How to Build a Higher Endurance in Cross-Country

Cross-country athletes have superb aerobic fitness. To improve endurance, you must overload your cardiovascular system, forcing it to adapt to the intensity of the training. An effective training program will include a variety of distances and intensities, with the overall aim of improving your cardiac output -- or the amount of blood your heart can pump -- and the efficiency of your muscles at utilizing energy and oxygen. With a little hard work and determination, you'll be setting personal bests before you know it.

Instructions

    • 1

      Train on terrain specific to your event. The more specific your training is, the more effective it will be. Try and run on terrain that bears the most resemblance to your race location. Since running is the event, running should be the primary form of training. Cycling may lead to an increased endurance, it will develop different muscles and neuromuscular pathways.

    • 2

      Calculate your maximum heart rate. Effective endurance training will inevitably involve some target heart-rate training. Knowing your maximum heart rate allows you to calculate your target heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is the number of times your heart beats in one minute when you're exercising at 100 percent intensity. Exercising within a target heart-rate range allows you to determine and monitor your training intensity. Maximum heart rate can be determined using the simple formula: 220 minus your age. The average 20-year-old for example, would have a maximum heart rate of 200 beats per minute.

    • 3

      Perform high-intensity interval training to improve your cardiovascular endurance. The intensity, duration and rest periods will vary depending on your fitness level and event distance. To improve endurance, work periods should be at least 60 seconds long, at 85 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate. If you are new to interval training, use a work-to-rest ratio of 1-to-3, progressing to 1-to-2 and eventually 1-to-1 as your fitness improves.

    • 4

      Perform sessions of high-intensity continuous running to improve your lactate threshold and cardiovascular endurance. It is obvious that in cross-country, the athlete able to run the fastest for the longest will be the winner. Running at 80 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate will mean your are utilizing both the aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen) energy systems. Regular training at this intensity will create cardiovascular and circulatory adaptions that, come race day, will enable you to run raster before reaching your aerobic capacity.

    • 5

      Tailor your diet and lifestyle to optimize your progression. It is likely you will need to increase your consumption of carbohydrates to fuel your body with the energy it requires, and proteins to repair and build lean muscle and connective tissue. Getting at least eight hours of sleep will also help you achieve optimal recovery and adaptation.

    • 6

      Build rest days and easy runs into your training schedule. It is important to train hard to force adaptation, but it is equally important to rest to promote recovery and prevent overtraining.