A Closer Look at . . .Training for Cross Country by Jack Hazen
In running, there is no perfect training program. One athlete may experience great success following a certain plan, while another may fail to progress using the same strategy. For both the coach and the athlete it is important to acquire knowledge of different training strategies and principles in order to discover how to make the most of one(1)s potential as a runner. Malone College coach Jack Hazen(1)s Training for Cross- Country (Tafnews Press, Mountain View CA, 2001, $19.95) provides a good look at the method of periodization in training and is an excellent resource for any coach or athlete who wishes to further his knowledge of the sport. Hazen begins by recommending seven levels of training for athletes in various stages of their running careers, from the beginner who has never run before, to the athlete who has been competing for several years. He includes detailed training plans for each of these stages of fitness while providing thorough explanation for his methods. These training schedules would probably be most helpful to the new high school coach who is looking to formulate a training plan for his runners.

The book does an excellent job explaining the (3)why(2) behind the training principles and process of adaptation. Hazen(1)s stress on recovery time and patience is to be commended in the world of American athletics in which young athletes are too often pushed too hard too soon and are never able to realize their full potential as runners. He stresses that (3)Cross-country can certainly be considered a lifetime sport.(2) Rather than focusing only on immediate success, his book helps to convey the importance of coaches stressing the lifelong benefits of running and instilling a love for the sport in his runners rather than pushing young athletes to the point of burnout.

Hazen offers a number of specific methods coaches can use to get youth athletes interested in running and then maintain that interest and love of the sport. Because cross-country lacks the glamour of many high school sports, Hazen emphasizes the coach(1)s role in promoting the sport by doing things such as hanging up cross-country pictures on school bulletin boards, making announcements over the PA, and getting local media coverage for the sport. Without dedicated coaches working to promote cross- country, many individuals who have the potential to be talented runners may never discover the sport.

Hazen does a good job articulating some aspects of cross- country that make it such a unique sport. He points out that (3)Usually a team sport has specialized positions or varying skills that are used by different team members. In cross-country every team member does the same workout, learns exactly the same skill, performs exactly the same routine tasks. Therefore, every member of the team can aid and assist, encourage and be of help to every other athlete.(2) It is this element of individual effort and team unity that helps to set cross-country apart from many other sports and makes its lifelong benefits so great.

The book also contains a number of chapters of interest on topics ranging from creating team unity to nutrition. The section devoted to strength and flexibility provides photographic descriptions of how to correctly perform strengthening and flexibility exercises that would be useful to a beginning coach or athlete who wants to try some new strength and flexibility exercises. Hazen outlines the concept of different stages of strength development throughout training cycles and provides detailed examples of how this method can be applied. The book also contains a glossary of basic running terms, a listing of common running problems with definitions and methods of prevention, and several pages of templates for team surveys and athlete profile sheets that could be used by a coach.

This book is an excellent reference source for basic cross- country and training information. It is a great resource for beginning coaches and runners. More high-school coaches should practice Hazen(1)s method of patience and gradual buildup in mileage and intensity. The book(1)s lesson of looking at the development of an athlete over a period of time rather than just one season is an important one for coaches and athletes to learn.

Editor note: Elaine Binkley is an avid reader and is a sophomore at Denison University where she has earned NCAA Division III All American honors twice in cross-country. Elaine also earned All State honors in Cross Country and Track at Bishop Watterson High School.