Off-season Training: Week 4 (June 30)

Goal for Week 4: Add Hill Repeats

This week we'll add hill repeats to the training. The long run should still be more than one hour, but also now at least one time during the week find a 150-200m hill to run, 6-8 times at about 3K-5K race pace with an easy jog back down between each repeat. A hill on a road if fine, but a grassy slope would be great. Total weekly mileage should be about the same. Next week we'll try to increase mileage a bit.


Sunday Long Run (70 minutes or more)

Monday 5-6 miles

Tuesday 7-8 miles with hill repeats (6 x 150m)

Wednesday 8-9 miles

Thursday 5-6 miles w/ strength training

Friday 7-8 miles

Saturday 5-6 miles or swim/bike w/ strength training


Coach Van Arkel

Off-season Training: Week 3 (June 23)

Goal for Week 3: Increase long run and add strength work

This week we'll add one or two elements to the training. The long run should be more than one hour and at least one time during the week deliberately find a hilly course to run, working the uphills at a slightly faster pace than normal. It also would be a good idea to add a couple of core strength workouts to the training. These workouts can be as simple as two sets of crunches,  two sets of pushups and a couple of sets of planks (front and back held for 20-30 seconds).

Sunday Long Run (70 minutes or more)

Monday 5-6 miles

Tuesday 7-8 miles with hills

Wednesday 8-9 miles

Thursday 5-6 miles w/ strength training

Friday 7-8 miles

Saturday 5-6 miles or swim/bike w/ strength training


Coach Van Arkel

Off-season Training: Week 2 (June 16)

Goal for Week 2: Run every day!

For the first two weeks of our summer training the goal will be consistent running (at least 6 days/week) with most daily runs up to one hour at a conversational pace. Starting June 23 we'll add three specific weekly workouts: one longer run(>70 minutes), a set of 6-8 hill repeats, and two sets of core strength work (planks, crunches, pushups). It's okay to add other workouts, cross train, spend time in the gym, etc., but running has to be the top training priority. By the third week mileage should be close to 50 miles/week for both the women and the men.

Sunday Long Run (60 minutes or more)

Monday 5-6 miles

Tuesday 7-8 miles

Wednesday 8-9 miles

Thursday 5-6 miles

Friday (Freshmen First Day) 7-8 miles
9:30 am Meet with Coach at OFEC Training Room
5:00 pm Physicals

Saturday 5-6 miles or swim/bike


Coach Van Arkel

Summer Cross Country Training

Off-Season Training for Cross Country:

We will spend the next 10 weeks of summer off-season training building an aerobic base for the harder running we will do when cross country season starts at the beginning of the fall semester. 6K and 10K cross country races are 80%-85% aerobic, so mileage, volume and aerobic fitness are the most important elements and are necessary before we add speed work and more intensive running during September and October. 

These key components make up our off-season cross country training plan:

1. Aerobic Fitness - Mileage to improve endurance and efficiency. Consistency is important.
2. Leg Strength - Hill running to increase the strength of leg muscles, tendons and ligaments and improve form and speed.
3. Core Strength - Resistance exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize the core/trunk/upper body.
4. Nutrition - Pay attention to your diet. Eat healthy, watch your weight and hydrate before and after training runs.
5. Recovery/Sleep - Improvement occurs during the rest phase. If you don't give your body a chance to regenerate between hard workouts you risk injury, illness and burnout.

We will not begin running fast intervals until practice starts. In the meantime, focus on volume and running workouts at current fitness levels. Getting faster as a cross country runner comes from being persistent and patient and putting in lots of miles over the summer.

Coach Van Arkel

Drury 2013 Cross Country Schedule

Drury 2013 Cross Country Schedule (tentative):

Sept. 21   Southern Stampede   MSSU   Joplin, MO

Sept. 28   Cowboy Jamboree  OSU  Stillwater, OK

Oct. 12   Jackling Jocks Invitational   MO S&T   Rolla, MO

Oct. 26   GLVC Conference   Maryville   St. Louis, MO

Nov. 9   NCAA Midwest Regional   WI-Parkside   Kenosha, WI



Coach Van Arkel

Off-season Training: Week 1 (June 9)

Goal for Week 1: Run every day!

Track season/recovery is over for all Drury runners and we've now begun training for cross country. Nothing magical about workouts at this point. Consistency is most important, so I'm asking all cross country runners to begin their summer routine by running easy this week up to an hour every day. Not long or hard, just be consistent. Next week I'll add one or two elements to the training. It's okay to run with teammates and do some hard workouts for the next couple of weeks, but by July I'll ask all runners to focus exclusively on aerobic training for cross country.

Sunday: Run

Monday: Run

Tuesday: Run

Wednesday: Run

Thursday: Run

Friday: Run

Saturday: Run

Coach Van Arkel

Summer Training/Freshmen First Day/Medical Info

Our first cross country practice will be Saturday August 17. We'll start our off-season summer training program 10 weeks out beginning June 9. I'll post training suggestions and will ask most runners to be at around 60 miles/week by the end of the summer. We'll plan again to offer 1000 Mile t-shirts to those runners who keep track of their mileage between June 1 and the NCAA Regional Meet November 2 and run 1000 miles between those dates. That's just over 20 weeks, so 50 miles/week during that time should get you to 1000 miles.

All incoming freshmen should plan to meet as a group and with Coach Van Arkel at 9:30 am at the Athletic Training Room in OFEC on Freshmen First Day on June 21. Please complete check-in by 9 am. If possible, incoming freshmen and returning juniors need to plan to get a physical done by the Drury team doctor on campus at 5:00 pm on June 21 after the day's formal events have ended. Before getting the physical, runners will need to fill out and provide to the athletic trainers the revised medical forms which are linked to the right on this page and which are also posted on the the Drury Athletic Trainer's web page:

http://www.drurypanthers.com/sports/2011/6/20/GEN_0620111326.aspx?tab=coxhealthdruryathleticssportsmedicine

Drury team doctors will also be on campus Mondays at 1:00 pm during the summer to conduct physicals if it is not possible to get those done June 21.

Coach Van Arkel