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XC Running: Mileage Charts Keep Runners Motivated

XC Running: Mileage Charts Keep Runners Motivated

Dick Moss

If you want to be successful at cross-country running you must absolutely put in the miles. But the solitary nature of running makes motivation difficult for some runners. There is often nobody, including the coach, there to watch you when you're running on your own.

A mileage chart system can help runners complete their distance running requirements. This graphic method for comparing workloads should give your runners the recognition they need to motivate them to complete those lonesome miles.

The Mileage Chart System
The mileage chart system uses bar charts in which weeks are noted along the bottom of the page and the distances run are located on the vertical axis. Tape an individual chart for each runner on a wall that is easily visible to everyone. Put a colored marker on a string and fasten it to the wall.

Each Monday, your runners add up the total distance they've run for the week and use a marker to record that week's mileage on their chart.

You could also change the color of the marker each Monday so that the week is the same color on every chart. This makes it easy for your runners to find and compare their week's mileages with other athletes.

To get a reproducible copy of a mileage chart, download a pdf version at the bottom of this page.


Reference: Idea from Rick Carleton, former coach of the Laurentian Men's XC/Track teams, Sudbury, Ontario.

 

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