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Kurt, First, good luck in your meet. My son ran cross country all through high school. It's a great sport. Second, I have a friend who was a NCAA 10K champ in college, and state champ all through high school. He's a coach now. He coached my son for a while, and I picked up a few pointers from him. Some runners, especially faster ones, tend to want to stretch out their leg stride to get up a hill quicker. In younger runners, they may not have the muscle strenghth or development to use this technique successfully and can end up with over-exertion and hamstring pulls. In younger runners, (and those of us with shorter legs!), shorten the stride a bit, keep yours heels down and keep your knees at just a slight bend (but not too much). Use more rapid foot drop to increase speed rather than trying to cover more distance by stretching out your stride. Keep your breathing steady to make sure you are giving your muscles enough oxygen, too. Don't get psyched out by the fools that are trying to sprint up those hills on their toes and holding their breath. They may pull ahead a little bit, but they won't have anything left for the sprint. These techniques should help you hold your position during those hills, and leave you with plenty of energy for your kick at the top of that second hill! Good luck. Buzzy
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