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Tip

Presented by Ray Appenheimer, Camp Director
Nike Cross Country Camp Oberlin College

Coach Appenheimer’s advice on how to build a good, solid foundation and base

Oberlin Running Camp Tip

Head Cross Country Coach at Oberlin College, Ray Appenheimer likes to give his athletes the “do’s/don’ts” of best practices. Throughout this year, we plan to post his most famous “do’s/don’ts” and give our campers a bit more insight before joining a cross country camp.

Do’s/Don’ts #1:

DO
Start the summer running paces and distances that are manageable and easy. There is plenty of time to build a good, solid foundation and base.

DON’T
Ramp up your volume or your paces too fast. This is the easiest way to get injured.

Nike Running Camps step by step break-down of the DO!

1. Create a goal
Your goal should force you to come up with a comfortable plan that you can complete in a manageable time. A good goal to have is beating a personal record from the previous year. The previous year is a good measuring stick for improvement for the current one. You should allow yourself plenty of time to complete that year’s goal.

2. Awareness
If you took a long break from running or it’s your first time running, it’s going to take time to get back into the shape you once were. Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. Just know that you should not ramp up your volume of running too fast. That is the easiest way to get injured. You should start your workouts with running paces that are manageable and easy. If you created a goal that allows plenty of time, then patience is key. It may seem like it’s taking you forever to get back in to shape, but using patience with discipline, you will get to the shape you want.

3. Be Smart
If you have a history of getting injured, you should learn from your past mistakes. The most common way of getting injured is rushing back into it. You should ask yourself if it is worth risking injury by going too hard, because injury can ultimately ruin your chances at achieving your goal.

4. Have Fun
Find new places to run every day. Running the same path everyday can create boredom and you can lose interest quickly. Ask around the community for new places to run. Also running alone can cause frustration and discipline issues. Running with a partner or in groups allows each person to push each other to new heights. So, grab a friend and explore new places and conquer runs you never thought you would be able to!

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