Published August 17, 2025

Hello. Cross country has begun here in Colorado with races starting this week. I’m fired up to watch my daughter and her teammates race next Friday.

Just like coaches in Colorado, you no doubt have kids who have put in a great summer of training.

Now the questions in mid-August are...

“Will they be able to race to their fitness level this year?”

“Will they run their best 3-4 races in the last 3-4 meets of the year?”...

Published August 10, 2025

I'm excited to start sending you these newsletters on Sunday mornings. I think it will be a great way to think about training before the week starts.

You missed the last three emails. I think they're really important:

​This one talks about coaching your "middle group" of kids​

​This article talks about the three types of athletes you'll coach this year​

​This final one talks about whether you should be training thro...

Published August 6, 2025

I've got two questions for you today.

Does your team make it to state every year, have you won a state trophy, or are in contention for one every few years?

If the answer to those questions is “yes,” then today’s email may not be for you.

But I hope you’ll continue reading and get value from my advice to coaches who are working hard to get to your level.

If you didn’t answer yes to that question, then consider this o...

Published July 30, 2025

Three quick things before we get into today's blog...

First, the 2026 Boulder Running Clinics speakers are set, and we'll start selling tickets at the end of August. The clinic is always Fri-Sat of MLK weekend, which is January 16-17, 2026. Full details will be available in late August.

Second, if you're in need of a team tent and want to get one before the season starts, make sure to read to the bottom of the email. I ...

Published July 23, 2025

It's the middle of July, and I have a pretty good guess at what's happening with your team right now.

You've got some kids who are absolutely crushing it - showing up every day, getting better every week. These athletes are going to have the best cross country season of their lives this fall, and that's really exciting.

You've also got some kids who haven't shown up yet and probably won't until official practice starts....

Published July 16, 2025

It's the middle of July and you're right in the thick of summer training season.

If you’re like most coaches, you’re dealing with the classic July challenge: some kids are showing up every day ready to work, while others are hit-or-miss with family vacations, summer jobs, and the general distractions that come with being a teenager in July.

Here’s the thing—this inconsistent attendance actually creates a perfect opportu...

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 simulat...

Extending The Aerobic Stimulus: How to Get 12-Mile Benefits From 10-Mile Runs

Here's the deal: I've been coaching for over 20 years, and I can tell you that the coaches who are winning state titles and sending kids to college aren't just running their athletes into the ground with more mileage. They're training smarter. The gap between your program and the best programs in your area is widening. While you're debating whether to add more mileage ...

Published July 2, 2025

Let's talk about workouts today, workouts that "build the aerobic engine."

The workouts I use to do this are:

• Long Runs
• Fartlek Runs
• Progression Runs
• Aerobic Repeats
• 30-90 Fartlek

Athletes learn the workouts in this order so that by week 5 of summer training they're getting a decent handle on the concept of "running by feel."

You can read about those workouts here and learn why it’s so important that your athle...

Published June 25, 2025 

This 4-minute email explains why threshold runs might not be the best assignment this time of year. If you don’t have time to read it now, make sure you come back to it when you have time.

The Threshold Mistake

While threshold runs are a powerful way to build the aerobic engine, there is a common mistake that athletes make when executing them.

Here’s a quick story to illustrate the point.

When I was an athlete at the...

Published June 18, 2025

I got a text from a coach last weekend that made me laugh, then made me think.

His message: “Jay, why would I pay for any training system when you give away so much for free? I’ve been following your blog for three years and my kids are running PRs.”

I laughed because, yes, in last week’s emails, they got five weeks of training for free, and it really was a great amount of information for every level of athlete. But the...

Published June 11, 2025

 There’s a phrase that I’ve heard a famous coach say several times:

An injury is a mistake in the training and is the coach’s fault.

I don’t agree with that statement for high school and college athletes who might get injured playing basketball or get 5 hours of sleep for 10-20 days in a row.

What I do believe – and what I want you to consider today - is that there is no reason a high school athlete has to endure an in...