Answer Is My Calorie Intake For Cross Country Good

Should a 15 year old runner worry about how many calories and/or carbs they consume?

Yes!!  You need to make sure you're getting enough food - not only to sustain your high activity level, but also to support your growing body and high metabolism (which comes from both of those).  Depending on your BMR, you should be consuming upwards of 2500 calories on days that you run and 2000 on days that you don't.  Don't go strictly by numbers though, eat as much as is comfortable for you.This doesn't mean you should eat tons and tons of junk food - I love pizza just as much as the next girl but it's important to get not only calories but nutrients.  Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and high quality dairy are all important parts of a healthy diet.  Enjoy being a teenager - don't deny yourself Starbucks or ice cream or whatever you like - but moderation is key.Unless you and your doctor have discussed weight loss, you should definitely not restrict calories.  If you are legitimately hungry (if you would eat spinach/an apple/etc), EAT!  Your body knows when it needs food.:)

How can I gain muscle mass while running cross country and track?

You're going to have to really work on your diet to counter all that calorie burn from your cardio. Generally speaking, doing intense cardio throughout the week and trying to build a good amount of muscle mass can be considered as opposite goals. However, it is definitely not impossible. Assuming you have a good mass-focused workout routine which you are committed to, the greatest variable becomes the amount of calories you consume. You will need to increase your intake of protein, since you are after lean muscle, but you also will need to increase your carbs and fat intake to actually have the energy for both working out and running. Managing diet can be a bit difficult at the beginning, so it is a good idea to get someone to help you with calorie counting, or as others have suggested, you can try any of these new accessories that keep track of your calories burned. Based on that, you can then manage your daily calorie intake.

What is the best nutrition for cross country runners?

On a day-to-day basis, make sure you’re eating enough protein. Focus on carbs the day of and the day before a race, and look into a daily multivitamin. Diets will change for cross country runners, and you don’t want to fall into a nutrient deficiency.My go-to meal basics are brown rice, sourdough and wheat breads, spinach, carrots, white meats, fish, milk (chocolate milk is a great recovery drink), Greek yogurt, and egg whites.

What should/should not be eaten before a long distance cross country race?

You should not drink milk or soda before a race. You didn't ask that but I am just saying from experience you should not do that.  Personally I try to  stay away from the fats and fast food places, chicken fingers, fries, pizza, burritos. Try more of toast, spinnach, maybe eggs. Dry cereal is a very popular choice. simple sandwhich. PB&J. These are specific foods right off the top of my head. If its the night before, load up. Eat lots of good healthy foods and carbs to get a good  amount of calories to burn the next day. But I usually live by what my coach says. Not eat anything sooner that 4 hours before a race. " A hungry wolf hunts best" think about that. Don't have it to the point where you have stomach pains but more of you can't feel your last meal. Eat something really light 4 hours before your race.

What are the best exercises that burn the most calories in, say, an hour?

There are lots of charts on the internet to answer this. Most of them disagree with each other to some extent.The harder you are breathing, the more calories you are burning. Generally, aerobic (distance running, swimming, biking) burns more calories, while anaerobic (weight lifting, body building, sprinting) burns fewer calories but can build muscle. Weight lifters, specifically the subset of bodybuilders, point out that if you put on a lot of muscle, your body will burn additional calories maintaining that muscle beyond your normal daily body maintenance needs. It typically takes weeks or months before even the most dedicated body builders get past the muscle fiber-recruitment phase to start building more muscle (hypertrophy), so if you are looking to burn more quickly, aerobic is the way to go, although a balanced mix of both aerobic and anaerobic is always the healthiest and most beneficial.Runners and swimmers increase their speed to burn more calories; a 10 mph runner burns about twice the calories of a 6 mph jogger. Walkers spend ore time on hills. You can also walk with weight (a pack), but this can only be done safely only in moderation. The recommended training packet for US Army Special Forces used to caution not to train with more than 40 pounds because you were likely to injure yourself before achieving any training benefit. Never distance-run with weights (although sprints with a weigh vest is popular), and never, ever use ankle weights; they put unnatural strain on a relatively fragile area, and are very likely to cause injury. Your ankles have enough to deal with without having something slam down on top of the joint with every step.A lot of research has indicated that switching between exercises during a workout (e. g. circuit training) burns more calories because it’s activating different muscles. The best exercise for burning calories, building muscle, maintaining fitness, and overall health, is whatever exercise you enjoy to do every day.Nothing works if you don’t do it enough.No amount of exercise matters if you don’t control your food intake. The “basal rate” (the amount of calories your body uses in daily maintenance) greatly exceeds the calories you burn in even the most rigorous workout program. Many people start good exercise programs, but subconsciously eat feel they can eat more, and wonder why they aren’t losing weight. Do everything deliberately and in balance over the time required, and you’ll achieve your goals.