by Larry Eder
This is the second week of RunBlogRun’s Summer Mileage Program, day 2, and our focus is Elise Cranny!
Elise Cranny is one of our top American distance runners. Her personal bests, from 1,500m to the 10,000m have placed her among top performances for the last five years.
Elise was a two time high school state cross country champion in Colorado. While running at Niwott High School, Elise won the Colorado state track and field titles at 800m, 1600m and 3200m–and she did it twice!
Elise Cranny went to Stanford University, competing in cross country, indoor and outdoor from 2014-2018. Elise took second me at the 2015 NCAA Indoor at the 3,000m. Outdoors, in 2016, Elise took second in the 1,500m at the NCAA Outdoor. NCAA Division one competition is incredibly tough, each year, new stars and emerging stars are seen. In 2018, Elise took fifth in the indoor mile at the NCAA for Stanford and then, took 3rd in her last NCAA champs, the NCAA Outdoor in 2018.
Elise Cranny joined the Bowerman Track club, setting her bests at 5,000m with her 14:48.02 win at Portland Track Classic in 2020. In 2021, in a huge win, Elise took The TEN, a 10,000m race produced by Sound Running, setting her PB of 30:14.16.
Elise has won four US titles. In 2023, Elise won the 5,000m and 10,000m at the US Champs, one of her most impressive performances in my opinion. Three titles at the 5,000m and then, the 10,000 meter title.
Elise has competed in two Olympics, finishing 13th in the 5,000m in Tokyo 2020 and 11th in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In 2023, Elise Cranny left Bowerman Track Club, and then, trained with Team Bosshard for a few months. She currently trains with Coach Jerry Cornfield, assistant coach at Northern Arizona University.
2025 started out well for Elise, as she set PBs at the mile (4:20.83) and 3,000 (8:29.87). Elise does hold the record for the American Indoor 5,000m, at 14:33.17 from 2022. Fun trivia, Elise Cranny ran her PBs for the mile, 3,000m and 5,000m, all in the sports city of Boston.
In observing Elise Cranny over the past half dozen years, I really like how she makes her moves in the 5,000m and 10,000m. Her mile speed will truly help her over the 12.5 and 25 lapper!
Elise ran cross country in high school and college. Cross country is one of the building blocks for distance runners, do not miss the fall season.
The road to 2025 Cross country is just beginning
Time to build some mileage for fall cross country!
Today is July 15 , 2025
Week One, Day Two, Summer Mileage.
Tuesday, warm-up, 60 minute hilly run, 8 hill charges of 2 minutes in the hour of running, cool-down.
Some thoughts on summer mileage program.
Have you considered cross country?
Cross Country is offered in over 16,500 high schools and many junior high schools. It normally goes from mid-August to November for most. To prepare for cross country, we at RunBlogRun encourage you and your 550,000 closest friends who like the 400m to 5,000m, consider cross country!
It is a great way to stay in shape and it builds your fitness so that you are ready for the challenges of cross country.
What motivated Steve Prefontaine in the summer between his sophomore and junior year?
Was it the knowledge that he had not done his very best in track and field? Perhaps, he had not taken his commitment as serious as he thought he should?
When you have not achieved what you expected, how do you respond? Are you being called to put in some more effort? Many of us have had those challenges, and Summer mileage is a great program to get one self focused.
Think about five things you can do better for fall cross country, write them on a post card, and tape it to a place in your room where you will see it at least once a day!
Remember to drink 8 glasses of water, 12 ounces each a day!
When Pre was in high school, after he failed to make his State track meet as a sophomore, he became obsessed with daily training. These were not just easy runs, they were bone-churning, gut-wrenching efforts focused to make him unbeatable. In his junior year of cross country, Pre saw that his summer of running made a huge difference.
Do you want to be a better cross country runner than you were in the past? Focus and follow our training. It is all about the consistency.
Other book suggestions include Self Made Olympian by Ron Daws, A Clean Pair of Heels by Murray Halberg, and Pre! by Tom Jordan.
The Nike Pegasus PLUS is a great entry shoe for high school cross country. You should consider it, and learn more about it at nike.com. It is light, cushioned, a good summer mileage shoe. If you need a little more cushioning, try the Vomero 18. The Vomero 18 has more cushioning that the Pegasus PLUS. If you like NIKE, I would suggest high schoolers use the NIKE Pegasus PLUS for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I would suggest the Vomero 18 for Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I always suggest two pairs of training shoes. Why on Vomero 18? It is a cushioned shoe that feels great and is good on the roads and trails.
