Three Tips For Big PRs in May
Published May 3, 2026
Hello!
I hope this finds you and your athletes doing well and ready to have their best races of the year this month.
I'm purposefully keeping the email short for the next few weeks because May is the busiest month of the year for you.
I'm not going to send you emails about workouts and trainings over the next few weeks because that's inappropriate in May. Instead, I'm going to share simple concepts that are going to help you help your kids race to their fitness levels.
Here are three things to keep in mind as you help kids get ready to run big PRs in May...
1. Keep race plans short and simple.
They're fit. They're ready. They know how to be uncomfortable. Don't complicate things with detailed instructions in the final weeks.
2. Remind them that doing things they've never done before requires enduring more discomfort than they did in March and April.
This is the conversation that actually matters this month. They're fit, they've got a lot of races under their belt, and they know how to compete. The only variable left between a kid who PRs in May and a kid who runs the same time they ran in April is willingness to endure just a bit more discomfort than they did in April.
As my middle school daughter says to her teammates, "You got this!" - which is the sentiment you want to communicate to your athletes, even if you don't use that phrase.
They're ready to go; make sure they know that you believe in them.
Some athletes get nervous when you remind them of this, so be positive, upbeat, and reassuring when you have this conversation. But have it.
3. Remind them that "extra" or "different" sleep and nutrition isn't what's needed for big PRs.
They simply need to keep the same routines they've been doing in March and April.
"But Jay, you're always telling us to tell them to get more sleep?"
True. Yet in the final week or two of the season, adding "I've got to get 30 more minutes of sleep!" to their to-do list creates stress they don't need. Obviously they shouldn't get less sleep, but I wouldn't make "get extra sleep" a key message right now.
Just remind them to get as much sleep this month as they did in March and April, when they ran well.
Bottom line: Keep things simple and keep your messages (and pep talks) short.
They're fit and ready to go. Now it's time to run those big PRs.
Good luck at this week's meet!
Let's go!
Jay
PS – If you have kids who are about to take some time off after the season, here is how I view the time off they need before resuming training for cross country.
