XC Training for Middle Schoolers

Published June 3, 2026

Hello!

The Summer XC Kick-Off Series started on Monday, with the main article in the series and a free 9-page PDF. If you missed that, make sure to click here to read it.

Yesterday’s article was for kids who come out for the team, having never run XC, or having never done a sport. Click here to read that article and get a 10-page PDF for free.

Today, we’ll focus on training goals for middle school kids, as this area requires a slightly different approach than high school XC training.

Over the past three days, I have shared almost two dozen PDFs, giving me a chance to help you with some free training plans that you can use right away while also giving you a taste of the depth of training materials inside the full XC Training System program. It's open for registration now, with two great bonuses: 10 copies of my book Consistency Is Key: 15 Ways To Unlock Your Potential as a High School Runner, plus two courses with a combined value of $355.

More on this limited-time deal tomorrow—and how it’s going to end very soon.

Okay, let’s discuss middle school training and why it’s not just “watered-down high school training.”

Middle School Training Goals

Our goals for these athletes are simple:

• We want them to become lifelong runners
• We want them to have a great experience running XC
• We want to instill in them a love for racing so that they want to compete in high school

The article takes just a few minutes to read.

Included is a 19-page PDF with 12 weeks of training (more weeks than you’ll use this summer).

And if you ever wanted to know how to do speed development workouts and how to space wickets/mini-hurdles, I have detailed, easy-to-follow instructions in the PDF.

Ready to check it out?

“Can I get all the Summer XC Kick-Off PDFs in one document?”

Yes! Click here to get the full PDF that includes...

• Five weeks of training for a varsity runner
• Five weeks of training for kids who are just coming out for the team – the “no prior training” group
• 12 weeks of middle school training, which includes the speed development documents

Again, these training documents give you a feel for what's in the XC Training System. But there’s so much more in the XCTS, and tomorrow I’ll share with you how it transformed programs last Summer and Fall, and how we can work together to reach your team's goals in the Fall.

But first, check out today’s middle school article.

Let’s go!

Jay

PS – You probably know about the chance to get 10 copies of my book Consistency Is Key: 15 Ways To Unlock Your Potential as a High School Runner shipped to you for free this week, when you enroll in the XCTS.

That book has a 4.8-star rating on Amazon.

A bundle of 10 books would cost you $165 on Amazon

You’ll also get the The Complete High School Runner course for free, which costs $95. And you get the Craft of Coaching course, which I only offer twice a year - also a $95 value.

So that’s $355 of value you can get for free this week.

You can learn all about the XC Training System and the bonuses right here.