months now I’m at 18:59.9
Cameron Bratzke nice that’s really good
lilPidgey thanks I had to add in the 59.9 because I’m so proud of that and breaking 19 I passed 19s I went from 20:08 to 18:59
The comments are like 99% of people saying there times
Spencer thank you for the tip I love your tips 100% tip
Kenny Rowe yeah I hear the Athlete Special is a big tipper.
You hear that? He wants your tip. Just the tip.
Last season I ran 23:06 for 5k. My first meet this szn I ran 18:07. (Edit 2021: Ran 16:16 as a senior, training advice in comments)
i run a 18:07 too
Oh yea!
James Hughes man I need some tips on getting my times down, how much did you run over the summer and such because I’m at your old time right now?
Jack Epples Well to start off it differs for each person. In my case I had never trained over the summer, was usually injured, and didn’t do winter track. The ‘19 spring I set a goal to not suck. So I trained much more than I had over the summer, I didn’t push too hard or overtrain. I also kept a focused mentality and I love to run which helped. Really it comes down to consistency, everyday showing up and doing the little things right. This vid touches a lot on that. Really to set you up summer training is needed. It takes time. Good luck!
James Hughes thanks man
Trying to break 17 minutes this season and might try to make it to states
Same man. I’m just really hoping for the opportunity to race. I’ve been having my best training during this quarantine
What is ur mileage
You just got to train hard, sleep, take care of your body when hurting, and don't get lazy in the offseason. I'm not that good but I went from a 30:49 in the first 5k of my freshmen year and now the 1st 5k of my junior year I ran a 22:34
Im retarted af but, I’m not being petty but I’m in 7th grade and my 5k time is 21:50
Just started college and upping the training but I still remember my first high school cross practice when I was too weak to run more than a mile lol.
I started freshman year at like a 32 and now towards the end of Junior year am at a 21:39 (rough season) but these tips should hopefully bring me to the ellusive sub 20
Stud Muffin good job bro, I'm at 21:00 now
Mark Moore good luck
The best tip I have is to compete and just think about beating the person right in front of you
One thing my coach told me that has worked really well for me is to not focus on the person ahead of you, but the person ahead of them. It’s crazy how effective it is when you mentally pass people before you even do
Braden Hobbs that's intersting I like it don't even think about passing who's right there and make it seemless🧐
Thank's Spencer :)
Here's my progression
2016 : 21:25 ( 1 or 2 training / week )
2017 : 19:15 ( 3 training / week )
2018 : 17:47 ( 4 training / week )
2019 : 16:45 ( 4 or 5 training / week )
2020 : sub 16 :o ( will be very very hard )
how look your training ?
Niklas Görtz Hum i can tell about it if u want :)
@@evook7441 here or instagram ?
Niklas Görtz instagram might be easier :)
If anyone wanna talk about running a: @noebleynie
How’s it going now?
You 300% need to get 8-10 hours of sleep
True I’m having sleep issues and I’m going to bed at 9:40 and waking up at 4:50 every night. I did my pr on 6 hours but now I’m starting to feel the fatigue from not getting enough
scientists: students need to get 8 hours of sleep
school: 3, take it or leave it
@@tommyz1397 yo same though
FlipFlopFish get sleep, it’s not about how tired you feel, after you’ve been through those Monday workouts, your mind is a steel trap and you can push through the pain 100%. Sleep is more behind the scenes, don’t see it as recovery, see it as training, since sleep is what repairs your body and makes improvements.
Here I am at 1:30 AM watching CZcams instead of catching sleepy times
One tip is to envision yourself racing beforehand, this worked for me and I ran a 30 second pr
I ran a 1:30 minute pr by doing that :D
@@coastalbeaches7181 1 year later lmao
@@maximushaynia6412 yep, I reply to really old comments for some reason lmao
@@coastalbeaches7181 same
Looking to break my schools 3 mile record tomorrow at Woodbridge, wish me luck boys !!
good luck bro
Real Pewdiepie damn wait my school was racing there yesterday, what time did u get?
my schools working it, had to stay late to clean up lol
yeee what did u get
what’s do u get at woodbridge? i was there too!
Just ran my first 3 mile in under 18... hype
Freshman year ran 29:06 5k, 17:37 2 mile, and 8:03 mile
by my senior year ran 19:43 5k, 11:52 2 mile, and 5:22 mile.
Graduated in 2018 currently been in a track club for 6-7 months 5k is currently sitting at 20:06. Want to see how far I can take it with racing it’s a passion of mine my goals for this season is to get in the 18:50s for the 5k and break 35 minutes for the 8k
*Update July 23rd 2020*
got my 5k down to 19:42 in November 2019
got my mile down to 5:18 this month im writing this
I'm an 17 year old in 12th grade. I have a 19:00 5000 m, 11:50 2 mile, 11:10 3000 m, 5:09 mile, 4:49 1500 m and a 2:20 800 m.
I’m a senior too, I have a 19:34 5K, 5:19 mile, and 2:24 800m
I’m a 15 year old going into my sophomore year. I have a 16:55 3 mile. 11:08 2 mile. A 4:54 1 mile. And a 2:08 800m
Hey, I run a 20:06 too. But I’m a freshman
@@PP-fd7ew I ran a 19:48 for my freshman year so far
8-10 miles everyday lol here I am thinking I've improved because I can run 6 or 7
That's still nutty man, don't put yourself down
That’s good dude
Over the first 4 weeks of the summer I worked up from 4 miles a day to 6 miles a day. Then over the next month worked up to between 8 and 9 miles a day with a 12+ mile run once a week. I already had a decent base coming out of the track season but this building the base has allowed me to run a minute faster on slow courses this year than I did on fast courses last year. Finally get to run a fast course tomorrow and am looking to drop between 45 and 30 seconds from my pr for a low 16
For me, blanking out to only focusing on my breathing helps me control my pace as well as keeping myself relaxed. Turned my times from average 22’s to 18’s in 3 months. I have several local races I plan on winning 👍🏽
Thanks Spencer! I love your content and these tips are helpful. So far my season has been going great and my team is a big favorite to win state! XC season hype!
Started watching you a week ago and I can’t stop thank you so much to help me get a consistent schedule and help me get better
Wow this is the first one of these videos I've seen that actually has 5 solid, original tips. Leave it to theathletespecial to absolutely kill it🤙
I watch you and Zack levet all the time and you guys are the best, you guys have helped so much, I started this season as a freshman running 23:00 and now we’re 4 races into the season and i just got 18:57, Pennsylvania state championship is the goal eventually!! Keep doing what your doing it’s so helpful!!
When I was a Freshman and Sophomore in High School I started running as soon as the season began, but this year I started running 4 weeks before and I can already run a 5k under 22 minutes. Kind of crazy how preseason workouts really help. And I also plan on running throughout school to further improve my distance as well as time.
It's always good to have a friend/training partner throughout the season also.
Thank you for the info Spence, I’m a freshman and I just ran my third 5k ever at 18:21 I hope these tips can help me to get to where you are. Thanks!!
Ur a legend thanks, I’m mainly a cross runner and have been working hard at it. Literal inspiration
Dude you’re so awesome!!! Thanks for the content! Also I’m really interested in the sweaters!
Year 3 of coming to this CZcams video. Love the energy you bring to these CZcams videos.
I went from a 21:30 to 17:19 in one offseason and i still have plenty of season to go. Thanks for the tips. I love ur content:)
MocK Blue what was to the work out for that ?
@@dmrkt2964 lots of tempo miles
@@mockblue4826 wtf is tempo miles gimme examples
If you ever see this my current time is a 21:09, and I am a freshman in high school. I'm trying to stay consistent in the summer, what would be your recommendation on how much to run everyday?
Andrew Greig during summer conditioning of that summer i ran 6-10 miles 5 days a week at sub 7 minute a mile pace for a few months until official practice started
Great video Spencer thanks for tips I’m hoping brake 16 this week
“Growing out a bit of a beard”
*flexs headphones*
I wish I had more time to improve and run in high school. If your just started out running cross country running in high school give it your all. Train train train! Because your gonna have so much regret your senior year like me. Grind grind in the summer. Run run run! Unlike me. I’m now a senior and regret. I had got poison oak this summer and couldn’t run. Ruined my senior year. Put in work.
ahh just a normal day coming back from cross practice and coming home an seeing spencer post a video (perfect)
it's so exciting to see him as an up-in-coming youtuber!!!
This video posted 4 hours ago and boom you are over 10000 - Congrats Spencer!!!
Hey Spence! I try these things but the thing I find myself doing most often is setting a goal that I KNOW I can achieve (pushing the limits a bit but achievable) and not letting myself drop out of it it’s like a promise I keep to myself whether it’s just in a practice with the guys that are better than me or in a race passing numbers
Yo spencer shout out from ireland bro. Maybe a bit of a long shot here but was wondering could you help a brother put and do a running form video. Increasing stride length etc foot placement arm swing etc. I know there is other videos but your form is smooth. Help a brother out. Great videos bro.
The staying relaxed tip helps a lot. Last race my coach told me at the line that I need to chill out and run like I would at practice. I got a PR of 20 seconds in the second race of the season, finally breaking 17 minutes
From all the videos I have watched and advice from my team the most important factors are Summer Conditioning, Good Nutrition, and Being focused and mentally ready for the season.
Awesome video Spencer. A lot of these tutorials miss the injury factor, and that kills a lot of young runners, but those were some great tips!
I'm right at the barrier of 17 minutes and these tips will hopefully me get past that barrier, thank you!
When I watched you at the beginning of the summer, I was running a 20:50 5k. Now at the beginning of my sophomore season, I'm at a 17:50, thank you so much for inspiring to be a better runner
What was your work out
@@dmrkt2964 just K and 2k workouts, with 1 mile repeats every other week.
@@dmrkt2964 1500m, and 3ks
Onen Dogs and trees can you tell me like your actual work out schedules
Bro I cracked up at the beginning with the blooper, A+ editing job!
For my summer runs what worked for my way waking up 5 minutes before I was supposed to start running. I was great
Thx man I'm in college rn and I've been mad at myself because I have running the same time in the 6k and 8k .I'm looking forward to a good race 😎
Great job....keep up the improvements...put in the work and get results. Ahead of the game. Good job!!!
My biggest change that led to big improvements was summer training. In my 4 years, this is the last time I really took it seriously and I trained over summer and hit 500 mile club. This season I’ve crushed every workout so far and PRd in both meets so far, going from 20:03 in March to 19:14 now. I’ve been doing core every other day about for the last 2-3 weeks and getting in the weight room like 2-3x per week. This Saturday I’m hoping to break 19!!
Did you break 19 bro?
@@codyeastwood6217 yeah
Sry this a different account but I’m the original commenter
@@xgunner9834 That's what's up bro I believed in you all these years. Good shit!
@@codyeastwood6217 lol thanks dude. Been a rocky road since Covid but I’ve started getting the legs moving fast again
One thing that helps is finding a teammate to run with and to compete in races with on top of racing, me and my teammate train together and we run harder when the other is right on our tail, friendly competition helps miles
from personal experience, don't sprint/run really fast when the race starts. I did this in my first race and then by the first mile I felt like I couldn't keep going and I started walking. so even if everyone is ahead of you at the beginning of the race just know that at some point they're going to start to kind of fall behind from where they initially started at the beginning of the race and it'll definitely save you some energy for the rest of the race.
As a senior summer training is a very useful tip. When I first started running I never trained over the summer because I could never make practices due to where I lived. This year I was able to pr significantly compared to last year because I trained over the summer. So far my pr is 21:24 and I’m hoping to get it to close to sub 20 by October.
First meet I had as a freshman was a about a 24 flat, at the end of the season I PRed at 18:39, and got the best effort award at the end of the season’s banquet
I’m in 10th grade and have only been running for 3 months and have a mile time of 5:28 and I lieterly signed up late for cross country this morning tomorrow is my first practice I’m excited to do this XC season!
He said this but if you’ve never run during the off season, this is a must! You’d be amazed on how will improve when you do summer training, I didn’t run during the summer/ off season freshmen year but this year I’ve run over 500 miles with a month left and I can already tell I am much faster than last year and I’m so excited to see how much I have really improved during a race
Excelent tips. Thank you. I went back to track and field this year with ups and downs. I have been able to participate in a 1.500 meters and 5k track events. As well as a road 5k race. I was in the last/last 2 positions on those. And I was number 70 out of 330 in the road 5k. I will be participating for the first time in a 10k cross country. I will probably be the last person but i am not going to quit. You are right, your guide is simple but straight forward. The important is your accumulated training not training a lot just a few days.
I have been looking up to you since I started cross country. My first freshman race this season I got a 17:30. Now I'm going for sub 17 at the next race.
Remember the part about being patient and letting the race come to you. HUGE in scholastic XC.
landon. I’m a freshie and I was happy with my 25
Nice I ran 17:10 first freshman race
Thanks man, this really gonna help me
Lmfao the irony of talking about being relaxed, great tips Spencer. Wish you, and your team the best this season!
My next race is next Saturday, and I had gallbladder surgery last week, so if I can manage to stay under 19 minutes I’ll be so happy.
Thanks for the advice! Quick question what do you do to relax before a race? I constantly find myself struggling with this.
The mental aspect is the most important. You have to be locked in not only before the race, but during the race you cannot let anything or anyone making any moves get into your head. Settle down, make your move at a smart position, and kill their motivation. If you can weaver their confidence to win, even for just a second, you have just claimed yourself a victory. Pushing ahead early will not help you at all, wait until late in the race to make that final push and leave them behind. The moment they question their own abilities, and begin to look back, they lose that drive to push harder, and you have locked yourself in that #1 spot.
Thanks Spencer, I got a 5k race tomorrow.
Tip from me: LISTEN TO MUSIC THAT MOTIVATES YOU
Thank you Spencer!
Just on Thursday I ran a 19:04 5k, I’m really excited for next Thursday to break that barrier and run in the 18’s
this hypes me up for races idk about anyone else
Have a race tomorrow want to run a fast time to get my spot back on varsity and eventually hitting my goal of my somphore season , Wish me LUCK!🙏🏽
I agree with all of these, especially the last one. :)
I’m a sophomore and this is my first year trying out for cross country ever and here I am trying to improve as fast as I possibly can before tomorrow where I gotta run a timed 2 mile which isn’t that bad I know but the corse is kinda hard and this is my first time trying this so thanks for all the tips
Appreciate the tips!
Freshman year my first 3 mile was 28:54 and now I have a meet saturday and am shooting for 23:30 (I'm a junior girl)
"One big workout isn't gonna make your season, its all about being consistent throughout the whole year... that's how your gonna do well over time"
Cross country is my life thank u for the tips man
I love the the hoodie with out the hood the best
Good tips. PR 16:44 in high school. Build base heavily in Summer. Ran 70 plus. However, mental is important too. Figure out how to numb your mind. For me, this was easy 🥱
I recommend watching over comer I went from being averaging 8th place every race to winning the movie is not only heart warming but has great tips
When you live in Alaska the season ends in October...
U said u we're on the phone with Rey Rivera from old bridge? I asked on another video how he was doing he went to my high school were I ran also heard he had an injury was wondering how he was doing?
Hey Spence! Could you make a vid about you lifetime progression in the mile and 5k? Thanks
The tip about patience honestly goes a long way at least for me.. lol thank u I think I got it figured out now
Great Video. I went from an overweight XC runner in 9th grade with a time of 21:13 To now about a year later a 10th grader with a time of 17:39 and only getting faster.
I was skinny as shit and running a 21
How do you know when to take over. It’s hard finding the right time to drop the hammer and kick it into the next gear. I feel like I’m stuck and can’t push through
I guess my tip is just to enjoy it, if you hate it then your never going to be able to push yourself to your fullest. Enjoy and be consistent
Alan Westfallp how do you enjoy it even when its mentally and physically torturing? My time isnt great for 3 mile and i have my first meet next tuesday
I have a question, is there a certain distance for the weekly fast run or is just whatever is comfortable
Stay focused and set goals is the best advice I can give
Hey Spence what type of watch you run with
Also thx for the tips 👌👍
i think it's the forerunner 235 - looks the same as mine
When the great cyclist Eddy Merckx was asked how to become a better cyclist he replied, simply, "ride lots". Would say the same thing about running - "run lots". Different distances, different paces, different surfaces (do some training on the surface you are going to race on) but get out there and run!
If I was going to select one type of workout above all of others for X Country I would highlight longish reps on grass with short recovery at your race pace. You have to get the body accustomed to holding the pace long after extreme fatigue has set in.
This is my second year of running XC and my time has went from 16 my freshman year to 13 on golf courses but still 15 on hills, but yeah I noticed that mindset is very important cause I haven’t had the best one and it has really brought me down so keep positivity and don’t let other things make you feel down
Callin cap
I wish there was a high school-appropriate version that I, as a coach, could send out to my runners without getting in trouble.
Thanks papa for another banger
Also determination is huge I am in 7th grade girl and I run with our teams varsity boys team at practice because of determination.
Hahaha love the intro bro 😂
Hey Spencer, that's EPIC, can you come to a wilton XC practice pls