by Tyler McQuality, Assistant Cross Country Coach at Illinois Institute of Technology

Here are a few tips for our high school athletes for this summer and the upcoming season!

The most important tip is to set goals, both individually and collectively. Cross Country is a true TEAM sport so I would recommend putting your individual goals aside and focusing on what you and your teammates want to accomplish. Having a team meeting where everyone helps set the goal and direction of the team together is crucial to everyone being on the same page. Alongside with setting individual or team set goals, outline the ways to accomplish those goals. Whether it be never missing a practice in the morning or upping the mileage by adding a second run a couple days a week; it is imperative to know how you and your team are going to reach your goals.

Another tip is to visit your local specialty running store and be fit for a proper pair of running shoes (if you haven’t already). A big key to staying healthy and avoiding injury is wearing the proper footwear. All local running stores are staffed with experienced and knowledgeable runners who can help you and answer any questions you may have.

Injury prevention relates to the next tip: keeping track of your training. Whether it be a handwritten log in a notebook or using an online platform like Strava, runningahead.com or running2win.com. A useful tool found on all these platforms is that you can keep track of mileage on your shoes. A typical running shoe is going to last around 300-500 miles, depending on the individual. Running in a worn-out pair of shoes can lead to an increased chance of injury. Keeping track of your training is also a way to grow as a runner by being a student of yourself and your training by taking ownership of it. When you step to the line, only you truly know what you have done in training and the race result that will follow.

The next couple of tips are often referred to as the “little things”, such as proper hydration & nutrition, getting adequate sleep, and foam rolling/stretching. All of those “little things” add up to the “big things”; staying healthy and injury free. Summer as a high schooler can lead to a lot of distractions with unhealthy eating habits and late nights. These distractions are okay – you are in high school – have some fun! But, the key is to not make them a habit. An unhealthy diet and a lack of sleep make it harder for your body to recover and like I said earlier, increase the risk of serious injury that could jeopardize your season. As someone who has lost a cross country season due to a stress fracture, there is no bigger disappointment than to not be able to compete.

And last but not least, this is the most simple tip, HAVE FUN! Cross Country is truly a wonderful sport where everyone gets to participate and compete, no other sport can really say that. Most of my best friends to this day I ran with in high school. There is something special about the bond forged on a hot summer 10 mile run with your teammates or a long bus ride down to the IHSA State Meet in Peoria in November.

Best of luck to you and your team this upcoming season. Illinois really is the best High School Cross Country state in the nation. Enjoy training, running and competing with your coaches and teammates, because those that have graduated are envious of the opportunity that you have.

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Tyler McQuality will be starting his own coaching career this fall at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, as an Assistant Cross Country coach. McQuality is a recent graduate of North Central College in Naperville, IL where he ran both Cross Country and Track. He attended Oswego East High School and holds part of the school record for the 4x800 sectional championship. He has been fortunate enough to have been coached by some of this nation’s finest and is also a former CARA intern.

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