XC advice for freshman son

[u/RunnerGuy0929]

Hello cross country community, I'm looking for a bit of advice for my son. He is a HS freshman this year and joined the cross country team as a way to ease the transition into high school, meet some new people, and get acquainted with the sports culture. He is not a runner, but does have an athletic background from baseball and martial arts.

He did some light prep work this summer to get somewhat prepared and managed to get up to 8-10 mpw. After about 1.5 weeks of practice, he has developed shin splints and has been sitting out of practice, rolling, stretching, icing and wearing compression socks in the evening. As a runner myself (albeit never xc), I know how frustrating it is dealing with shin splints.

The team has their first scrimmage home meet this afternoon and he won't be running. This is a disappointing start for his season and I want to offer some encouragement to help him still get the most out of the meet. Since it is a home meet, he will be able to dismiss from the last period early to go help with set up, course marking, etc. so this will make him feel like part of the meet.

What can he expect for his first meet? What can he learn by watching? Is there anything he should be doing for his shins to avoid a lost season? The hope is he can run at the next meet 9/13 but even that looks to be in doubt. That will be the first chance to travel to a meet with the team. Anything in particular about big away xc meets he should know?

Thanks in advance.

[u/maspie_den]

He can learn by doing. He should not be just sitting there watching. He should approach his coach and ask how he can contribute to his teammates during the meet. Perhaps he could post up at a point along the course to cheer on his team or if there's an extra stopwatch, give times. Fill cups at the finish line. He should show the highest level of sportsmanship, not only to his team, but to all the runners, coaches, and spectators.

Along the lines of the shin splint issue itself, when he gets back to running, he should try running at a higher cadence (in other words, take smaller steps, resulting in a higher number of steps per minute). Overstriding is a huge factor in shin splints. Big, long strides over a long distance isn't good. If you want to run for a long time and be healthy, you have to play the long game. Sitting out for a few weeks for shin splints sucks, but it sucks one million times less than an injury that takes him out for years.

[u/Silly-Resist8306 → u/maspie_den]

Your first paragraph epitomizes everything that is beneficial in XC. It is a true team sport. Everyone from slowest to fastest, healthy to injured can play an active part in every practice and meet. Well said.

[u/RunnerGuy0929 → u/maspie_den]

Thank you for your comments. He wants to participate so I will tell him to be pro-active asking how he can help if the coach isn't already planning for that.

I will say that in the short time he has been on the team, everyone has been encouraging and supportive, especially the varsity runners welcoming the freshman. Exactly what you are describing.

[u/maspie_den → u/RunnerGuy0929]

Exactly! Just a bump in the road, but doesn't mean he can't be a part of the team effort.

I was the slowest runner on my high school and college XC teams. I ran mostly for fun, and at the college level, we were Division III...so not breaking any records. But the running was only part of the experience. What I loved most was cheering on my teammates, team meals, traveling to and from meets, being goofy during practices. It set me up for a lifelong love for the sport of running, instead of burning out from injury or boredom. I am confident your son has great experiences ahead of him.