If there is a business or an industry you would like to work for, but there are no current openings, consider asking for an informational interview. An informational interview is an opportunity to talk to someone whose career you admire. Perhaps they work in an industry you are interested in transitioning into or maybe they work for your dream company. Remember that the informational interview is not a job interview. It is an opportunity for you to get advice from someone whom you admire, to learn more about their career path, and for you to put yourself in their professional network. Perhaps you have someone in mind that you would like to talk to, but if you don't, you can always start by looking within your network. Consider people who have graduated from your high school, college or graduate school. You will automatically have something in common with this person and it is likely they will want to help you. While you can search alumni directories from your school, you can also search for alums on professional networking sites like LinkedIn. You an also ask friends of friends or contacts other colleagues may have for an informational interview. Send an email or LinkedIn message to the interviewee asking them for an informational interview. Tell them you are interested in learning more about their work and career path. You can offer to take them out for a cup of coffee or ask to meet them at their office. It might feel a little awkward to contact someone you've never met before, but it is likely your interviewee will be flattered to receive such a request. Even though the informational interview is a casual meeting, you should still be prepared with different questions. You could ask a question such as, "How much experience do you have in the field?" If your interviewee works in a more advanced or specialized role in your profession, you might ask them for details on their route to that position or what kinds of responsibility they take on there. Having questions prepared lets the interviewee know that you respect their time and want this to be a productive conversation. Keep the interview short. You should budget somewhere between 20-30 minutes unless your interviewee states a longer time. After your interview, be sure to send a thank you note or email to your interviewee. It is very important to let your interviewee you know you appreciate that they took time out of their schedule to share their wisdom with you. Informational interviews are especially helpful because they allow you to expand your network. If you see your interviewee at an industry event or a conference, be sure to say hello and keep in touch. Most importantly, when a job opens up at your dream company, you will already have a contact in place.

Summary: Consider asking for an informational interview. Look in your network. Ask appropriately. Come to the interview prepared. Thank your interviewee. Keep in touch.

You want to make sure your muscles are limber before and after throwing a shot put. To stretch your shoulders, stand near a doorway and lift your arm, holding it straight and parallel to the floor. Grab onto the frame of the door and gently lean forward, which will extend your arm behind your shoulder. Hold the position for 30 seconds, then repeat the exercise on the other side. This will prevent you from straining your muscles and ensure that you are working out at full capacity. Loosen your muscles with a general warm-up, then do specific exercises to target particular areas. A general warm-up can consist of running, swimming, or riding a bike. For specific exercises to target your arms, you can try push-ups or lift weights. You should stretch your muscles after throwing the shot put to cool down. You could make wide circles with your arms to stretch out your muscles. It is important to cool down so your muscles don't tighten up after exercise. This will help you avoid injury and lactic acid build-up. Try walking around the track while swinging your arms to loosen your muscles.

Summary: Stretch your arms and relax your muscles. Begin your exercise with a warm-up. Cool down after throwing the shot put.

Before you begin training in cross-country, be sure to revisit the basics on staying flexible and well stretched. Don't forget to warm up before heading out, and to warm down. You might also like to include some minor weight training and some cross-training such as swimming, cycling, and walking, as these will work other parts of your body as well as giving you a break from running but still providing you with exercise and stress relief. Additionally, if you're not already running, speak with your doctor about taking up this strenuous sport if you have any fitness concerns. If you're in bad shape, don't give up; just take it more slowly and be very kind to your body as you get used to the running and exercises. The beauty of running is that you will gradually improve your fitness and stamina. Do push ups and sit ups every day. This will strengthen your upper body, which is also vital in a race. Start with fifteen push-ups and twenty-five sit-ups and work your way up. You may discover that your calves and hamstrings get a little sore if you're not already a seasoned runner. This is a good thing; it means that you're working the muscle in a way it's never been used before. This is similar to when you go to the gym after a long absence and do a complete weightlifting workout. Of course your muscles will be sore, but that isn't a bad thing! You might want to consider cutting back a little if they are especially sore. Your fitness as a cross-country runner also depends on what you're eating. Be sure to eat healthy foods and to provide your body with the high energy input that it needs for running. It's also helpful to eat smaller meals, but eat more frequently throughout the day (maybe 6 - 8 smaller meals every 2 to 3 hours). Cut down or cut out the fast foods. They provide empty, non-nutritious calories that don't give long-term energy. Instead, fill up on the complex carbohydrates. Eat lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains, and drink water. Also, get plenty of high quality protein. Before a race, eat lightly. It is recommended that your meal be 2 to 3 hours before a race, and 1 hour before training. Eating any closer to a race can cause you to cramp up. Drink 230 to 460 ml (8 to 16 fl oz) of water or a sports drink an hour before running. Read up on sports nutrition. It's a complex area with lots of ideas but only you know your own body's needs and can make the right choices for fueling it. Do some research and trialing to see what energizes you the best. Once you've trialed the terrain for a bit and become used to running on all sorts of different surfaces, focus on little goals and big goals to help build up your resilience and endurance. Set a big goal. Now that you've started, it's time to focus on your first cross country race. Which one will it be? Choose one that is coming up and start working toward it. Start adding one long, hard run to at least one day a week. Do your best to keep running without stopping over a long period of time, such as an hour or two and build it up. Weekends are best for this, although you can also make good use of evenings during daylight savings in the warmer months of the year. Continue training by observing the easy day/hard day routine. No matter how experienced a runner you are, training should not consist of all hard days. Your motivation and your body will soon wear out! Instead, implement a system of training that allows for some days where the runs are easy and other days where you really push yourself. As a beginner, slowly build up to harder training days. Keep a training log. This will help you to keep track of your running progress and will enable you to note when it's time to switch up your training to its next level. Look online for training program ideas. There are different training programs suggested by different coaches and cross-country runners. Tailor these to suit your local environs and personal needs. The key is to increase your ability gradually and to ensure that you have covered all the bases including different terrain, inclines and declines, all-weather running, increased stamina and speed, and ability to push yourself just a little further every time.
Summary: Remain flexible. Eat for best performance. Set goals. Do some research.