by Larry Eder
2025 Summer Mileage, Week 7, Day 6, August 23, 2025, a day at the races
Saturday, warm-up, 5k-8k, very hilly, make yourself work today, easy and slow 30 minute cooldown, consider the race.
In this hot weather, remember to hydrate. 2-3 liters a day of water, watch out for carbonated beverages, and caffeine (in moderation). Do not take sports drinks with caffeine, ginseng and things that you have not discussed with your coach and family physician. Those drinks can cause heart issues. They are not a joke!
The art of peaking
How does one peak?
Recall Lasse Viren, who came to peak in 1972 and 1976, winning Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m. Viren cared about little else. His racing in between Munich and Montreal was up and down.
Al Oerter, four time winner of the Olympic discus was NEVER the favorite in any of his wins (1956, 1960, 1964,1968,) always with injuries prior to Olympic games.
Now, with the world championships every other year, and Olympics every four, plus continental championships every two years. How do you manage that now?
Eugene, Oregon, USA
July 31 – August 3, 2025, photo by Kevin Morris
At any level, the keys to finding your best that season are to find the right combination of rest, hydration, fitness and what sharpening is needed. I found , in both high school and college that I seemed to get in top shape after 6-8 races in a season, increasing quality of tough days, easy easy recovery days and lots of sleep.
I recall knowing my finish was best moving 500 meters out and then, increasing pace every 100m to the finish. I learned this from an article written by the late Bill Dellinger. So, I practiced moving harder over the last 300m very hard in repetitions.
In sharpening phases, I would keep long run, reduce easy days to 30 minutes, increase pace on on repetitions and do a 5k drill that I will share tomorrow!
Things happen. Keep your focus and remember, to get up, and move again! Be patient!
#SummerMileage, #hillrunning, #RunBlogRunSummerMileage, #running, #crosscountry,
Will. you be ready? Follow our daily training suggestions, and daily athlete stories and you will be ready to race in the fall!
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.
If you need a more cushioned shoe, try the Vomero 18 and the Vomero 18 PLUS, for great cushioning, a more sophisticated ride. Check them out at your local NIKE retailer or NIKE running store.
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.
For Great Summer reading! Self Made Olympian by Ron Daws, A Clean Pair of Heels by Murray Halberg, Pre! by Tom Jordan, Quicksilver, The Mercurial Emil Zatopek, by Pat Butcher, The Destiny of Alain Mimoun, by Pat Butcher (a monograph)
Remember, one day at a time!!!! #SummerMileage, #CrossCountry,
