Great Oak High School's cross-country team runs a 7-mile recovery run in the morning, then tackles afternoon intervals: 800 meters at 92-94% effort, recovery, 2-mile tempo, repeat. Senior captain Cameron Hilton explains how team leaders organize equipment and mentor younger runners while coaches emphasize mental toughness for racing.
This morning we did 7-mile run, so they got in here early and got their 7-minute— their 7-mile run in.
I always like the recovery days because it gives us time to bond with each other. It's a really nice break from having to run the harder workouts that we do. I really like running with a large I like to run with a larger group of girls because we usually play a lot of music and get into it. <LYRICS>Tell me why I never wanna be the same. I want to dance away.</LYRICS> You don't really think about the run, you just kind of bond with each other, especially on the recovery days. We started out, our first mile was 7:17. We went around 7:10 for the rest of our run, and I think our slowest mile was 7:25. This afternoon's workout, we're doing an 800 and then a 2-mile tempo, and then we're doing doing that again. I'm looking forward to it because it will help us improve.
We really train them to know exactly what they need to do and the steps to follow through, whether that's showing them, showing us a watch or whatever it is that we're looking at. This afternoon we've got a bit of a tough workout. They're going to do pre-race warm-up just to make sure they're practiced for the race on Friday, just kind of shaking the cobwebs out on that. And then we'll do our HIIT and then we'll do our core work. The workout we're doing, it's an 800-meter fast, then they get about a minute and then they do a 2-mile tempo. Then they come back, get about 5 or 6-minute rest in between, and they do another 800 fast and then a 2-mile tempo. It just simulates getting out really fast and what a race feels like when you go out really hard and then having to settle in and just kind of feel the burn a little bit. So it's a very difficult workout, but this, you know, we kind of train through Seaside. It's more of just like a fun time trial. And I think the workout for today is more just trying to get them mentally ready for racing.
Go!
Oh God.
I know some coaches really coach every step of the way. We try to make sure they understand the routine, why they're doing it, and what they need to get done. If you're at a Great Oak practice, you'll notice that it's really a lot of times the kids are leading what's going on and they know exactly what they need to do and they're excited about the opportunity that's given to them.
Lunge forward with the right leg. One. I'm Cameron Hilton and I'm a senior at Great Oak High School. To be a leader on this team, it takes a lot, being that we have about 200 kids on this team. Can't really just be anyone. It's got to be the best of the best, really someone who just exhibits that they can take charge of any task that they're given by their coaches. And then anyone who's just a really good runner and that can take on any challenge that they're faced with, teach from that experience. Really on this team, it's a privilege. Greatest thing that can happen on this team besides winning a national title.
I feel my role on the team as a leader is to set a good example by showing leadership and helping the younger kids, mentoring them, show them what warm-ups and training is like show them how not to be nervous before a race and just trying to be the best that I am so they can see what they can do.
It's not as much a popularity contest as it is a responsibility, and the kids that we select have a lot of things that they need to do from just cleaning up after practice to making sure things are put away to taking roll at the start of practice to, you know, leading a lot of the groups and a lot of the different pieces of core or whatever whenever we need. Something done, we grab the captains and say, hey, do this, and they tend to do a really good job. Alright guys, the easy part is over. The, uh, the real part of the workout starts now. Make sure that you've got plenty of water in you.
Make sure that you've got, uh, you might want to go wet your hair down a little bit.
I'm gonna give you 3 or 4 minutes to do the bathroom break, all that stuff. When you come back, we're gonna do a fast 800. Okay, that fast 800 is gonna be, uh, approximately probably 92 to 94% of what you would run an 800 in, so it's gonna be tough. Then I'll give you a minute to collect your breath, then you're going to go out and do a 2-mile tempo. Then we'll get 5-6 minutes in between and then we'll do it again. So this is going to be a real tough workout.
Boys, you ready? Yeah. Girls, you ready? Here we go. Runners, set, go!
For like the tempo split, top-end group will be somewhere probably in the 5:04 to 5:20 range. For the top-end group of girls, our top 3 girls are all pretty elite. 2 of them went to the Nike Elite Camp and one of them probably probably could have or been real close to it. So, you know, with those 3 types of girls, they're usually consistently under 6 minutes. The rest of them will be in the 6:15 to 6:30 range.
That's good. Relax and stay strong. Gonna push them, Noah. Go, Gabriel. Come on, Eric. Get up there, Eric. Got 1:18 in. Good, ladies. Right there with her. Good, Fatima. All right, let's get those lungs burning, ladies.
Right around 2:17. 2:32 for the top end girls.
All right, you got 1 minute. You're on tempo pace. You set your watches, please. Get your mind right. Get your mind right. Weather the storm. Mentally tough. Quick catch of breath and then right back out there. I want to check for tempo paces when you get back. Make sure they're accurate.
How you guys feeling after that? Pretty good, just hot.
Yeah.
What were your paces? Uh, 5:09. 5:09 for both miles? Yeah. Nice.
6:03.
6:03?
I didn't stop.
I was dying.
Yeah, just getting your breath.
Good.
So for, for that one, our top 3 girls were 5:50, 5:53, and 6:03. So pretty solid for that. It's a tough workout when you've got to run you know, an 800 real fast and then come back and try to jump right into a tempo pace and feel comfortable at your normal tempo pace. Kind of teaches them mentally how to weather the storm, which is what the ultimate goal is, you know. When you're in those big races, especially Woodbridge and races like that where it just crushes the first mile, you've got to be able to weather it mentally and still finish. So that's what we're working on today.
Same effort, here we go. Runners set, go! Stay focused. Relax. Breathe. Good, Brock. Go, Cameron. Good job, boys. All right, boys, you should be going. Understand?
Go. Go.
Sip of water and get out there, please. Don't take too much time. Let's go.
About another minute.
Stay strong. Control your breathing. Good, ladies. Stay tough. We got 2:32, same as last time. Good job, ladies. You got 1 minute. Get your watch reset.
Honestly, I thought they looked really good considering Monday was kind of a killer day and Tuesday was quite a bit of mileage. To be able to come back to run the way they did today was kind of exciting. The good thing is these types of workouts that we're doing this week are all about getting their brains ready to handle the pressures of going out fast and being able to come back. I thought the girls looked fantastic. The boys just showed the depth that we have. I mean, it's— I don't think there's a team out there that can beat us depth-wise. We've got a really good deep team. If we can be consistently doing the things that we need to do, it reads and tells us that everything that we've been doing is working the way that we want it to work, and then if we continue to stay in that consistency level, that we should continue to get faster. You know, by the time we get to Bob Furman on the 22nd, I think we'll have a group of guys that's ready to go out there and mix it up with anybody. Tomorrow's just mileage. I think they got 4 miles in the morning and I think 6 in the afternoon, so It's going to be definitely a recovery day towards the slow end of their recovery pace. Just trying to shake the legs out, get a little mileage in, and be ready for the race on Friday.
