Workout for Saturday, September 5, 2026, Summer Mileage Program, Week 11, Day 6
The NIKE Outdoor and New Balance Outdoor Champs ended June 22, 2026.
Time for the summer mileage program. We are now in week 9 of a ten-week build for your summer mileage.
This is week eleven
We are providing our readers (coaches and athletes) with daily suggestions for a summer mileage build to fall cross country.
We will be sending our weekly training to junior high and high school coaches, beginning next week, to 46,000 cross country coaches across the states.
In the fall of 2026, over 587,000 high school boys and girls will race cross country!
This is Week 11, Day 6, of the 2026 RunBlogRun Summer Mileage Program!
RunBlogRun has provided Summer Mileage Programs since 2006, the year we started the blog, RunBlogRun. Truth is, we have offered online training programs since 1996, when we launched them on AmericanTrackandField on Runningnetwork.com. Any questions? Please send to [email protected], ATT: XC training.
Our programs were developed by coaches- actual coaches who coached high school, college, and club. We focus on the long run, a couple of hill days, and a tempo day. We encourage group workouts and coaches to share them with their teams. All athletes should have physicals each year, ages 13-19, prior to the cross-country and track season.
We recommend one new pair of training shoes (go to a local running store, try the shoes on, and please support local running stores), and clean socks. Hydration is key; easy days are key. Please hydrate! Keep caffeine and carbonated beverages in control. If you can afford two pairs of running shoes, alternate them during workouts to keep them dry.
Racing early season!
Early-season racing is a key to your fall development. You will probably need 3-4 races under your belt to feel like you are all there during cross country!
Our suggestion is a good 30-minute warm-up, stretching well, and doing 3-5 stride-outs. In the race, get out hard and find a place; take one person ahead of you at a time. How do you manage hills? Put your head down, shorten your stride, and pump your arms. You can also try pushing down the hills. With 500 meters to go, start to increase the pace, and increase it every hundred meters. Always have something left with 200 meters to go.
Cool down well, 20-30 minutes of easy running.
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 sugary 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, only to mess it up by putting some junk in your mortal engine?
Think before you drink.
Picking out shoes for Summer Training!
We have been busy testing about a dozen training shoes. Watch for our reviews on IG, X, and FB, starting this week!
For the high school cross-country runner training over the summer, we really like the NIKE Pegasus 42, Brooks Ghost 17, Saucony Hurricane 25, and New Balance Rebel V 5 Fuel Cell.
A new one to check out is the NIKE LDV 1000 ACG. A good mileage shoe, fun look, and retro (we ran in an earlier version in 1978!)
The key is this: Go to your local running store, bring a pair of clean socks, and try on at least 6 different shoes from at least 3 brands. Find what is best for you. Run around the store, if they let you, around the block in them.
We suggest two pairs of training shoes: one for faster runs and one for easy, long days.
Do you want to be a better Cross-Country runner? Focus and follow our training. It is all about consistency. Daily workouts build up.
For 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)
A new suggestion: Once A Runner, by John Parker. It is one of my favorite books on running, about a miler who wants to see just how good he can be. This book is a cult favorite.
Remember, one day at a time!!!! #crosscountryrunning, #summermileage, #preseasontraining, #crosscountry, #buildingendurance,
