So, my son joined the XC team at the suggestion of his basketball coach. He ran his first EVER XC race this week and place 5th for his team, 10th overall!! (And he was sick).
I’m only a little bit excited because when he signed up, it was with the understanding that preseason would be a trial period.
I don’t want to go all in, but he does have an upcoming birthday …
Could people please weigh in on less fancy GPS watches? He probably would only wear it while running, so something that will track miles, pace, splits etc., and that music could be downloaded to.
What about shoes?? He’s currently running in Brooks Ghosts. For racing should he wear something with more traction? I’ve heard racing spikes have little cushioning? Would a light weight trail shoe work?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!! And no, I’m not planning to go out and buy all the stuff!
Ian Golding at Finger Lakes Running Company was a coach for a cross country team a few years ago - maybe the women’s team? I would pick his brain. He is much closer to the current recommendations than I am. Jamie Loehr
Former XC mom here! For shoes, yes something with more traction than road shoes is definitely recommended. If he is used to running in Brooks, which have a lot of cushioning, starting with a light weight trail shoe might be a good first step. They will have a lot more grip and will be way better in muddy conditions. Spikes will definitely give you much better traction on grassy courses. But yes they are very minimalist. My daughter’s coach had the team do workouts in them throughout the season to get used to them. I’d have a conversation with the coach about their approach to spikes and recommendations. And sometimes they or the school have some kids can borrow or a discount place to get them.
For a watch I’d just recommend an old school Timex Ironman. In my opinion you should have some ability to judge pace and do a little math! Especially as a new runner. Also high schoolers can’t race in smart watches. So if he gets used to having all the data while training and then doesn’t have it to race it may do him a disservice. And lastly from a mom safety point of view, I think running with music is dangerous and would not encourage kids to do it. You need to be aware of your surroundings (cars, trucks, dogs….). It’s my daughter who ran so I was also worried about all the creeps that sexually harass/assault women running down the road. I wanted her to be alert and not distracted. Less of a concern with a son but teenagers tend not to be the most observant so depending on where he is running it may be something to think about.
Regarding watches, I agree with Julie’s sentiment. New and young runners absolutely should get used to running based on feel and not being overwhelmed by excess data and metrics. This is arguably the most important skill any runner can have. An old-school “split” watch like a Timex Ironman will force this. However, a GPS watch that tracks the absolute basics of miles, pace and splits is really, really handy, especially if your son goes off on a new route that Coach hasn’t mapped. He doesn’t need heart rate tracking, but any recent GPS watch includes this anyway. Everything else is secondary. I agree with Julie that running with music is generally distracting and can lead to being oblivious and getting into dangerous situations. If he really wants to run with music because he’s running really far, he should bring his phone for general safety reasons anyway.
To my knowledge, entry-level GPS watches haven’t changed much recently regarding the absolute basic features or differentiate themselves from each other, so you can either get any current entry model or an older entry model. Most runners love a Garmin watch, but I’m pretty sure Coros offers better-value watches. The current Coros base model is the Pace 4 but I’ve heard great things about the Pace 3 which is still on their website, or even the Pace 2. For Garmin, the current is the Forerunner 70 and the older is the Forerunner 55.
Regarding shoes, yes, he absolutely should wear something with more traction than trainers like the Brooks Ghosts. I disagree with Julie that a lightweight trail shoe may be a good way to ease into racing shoes, or that the Brooks Ghosts are an especially cushioned shoe (they’re average per standardized lab testing). Light weight and trail shoe are almost always mutually exclusive. As Julie said, racing spikes are the most versatile. Regarding their lesser cushioning, your son will get used to them, and the race is only 3 miles long. Thankfully, today’s cross country spikes have far much cushioning than even 6 years ago, so the gap between his daily trainers and spikes likely isn’t huge. Most cross country spikes are very similar, so I can’t recommend any model in particular. Also, he doesn’t need the $160 racing spikes with a carbon fiber plate inside them. You can if you want to though or wait for a later XC season if he commits.
Thank you for all the information! I appreciate it. XC is all new to me, but as a runner, I would like my son to have appropriate gear. I’m considering some not so necessary (GPS watch) items that might keep him more engaged with the sport.
The information you provided is greatly appreciated! I should qualify his first performance by saying he runs for a small school, but I enjoy watching his competitive fire!
As a runner, I would like to support and encourage his efforts as it is an activity that one can participate in throughout one’s lifetime in a variety of capacities.
