Capo Valley Cross Country

Cross Country Terminology

XC -- Abbreviated form of Cross Country

CIF -- California Interscholastic Federation - governing body for high school sports in CA

Invitational -- A large race hosted by one or more schools. They provide better competition and larger fields of competitors.

PR -- Personal Record - The fastest you have ever run for a given distance

PB -- Personal Best - Same as PR, but less commonly used

Aerobic -- Running at an effort level that is in a heart-rate zone of 60-80% of your max.

Anaerobic -- Running at an effort level that is in a heart-rate zone of 80%+ of your max. Does not rely on the body's ability to process oxygen.

VO2 Max -- Refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during intense or maximal exercise

Threshold -- Refers to aerobic threshold training. Usually running for 15 to 30 minutes at a pace that is one minute slower per mile than your current mile PR.

Intervals -- Segmented running one at varying intensities. Intervals can be any distance, but are most commonly between 200m and 2 miles.

Recovery run -- 'Easy runs' that take place in the days between harder efforts. These allow you to recover between harder efforts. These are done at a conversational pace.

Surge -- A strategic short burst of speed during a race.

Splits -- The amount of time that it took to cover a certain distance in a race or workout.

Negative Splits - A consecutive split for the same distance that is faster than the proceeding split.

Positive Splits - A consecutive split for the same distance that is slower than the proceeding split.

Kick -- Your final sprint at the end of a race. How strong it is varies by athlete and race conditions.

Strides -- Moderately fast runs lasting between 50-200m. Usually done prior to a workout or race or after a recovery run.

What is Cross Country?

A 3 mile race over varied terrain (grass, dirt, asphalt), some flat, some hilly
The majority of races we do are large weekend ‘invitational’ races which feature anywhere from 20-200 schools and 100-200 people per race.
We compete in….
- - Sea View (Boys) South Coast (Girls) League (5 teams)
  - Coast View Conference (10 schools)
  - CIF-SS Division 3 (97 schools)
  - Southern Section (559 schools)
  - California CIF (1,554 schools)

CA Cross Country at a Glance

California is divided into 10 sections (1,554 schools)

Southern Section (556 schools) is the largest section and further divided into 5 divisions based on total school enrollment (1 is largest schools, 5 is smallest)

We currently compete in Division 3 (99 total schools)

Division 3 Enrollment Range = 1450 - 1976 students

2024-25 CVHS = 1970 students

We are a member of the Coast View Athletic Association (CVAA) which is the combination of the Sea View and South Coast leagues

How is it Scored?

A team is made up of seven (7) runners. The first five (5) runners from each team to cross the finish line receive the number of points that correspond to their finishing place. The first place finisher receives one point, the second place finisher two, and so on. The team with the lowest combined point total from their first 5 runners wins.
Although they don't contribute to their owns team score the #6 and #7 runners are also important, in that they can "displace" scoring runners from another team and add to their total score. Their points also count as needed in the event of a tie in scoring from each teams first five runners.

For example:

Team A: 1st, 2nd, 5th, 11th, 12th (13th), (14th) = 31 points

Team B: 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, (9th), (10th) = 28 points

Team B has a lower score and would win. Their 6th and 7th runners didn’t score but added to the point total of Team A as they were ahead of Team A’s 4th and 5th runner.