I sent the following newsletter about fartlek training to high school coaches the first week of April. Ensure you get on my email list here so you don't miss the next email.
What is a fartlek run? Well, Fartlek training is an unstructured training method where you alternate between periods of fast running and slower jogging. The term "fartlek" is Swedish for "speed play."
In the context of cross country running, the version of fartlek workout...
Sleep is like a secret weapon for runners. While most athletes focus on training plans, nutrition, and gear, the most powerful performance enhancer might be the one we often overlook: a good night's rest.
Consider Sara Hall, one of America's most accomplished marathoners.
With a 2:20 personal record—that's running at a blistering 5:20 pace per mile for 26.2 miles—she represents the pinnacle of distance running achievement. Her...
This article is for high school runners who run the 800m or 1600m or 3200m and are “stuck” at a certain time/performance. It's for runners who want to know "what does a PR in track mean?" I know it's extremely frustrating for you to be stuck with your pr's in those distances. So, here are 12 tips from my 20+ years of coaching that will help you break through to a new PR.
Before we dive into the tips, I need you to embrace two...
Coaches and parents want middle school cross country training to be fun and to lead to a lifelong love of running. But to do this a coach can’t simply take high school training and water it down. Nor should they expect a sixth grader to demonstrate the same commitment to training expected of a ninth grader.
My goal in this article is three-fold...
- To explain why a conservative approach to a cross country training plan...
Running under 2:00 (boys) or 2:20 (girls) in the 800 meter event is a significant challenge, but it's also a major milestone for any high school athlete. Helping your runners reach that goal takes a solid 800 meter training plan with specific speed work, though.
The goal of this article is to give you a clear understanding of how to run the 800m, with the splits needed to run 1:59 and 2:19, and to give you an 800m workout that can be...
Cross country running is a simple sport, and so it makes sense that cross country runners need fun cross country workouts that they can do in any environment.
I’m going to share the best high school cross country workouts that every cross country runner should run in the summer. Several of these workouts should also be done during the cross country season as well. If you're looking for some guidance on how to...
Appropriate middle school cross country training is not simply watered-down high school training.
Our goals for these athletes are simple:
- We want them to have a great experience running cross country.
- We want them to become lifelong runners
- We want to instill in them a love for racing so that they want to compete in high school.
Finally, we must adopt the mindset that any injury for these athletes...
One of the biggest – and maybe the biggest – concerns for cross country coaches is “How am I going to keep the new athletes injury-free?” We all know that shin splints, tight IT-bands and Achilles tendons, and tight hamstrings can all be a problem for new athletes.
I put this group of athletes – who either didn’t run track or haven't done a sport prior to joining the cross country team – into the...
If you’re a high school coach, you know that excellent cross country races in October and November are directly related to runners putting in intelligent training in the summer.
I want to help you help your athletes with training that will a) keep them injury-free and b) have them fitter for the first important meet of the cross country season than they’ve ever been. Plus, I want to save you time in planning a progression of...
For this runner to run a PR at a post-season national meet – be it the New Balance Outdoor Nationals or the Nike Outdoor Nationals – they must be mentally and physically recovered from the state meet.
A common problem – and one we can easily fix – is to make sure the athletes take a few easy days following the state track meet. Physically, they can handle decent training loads the week after state. But there is an...
Almost every serious distance runner will end the track season saying, “I know I could have run faster.” Even if the season ended with multiple PRs and great races in the final two weeks, serious runners always want to make the next jump in performance, which is why summer training has always been so important for distance runners.
But before athletes start training for cross country, they need to fully recover from the track...
The 1600m is a fantastic event for high school runners because it teaches them how to “cover moves” and to accelerate when they’re fatigued, skills that also translate to faster cross country races in the fall.
But a problem for many athletes is that the third lap is significantly slower than the other four laps. Kelly Christiansen, the coach at Niwot High School in Niwot, Colorado, calls this “the third lap...
