How a Cross Country Runner Prepares for Military

Working with people who are seeking to serve in the military in their near future has been one of the most rewarding things I have done. People arrive at the recruiter's office from different types of backgrounds with different body types, athletic histories and cultural differences every day, but they are united by their motivation to serve.

The next several weeks, the topic of preparing for the military will focus on the different types of recruits and the different training and preparation journey each may need in order to be ready for whatever branch of service they choose. This week's focus is on the endurance athlete who runs.

The Longer Endurance Runner/Cross Country Athlete's Strengths

The cross country or longer-distance runner comes to the military with many strengths and some weaknesses that typically need to be remedied before showing up for military service. That is especially true for military special-ops programs, where weaknesses are quickly exposed.

Pure running ability. There will be no running race in the military that this athlete will fail. In typical 1.5- to three-mile timed runs for the various military services, the cross country runner likely will lap most people on a track and easily pace a five-minute mile for multiple miles.

Mental toughness. You do not get to be a good runner without being mentally tough and able to endure running fast for long distances. To make a running team and to win races requires daily gut checks in training and especially in competition.

Body composition/weight. As you will see, this is a strength and a weakness. First, the cross country runner likely will not be even close to overweight. Second, the running athlete (if eating properly) can put on weight quickly and add significant strength and muscle by starting a PT/weightlifting program. However, being light with lower muscle mass can add to many PT testing, load-bearing and weight-training weaknesses at first.

The typical runner is lean with very little upper-body mass. This enables them to run fast while in competition, as they can stay in an aerobic training zone longer and push harder on the last 10% of the race to finish strong.

"Because they are aerobically conditioned, they can get away with less muscle," Jeff Nichols, a strength and conditioning coach, told Military.com. "In fact, most world-class male runners are 115-120 pounds. Many coaches push a lighter body mass for their running athletes.

"Because they are so conditioned with running, they can maintain an aerobic cycle for energy, and they get away with having little muscle. Moreover, more muscle for the runner means longer glycolytic cycles, which inhibits getting into the aerobic [oxidative] cycle."

Being that light is not a strength, given that a light backpack will weigh 50-60 pounds.

The Weaknesses of the Runner

The major issue from personal experience with pre-training cross country runners for the military is getting them to accept their weaknesses and learn how to get stronger for the tactical demands of a future military career. Sometimes, an athletic lifetime of staying skinny can make it difficult for men and women to want to eat more to gain weight.

In fact, there are many eating disorders in such athletic activities. But some of my best students who crushed challenging special-ops level military training programs were former runners who added strength training and eating more food to their training program.

I never will forget the 220-pound former cross country runner who ran  a sub-eight-minute mile-and-a-half after doing the Navy SEAL physical screening test (500-yard swim, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups) first. He was an endurance guy who lifted for a few years before trying out for Navy Special Warfare and got huge, but he was still the fastest guy on the track that day.

To make this transition, eat more food, try to gain weight, lift more weights for upper- and lower-body strength, and crush upper-body PT tests with exercises like push-ups and pull-ups.

Strength training. Running athletes typically are weak, especially in the upper body. However, if a former runner (at 145 pounds) can put on about 15-20 pounds of lean muscle mass, they can take any previous weakness and quickly make it a strength. Former running athletes do not need to complete their 1.5-mile timed runs in 7-7:30 minutes, though many runners do this, even with an added 15-20 pounds of muscle mass. See Tactical Strength for starters.

One of the recommended methods to helping an endurance athlete make this transition is to have a calisthenics base training program mixed with weights, then run on the back end of the workout. But they must reduce the running significantly, compared to previous training cycles.

Instead of running 70 miles a week, you need to drop it back to 30 miles at the maximum and focus on strength and other events, like rucking and/or swimming, depending on the branch of service entering. Instead of long 10- to 15-mile runs, drop that down to faster and shorter four- to five-mile timed runs.

Do Not Run on Empty

The biggest concern for the young pre-high school/high school athlete seeking to be a fast cross country runner is: Do not stop eating in order to be lighter for running and inhibit your natural growth cycle. Plus, running on empty will make the final kick of a race difficult if you have no fuel in the tank. You need the fuel in healthful foods, and you need carbs, protein and even fats for energy, not just for running but for living.

Regardless of your athletic background, becoming a tactical athlete requires molding your current strengths to the service requirements and focusing on current weaknesses that could be detrimental to the new recruit or spec-ops student. If you are a current running athlete, make sure you lift weights in the offseason and work on your strength, especially your legs, hips and core. Add in some calisthenics for the upper body and core to get stronger, but stay leaner for your upcoming running season.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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