by Larry Eder
Hello, high school distance runners and here’s our Winter Training Guide (Jan-March) from RunBlogRun!
This is the second in week 7 of our ten week Winter Training program, which goes up until the NIKE Indoor Championships (March 12-15, 2026, more info at https://nikeindoornationals.runnerspace.com/).
The goal is to have you in track shape at the start of Outdoor season (March in most of the country).
The NIKE Indoor Nationals will be held on March 12-15, 2025 at the NIKE Track & Field Armory. We encourage high schoolers to race indoors but always note that the Big Season is Outdoors!
Workout for Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Your workout: Warm-up well, Tempo Run,
Three Options:
- Warm-up, 20 minutes TEMPO RUN, pace should be 20-25 seconds per mile of current 5k race pace, on flat, safe surface, 30 minutes of moderate running, cooldown.
- Warm up, 40 minutes, TEMPO Run,/Chunks pace is 20-25 seconds per mile at current 5k race pace, on flat surface, done in chunks, five minutes at Tempo pace, four minutes easy, times 5, followed by 20 minutes of moderate running, cooldown.
- Warm up, 30 minutes, TEMP Run, Short Chunks, pace is 20-25 seconds per mile at current 5k race pace, on flat surface, done in small chunks, 10 x 2 minutes Tempo pace, with one minute jogging in between, followed by 30 minutes of moderate running, varied surfaces, cooldown.
Hydration is a state of mind. Hydration is not about drinking lots of sugary drinks, it is about getting down water, 8-12 glasses of 8-12 oz a day, carrying a water bottle, and managing caffeine intake and carbonated sugar drinks, which are absolute crap for a real athlete. Also, stay away from the so called sports energy drinks and do not combine them with alcohol. Why train your butt off and then, mess it up by putting some junk in your mortal engine?
Think before you drink.
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.
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, #trackandfieldtraining, #winterrunning, #wintertraining,
