The duration of competition schedule for the UCLA cross country team is a short one, going from Labor Day to the end of November. But for many of the individual athletes, the season is far from over.
Unless they decide to redshirt, most cross country runners jump right into the track and field training regimen and competition once the cross country season concludes.
“I think these athletes are very unique and special when you think of the demands that the sport places on them from a competitive standpoint,” cross country and distance coach Eric Peterson said. “They have the opportunity to compete almost every month of the year, and that’s unusual.”
After the NCAA cross country championships on Nov. 24, the indoor track season begins in the winter, which is intended to prepare the athletes for the outdoor track season in the spring that cumulates in June. Add on summer training for cross country, and distance runners are logging miles all year long.
For some athletes, the transition is nothing too drastic.
“I enjoy it a lot,” senior Lauren Jirges said. “It’s similar to high school with no break. I’m an active person so it’s fun to compete in essentially three different sports.”
Cross country scholarships are allocated from track and field scholarships, so having athletes compete in both sports is very common.
The purely endurance-focused runners love cross country because it gives them another chance to compete against others in long races.
The cross country team is composed of runners who are middle distance and long distance runners. Some middle distance runners use the cross country season as extended training.
For example, redshirt freshman Cory Primm said that the cross country season will help him build endurance and strength that he can utilize when he runs the 800 meters in the spring. It is unlikely that Primm will be in the seven-man squad that runs in the cross country events, but training with the group will help him improve.
Besides the transition from one sport to the next, the change to shorter distances for track can also be a challenge.
Men’s cross country races are 8 kilometers with the NCAA championship at 10k; the women’s team runs 6k races with an 8k championship. Track and field events only go up to 5,000 meters and not all athletes compete in that event.
The return to the rubberized track surface of the track and field season are welcomed by some.
“It’s a relief for me,” senior Laef Barnes said. “In cross country I’m running with a lot of guys better built for it. As the tables turn back to track it’s my turn to shine. It’s a lot more relaxing, and I feel more confident.”
With the long season, athletes’ health is a huge concern. No one wants to jeopardize a season or a career by running constantly for four years.
“It’s a matter of management,” Peterson said. “The challenge from a coaching standpoint and training standpoint is that the athletes need to be in tune with what’s going on with their body. We have to have a good line of communication year-round.”
Despite what seems to be a rigorous schedule with all of the training, the athletes enjoy running and showing what they can do against competition in various conditions. Bringing together different types of runners for cross country and then turning to more individualized training for track is very distinctive to the sport.
“You’re blending all of these skill sets and talents and managing training focus and competitive focus,” Peterson said. “It’s a fun job.”
INJURY REPORT: Junior Alex Crabill is back to full strength after being held out of the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 4 because of a sore foot.
Crabill resumed running a few days before the event but did not run in Oregon as a precaution. He was back on a full training schedule the Sunday after and will compete this weekend in the Pre-NCAA Invitational.
Redshirt sophomore Cobbie Jones will be out for the 2008 cross country season due to a stress reaction suffered earlier in the year. Stress reactions are minor fractures of bones and are treated the same way as fractures. Athletes do not participate in weight-bearing activity since overtraining is usually the cause for the injury.