Use This Mid-Summer Workout To Prepare for September
Published July 9, 2025
It's the middle of the summer and your kids may be wanting a new workout. In the last newsletter, I explained why I like Aerobic Repeats this time of year. Click here if you missed that one.
Today let's talk about the 30-90 Fartlek workout.
30-90 Fartlek - The Rationale
The 30-90 fartlek workout is fantastic for getting kids to run at or faster than their 5k race pace, while gradually increasing their fatigue to simulate race conditions.
The structure is simple: 30 seconds at 5k goal pace followed by 90 seconds of easy running.
We don’t use GPS watches for pace monitoring; the focus is on rhythm and effort.
This workout involves playing with race pace – the 30 seconds is much faster than their earlier summer runs, and the 90 seconds is easy pace running, not steady running
Frequency
We usually introduce this workout in mid-summer, and it's perfect for mid-season when you want a challenging aerobic workout with low volume. Kids love it, making it ideal for shorter practices.
Distance or Time
These workouts are always time-based, with sets lasting 2 minutes. We start with as little as 16 minutes and can go up to 40 minutes, though rarely exceeding 36 minutes, even for athletes running 13 miles or more in their long runs.
Intensity
The 30-second portions are the fastest they've run in an aerobic workout all summer.
For example, if an athlete has a 24-minute assignment (twelve 30-second repetitions), they'll likely feel fatigued after six or seven repetitions, making the latter part of the workout challenging.
Older and fitter athletes may be able to speed up the 90-second portions. They will find a groove with the 30-second efforts early on, then gradually increase the pace of the 90-second 'easy' portions, combining easy and steady paces – what we used to call 'steasy.'
Farther or Faster (or both)
For all of our aerobic workouts, athletes need to be able to say one of two things.
- I could have gone farther
- I could have gone faster
...and in the case of the long run, they need to be able to say they could have done both.
For this workout, the goal is "farther."
Athletes should finish feeling like they had two more 2-minute sets in them, meaning they could have run for 4 more minutes.
They might feel they’d be running all out to complete those extra sets, and that’s fine.
The goal is to finish with some energy left in the tank, ensuring a controlled effort since this is the most running they’ll have done at a pace faster than their current 5k date pace.
Common Mistakes
The most common mistake is starting too fast, especially in the first two or three 30-second portions.
Athletes should start conservatively to get a feel for the workout, then pick up the pace. By the time they reach this workout, most will have a 20-minute session with ten 30-second efforts. Running the first few repetitions at a comfortable pace allows them to push harder in the later stages.
How I Use It In The XC Training System
I love this workout because it's versatile and can replace race-pace workouts when the team is fatigued.
Too often, coaches stick to their summer plans even when the team is clearly tired in September or October.
The 30-90 workout is an excellent alternative because it gets kids running faster than race pace, helping them feel more comfortable during races while allowing for recovery within 48 hours.
It’s a workout I didn't use a few years ago, but now it’s a staple in both summer and competitive season training. It’s a good one!
If you want to read a bit more about training check out these two articles:
​A Comprehensive Cross Country Training Plan
​The Best Cross Country Workouts​
Is Your Team Running Too Hard?
A committed, serious coach wrote to me this week about how the XC Training System is working for her team.
“I've now realized that I ran my team way too hard in the summer. There are times I feel I need to make runs harder, but I trusted the process for track and got great results, so I am doing the same for XC.
The team likes that they have more ownership of their workouts. They can choose the recovery between strides, they gage their own efforts.
As Steve Magness in his book "Do Hard Things" athletes respond better when they feel they have more control.
Thanks for all you do. The Track system and XC system have been game changers.”
There is plenty of time to adjust your training and have a solid plan for the official start of the XC season.
And there is training for all levels of athletes – those who’ve been putting in the training, and those who will join you next month having done little or no activity this summer.
If you’re on the fence, take the time to check out the video and see for yourself.
Take good care,
Jay
P.S. "This book is a must read for every high school athlete.
Jay delivers relevant information in a digestible and fun way that student athletes enjoy.
We had a copy for all 40 athletes on our XC team last year and we read the book together over our team camp.
It is all of the "little" things that athletes forget about, and he has a way of making kids believe in what they are doing.
I cannot recommend this book enough!"
That's what Jake said in his Amazon review of Consistency Is Key: 15 Ways to Unlock Your Potential as a High School Runner.
You can get six chapters of the second edition of the book for free, which you can share with your athletes here.
You can get deep discounts on a bundle of books here or grab a copy on Amazon here.
Jay Johnson
