Cross Country Training Schedule PDF – “No Prior Training” Athletes

Why 5 Minutes of Running on Day One Will Set Your Athletes Up for Success

You've got a new athlete standing in front of you on the first day of summer practice. Maybe they ran cross country in the fall but did absolutely nothing all winter and spring. Maybe they're an eighth grader who's never been out for cross country. Or maybe they're an upperclassman who played baseball or softball and is trying distance running for the first time.

What do you do with them?

If you're like most coaches, you're probably thinking, "Well, I'll just have them start with 2-3 miles and see how they handle it."

Here's the problem with that approach: in 2-3 weeks, this athlete is going to have some sort of minor injury. Shin splints. Tight Achilles. IT band issues. Then you're faced with a difficult decision – do you let them race at less than 100%, or do you have them sit out the fun part (racing) in favor of cross-training?

There's a better way. It's called the No Prior Training plan, and yes, it starts with just 5 minutes of running on Day One.

Before you say, "Jay, that's not nearly enough running," let me tell you about Justin Leonard.

Learning from Southlake Carroll

Justin Leonard coaches at Southlake Carroll in Texas – a program where both the boys and girls teams regularly make Nike Cross Nationals. His son was one of the top returners going into this year's NXN. This is serious, high-level cross country.

You know what Justin does with new athletes? One mile on Day One. One mile on Day Two. One mile on Day Three. He wants that new athlete to come to him and say, "Coach, can I do two miles?"

If a coach whose teams make NXN starts with one mile, why are we so afraid of starting with 5 minutes?

The Reality of "No Prior Training"

Let's be honest about what "no prior training" actually means. This athlete hasn't just taken a week off. They've been sedentary for months. Their body isn't used to the pounding that happens when they run. Their aerobic engine might be decent if they played other sports, but their chassis – their bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia – isn't prepared for the repetitive impact of running.

Here's what we know about young athletes: they can build their aerobic engines faster than they can strengthen their chassis.

This concept, which I learned from Mike Smith who coached at Kansas State and now coaches at West Point, is crucial for understanding why injuries happen. When an athlete's engine gets bigger faster than their chassis can handle, that's when we see those 2-3 week injuries that derail seasons.

Our number one goal isn't to have the fittest team in July. Our number one goal is to have an injury-free team in October.

The No Prior Training Plan: Week by Week

Here's exactly what we're going to do with these athletes:

Day 1: Learning the Foundation

Jeff Boelé's dynamic warm-up (they'll need extra time to learn this)
5-minute run
4 x 100m strides at 5K effort
Red Easy post-run work

That's it. Total running time: 5 minutes plus 400 meters of strides.

Day 2: Introduction to Circuits This is where things get interesting. Instead of more running, we're doing a circuit workout. This is 15-20 minutes total – not 15-20 minutes of running, but 15-20 minutes of moving.

Here's how it works: Athletes run 200 meters, then do exercises like body squats and lateral lunges. Then they run another 200 meters and do exercises like wide-outs and pedestal holds. They keep rotating through different stations.

Why circuits instead of more running? Because circuits allow us to build the aerobic engine while strengthening the chassis. Their heart rate stays elevated the entire time, giving them the aerobic stimulus of a much longer run, but with minimal pounding on their legs.

After the circuit, instead of traditional post-run work, we just do some barefoot exercises.

Day 3: Optional Rest or Light Movement Here's where I'm really conservative. These kids just did their first run and their first circuit. They're probably a little sore. Taking a complete day off isn't a bad idea.

If they do show up to practice, we keep it simple: 5-minute run and 6 x 100m strides.

Days 4-5: Gradual Progression

Day 4: 10-minute run, 4 x 100m strides
Day 5: 15-minute run structured as 7 minutes easy, then 8 minutes with 4 x 20-second strides mixed in

Notice that even by Day 5, we're only at 15 minutes of continuous running.

Why This Conservative Approach Works

I know what you're thinking: "My athletes need to be running more than this to be competitive."

Let me ask you a question: Would you rather have an athlete who runs 20 miles a week for 3 weeks and then gets injured, or an athlete who runs 10 miles a week for 12 weeks and stays healthy?

Consistency is key 😉. An athlete who can train every day without setbacks will always beat the athlete who has to take time off for injuries, no matter how much the injured athlete was running when they were healthy.

Here's the math that should convince you: If we keep this athlete injury-free through the summer, by August they'll be ready for solid long runs and workouts. And they'll be ready to race.

But if we push too hard in June and they get injured in July, where are they in August? They're either still dealing with the injury or they're starting over from scratch.

Building the Aerobic Engine Without the Pounding

"But Jay, how are they going to build their aerobic engine with so little running?"

Great question. This is where the concept of "extending the aerobic stimulus" comes in.

When athletes go immediately from Jeff's warm-up into their run, then immediately into strides, then immediately into post-run work, their heart rate stays elevated for the entire practice. A 5-minute run becomes a 25-30 minute cardiovascular workout.

Those circuit days? The athlete's heart rate is elevated for the full 15-20 minutes, but they're only pounding the pavement for maybe 6-8 minutes total. They're getting the aerobic stimulus of a much longer run while strengthening all the components of their chassis.

This is how we build fitness while preventing injuries.

The Mental Component

There's another crucial element we can't ignore: building their attention span for hard work.

When an athlete has to focus during the warm-up, then focus during the run, then immediately go into challenging post-run work when they're fatigued, they're developing the mental skills they'll need later in the season.

Think about it: if they can handle 20 minutes of focused work in practice, they'll be mentally prepared for anything you throw at them on the track in October.

What About the Other Athletes?

"This sounds good for beginners, Jay, but what about my experienced runners?"

Here's the beauty of this system: while your no-prior-training athletes are doing circuits on Tuesday, your more experienced athletes can be doing fartlek workouts. When your beginners are doing circuits in Week 3, your experienced runners can be doing their circuits that same day.

Everyone gets what they need, but they're often training together.

I Get These Questions About This Plan

"Won't these athletes get smoked in early season races?"

Let's define success differently. Success isn't winning the first meet in August. Success is having an athlete who's excited about running, injury-free, and improving from their first race to their last race.

An athlete following this plan might not win early races, but they'll be the one moving up through the field in October when it matters.

"Parents and athletes will think I'm not challenging them enough."

This is where communication matters. Explain to parents and athletes that you're playing the long game. Show them the Justin Leonard example. Remind them that injured athletes don't improve, and athletes who burn out in July don't race fast in November.

"What if they want to do more?"

Trust the plan. If an athlete is begging to run more after Week 2, that's a good problem to have. You can always add 5 minutes to a run or add an extra day, but you can't take back an injury.

The Week 4-5 Progression

By Week 4, these athletes are ready for more sophisticated workouts. They'll do their first fartlek workout – simple 1-minute "on" and 1-minute "steady" segments. They'll also begin the progression of strides, working toward running at 800m and even 400m rhythm.

Week 5 brings slightly longer runs and more challenging circuits. But even by the end of 5 weeks, we're talking about athletes who might be running 15-20 minutes for their longest runs.

And that's exactly where they should be.

The Bottom Line

Kids didn't join your team to do circuits. They joined to run. But the No Prior Training plan is the best way to build their aerobic engine while strengthening their chassis and keeping them injury-free.

Remember: if you want to do things you've never done before, you've got to be willing to do things you've never done before. If you've been losing athletes to injuries in the first month of practice, maybe it's time to try a more conservative approach.

Your goal isn't to have the most miles logged in June. Your goal is to have healthy, excited, improving athletes in October. The No Prior Training plan gets you there.

Trust the process. Trust the plan. Your athletes – and their parents – will thank you when they're racing PRs instead of sitting in the trainer's room.

Let's go!

Get the Complete No Prior Training Plan

If you found this article helpful, and if you're convinced that my approach to keeping these types of athletes healthy makes sense, you're going to want to read the testimonials from your peers to hear how the XC Training System has transformed their programs.

One final point...

The XC Training System has 24-week plans for every level of athlete on your team. And there are hours and hours of video resources. This PDF is valuable and it's useful. And...

It only scratches the surface of what's in the XC Training System. If you like what you see, take some time to check out the XC Training System.

"I have coached for 25 years, and have tried to stay current on training and coaching methodology throughout my career.

I can confidently say the XCTS is the best value and input I've received in my coaching career and was effective both as far as results and injury prevention.

My 25 runner freshman program was 100% on the "no prior training" XCTS plan and for the first time in my coaching career no athlete was injured during the entire season!!!

The top runner set the school record for the 3K and 5K and the team overall did well by historical standards.

The training system for my varsity was greatly influenced by the XCTS. The 16:09 team average at our Divisional meet was the fastest in school history and every member of our team had a PR at Divisional or States. Injuries were much less frequent.

Overall, the team was in the trainer's room less and was highly competitive in the most competitive division in the state of MA." - Seth Kirby

"The XC Training System is a game-changer" - Liz Schaffer