Track & Field/XC Discussion! Enter our Poll!

[-Firesong-]

I am going to run track in the Spring, for the first time.
I have always loved running, but we haven't really had the money and yeah, so I've never actually competed.
I'm currently super out of shape--by my standards anyways, my friends think I'm fine--so I'm looking to try to start small and run little bits at a time and work myself back up to where I was two years ago.

I do know that conditioning starts in February, and the season starts in March, with our first meet a few weeks into March.
Is there anything specific I should know about running track? Any tips or the like?

[mindless.]

Well.are you a distance like 1600 / 2400? Or a sprinter. ooor hurtle-r.

[Proud violent zealot]

Well, no matter what you run, I would start off easy. Maybe 6 minute runs 5 times with rest? That's what we were doing.

[mindless.]

I have to try and condition for track...mmmeeeeh....I may stop running anymore.

[Proud violent zealot]

No, don't stop running! Never give up!

[TheIdiotNextDoor]

I just started XC this year and I love it! I'm definitely NOT the best in my year, but I have improved a lot! The thing is, I kind of fall out of practice during off season. DX

[Proud violent zealot]

Run on your own on the off season! (That's what I do) Although after a season you should try to take a 2 week break before starting again, and you should always take one day off in a week.

[LonelyGuldfisk]

i run 4km every morning, well i used to but i stopped but im gonna start doing it again

[kitykitywldchld]

Proud violent zealot: We take 2 weeks off after a season as well... Although last year, after track, I will admit I took a bit more than 2weeks. /: ...more like a month and a half? But then once I started in the summer I didn't stop... Lets just say that running became my life over the summer. No lie, I prob went to my friends' houses no more than 7 times. BUT! I ran with my team most days, so yah know, it kinda worked out so that I wasn't a little ground hog sitting at home... Lol(x

[Unicowrn]

My PRs
5K - 21:35
1500 - 5:30ish
800 - 2:43

Any tips at all? I feel like I was in shape to easily break 21 at New Englands, but I passed out. I had costochondritis pretty bad, it was ridiculously muddy, and I got really badly hypoglycemic. A girl spiked me, too, and I could barely put weight on my left foot (I later needed stiches and a new pair of spikes because mine were so bloody).

I really want to run in college, btw. Any college XC runners that could help me out with that? I want to go to an Ivy, but they don't give very detailed info on their website about their girls' times. Does anyone know what times the girls from the massive D1 schools (like Harvard, Princeton, Yale etc) run? Race results say 18s, but I haven't seen that many race result sheets so I wouldn't know very well.