2025-2026 Active Recovery from Cross-Country, December 21, 2025, Week 1, Day 7, A Sunday run

2025-2026 Active Recovery from Cross-Country, December 21, 2025 Week 1, Day 7, the first week of rest , A Sunday run

Well, for most of the 556,000 high school cross country runners in the US, and most in Europe, cross-country season ended over the weekend.

HAUGER-THACKERY, WELDLIBANOS WIN RAINY JAL HONOLULU MARATHON

JOHNSON WINS KALAKAUA MERRIE MILE IN AMERICAN RECORD TIME

2025-2026 Active Recovery from Cross-Country, December 20, 2025, Week 1, Day 6, Enjoying a Saturday

The next 3 weeks will be some easy running, relaxing and enjoying company of family and friends.

Some people like to race at the end of the season (there are some competing at the WA Cross Country in Tallahassee, Florida on January 10, and we wish them luck and good fortune!).

We keep this relaxed, share some fun pictures and keep it relaxed.

Your body needs to recover. Three easy weeks, of light running, exercise, but most importantly, three weeks of non-running, gives you a spiritual, physical and mental break, which is what you and your athletes need.

Sunday, December 21, 2025

Sunday runs and Tuesday nights were my two favorite workouts of the week. On Sundays, most of the year, in college and post-college, I ran 15-22 miles (1:30-2:35) on a hilly course. On Tuesday, during winter it was a workout with Pauly Gyorey on the Los Gatos track, like 20 x 400 meters, 6 x mile or 3 x Mile, 1200 and 800.

Those workouts build us up over the winter.

Now is three weeks of a break. This first Sunday, if you want to run 60 minutes, go ahead, but keep it real easy and run with a friend. You can also just go 30 minutes and really enjoy the break, it is up to you.

Steve Prefontaine wins NCAA cross country over Nick Rose, photo courtesy of NIKE

Nike Pegasus PLUS, photo by NIKE communications

The NIKE Pegasus PLUS may be the perfect NIKErunning shoe for summer and fall high school running. It is light, sturdy and built for miles! I would recommend it for speed days, fartlek days, hill days and if you have just one shoe, a good trainer/racer. Nike is back on track with this shoe, part of the NIKE Pegasus 41 evolution.

I recommend two pairs of training shoes for the fall, such as a NIKE Pegasus PLUS and a NIKE Vomero 18 or Vomero PLUS (shown below) for easy days and long days. The Pegasus PLUS is well constructed, can handle dirt and mud and gives you a stable, comfortable ride without overdoing the cushioning. As always, we do not recommend that you buy your running performance shoes remotely, but go into a real live running store.

NIKE Vomero 18, photo by NIKE communications

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. Learn more on www.nikerunning.com.

NIKE Vomero PLUS, photo by NIKE communications

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 Winter 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!!!! #crosscountryrunning, #running,

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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