Monday's session is the first of a series of fortnightly cross country sessions at Brancumhall. This venue provides us with a mix of fast, flat sections, gradual uphill slogs and heavy going, all good for building strength and running technique for the forthcoming cross country season. Running cross-country involves more strength than running on the road as the soft ground absorbs the elastic energy from your muscles (and shoes if you have some of those new, fangled carbon fibre plate jobs) and forward motion is therefore dependent mainly on muscle power. The strength developed during a cross-country season then transfers over to the road (and track) as propulsion can then come from a combination of elastic energy and improved muscle power. This is why many of the top runners combine a winter XC season with their summer track and/or road season. Its all part of the bigger picture.
The session for Monday is 6 x 2 minutes at 4k/5k pace (i.e. the pace of the first few short relays) with a 2 minute jog recovery around the usual perimeter of the pitches.
Run to Brancumhall via the usual route down High Common Rd and St Leonards Rd (and the reverse on the way back). Bring your usual road shoes for the run to/from Brancumhall and then a change of shoes (if you have them) for the grass efforts (e.g. trail shoes or spikes). There may be a kind Harrier who can take your shoes to the venue in their car but bring a shoe bag or something to carry your shoes just in case.
Alan
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