As 3 p.m. approaches on Tuesday, the campus' most physically fit individuals filter into the basement of the old Marquette gymnasium. The men joke around and chat, while many of the women fit in a few final minutes of studying.

"All right, we're going to head out!" yells head coach Dave Uhrich.

With these marching orders, both the men's and women's cross country teams pack into three vans and drive to Bay View Park on Milwaukee's south side. At 3:25, the runners drop their bags under a tree and run a two-mile warm up.

Today they'll do speed work, the most rigorous workout of the week. As they warm up, Uhrich marks off looping distances around the park. The women will run 1,000 meters, the men 1,200 meters.

The men return about two minutes before the women and begin stretching. Once both teams are loose, they head to the starting line.

"This is going to be fun," says senior Tommy Schmitz sarcastically.

Speed work focuses on pacing. Ideally, a runner should run six equidistant intervals in equal times. Each interval is separated by a three-minute breather. The stronger runners complete all their intervals within 10 seconds of each other. Physiologically, the best way to run a distance race is to keep a steady pace, Uhrich said.

They hit the finish line in somewhere between 3:29 and 4:10 minutes. The men and women finish around the same time despite the 200-meter disparity. After the third run, everyone becomes less talkative. They stand upright to breathe efficiently as they begin to sweat profusely.

Before practice is finished, an individual will have run between eight and 10 miles — half in the two-mile warm-up and cooldown, with the other half coming in speed work. During a given week, many members of the men's team run more than 100 miles. The women's regimen falls between 70 and 80 miles.

Not too fast

While the mileage seems astronomical, the team isn't running 100 percent in practice. One myth about distance runners is that they train to the point of exhaustion to get in shape. The truth is quite the opposite.

"Runners have to be mentally tough, but we have to make sure we're not burning them out," Uhrich says. "There's a fine line between pushing too hard and making sure they're getting enough work in."

Marquette's coach does not display a drill sergeant's demeanor while conducting practice. His approach is much tamer. Not once will he order runners to move faster or to put in more effort.

"I'm not the type of coach who does a lot of yelling and screaming," Uhrich says. "Runners are internally motivated."

Moreover, he mostly advises runners to dial it back a notch. He wants them pacing themselves and avoiding injury.

Certain programs have more injury problems than others. Running between 70 and 100 miles per week is unnatural, thus making injuries inevitable. But Uhrich believes particular coaches pressure their runners too much, burning them out.

Uhrich also makes sure his runners train in a variety of locations. The teams run in seven different city parks, with Bay View being the most common.

Budget cuts have worsened the parks' maintenance. Their hilliness and uncut grass make for more challenging conditions than those of the golf courses where the teams race. This gives the the Golden Eagles an advantage when they travel to well-groomed facilities.

Varied workouts

Between drills, junior captains Cassie Peller and Scott Mueller keep track of time.

Once three minutes pass, the teams embark on their fifth round of 1,000- and 1,200-meter runs. This will be the last for many, depending on who feels fit for a sixth.

Speed work, by far the team's most challenging workout, is reserved for Tuesdays. At other practices, the men run roughly 15 miles while the women run around 10, depending on the individual.

Occasionally, they'll run sprints to build endurance and improve biomechanics. Uhrich evaluates runners' strides during sprints, because he believes over-striding is the worst sin a runner can commit.

By the day of a meet, runners should be well rested, but also strong and limber after a week of heavy mileage. Some wake up early on Saturday for a 15-minute "shakeout run" before the race. They'll eat light beforehand. In a few hours, it's time for real competition.

Then, on Monday, it's time to reset the odometer.