Cross Country Practice - Tuesday 13 October

It was a hot day again today. We went to Lam Tsuen Park to train in the shade.

(Did you know you can add 7 degrees to the temperature when the sun is shining directly on you? That means if it is a 32 degree day, you could be feeling 39 degrees in the middle of the sports field... All the runners today noticed how much cooler it was under the trees in the park.)

Last week's session was all about Capture-the-Flag. This week, we needed some structured training. So this was what the session looked like:

1. Walk to the top of the park. We set a goal to get there and ready to start by 3.30pm. We were actually ready to start by about 3.40pm. This was pretty good, and we all agreed to get closer to 3.30pm next time we run in the park.

2. Indian Running. The kids run in 'trains' of three or four runners, around a 200 metre lap. They aim for a steady pace, making sure the 'train' stays together. Every time I ring a bell, or blow a whistle, the runner at the back of the train speeds up, runs to the front, and takes the lead. This activity teaches the kids to pace themselves, but also to put in bursts of speed every so often. These are racing skills. In Indian running, they learn that to go faster, they need to pump their arms, and take quicker, shorter steps. This was a good activity. I heard a lot of good communication, and I saw a lot of strong, purposeful fast running each time I rang the bell. Each train ran five times around the lap, for 1000m of steady and fast running.

3. Two-Runner Relay. In pairs, using the same 200m lap. Partners take turns to run 200m at a racing pace. After each lap, they get to rest while their partner runs. We carried on until each runner had completed three laps: another 600m at race pace.

4. Break. The kids already looked properly hot and sweaty. I could see from their faces that they knew they had done some good training: a mixture of tiredness and pride.

5. Ghost-In-The-Graveyard. This is a running and hiding game a bit like Kick-The-Can. We played this for 15 minutes.

6. Walk back to NIS.

I think it was an excellent session. The students should feel proud of themselves. They can start to feel confident about the Cross Country race coming up.