Published September 3, 2025

Hey there!

It's early September, and you no doubt have the workouts planned. But the question today is, what are you going to do with the kids who trained all summer but are already dealing with race-day anxiety?

Related, do you have a resource you can share with your kids that will guide them on how to eat in preparation for a 4 pm meet after school versus a morning meet where they'll race at 9 am?

You don't need ...

Published September 1, 2025

Today I want to talk about mental skills.

Have you heard coaches (or parents) say, "Running is 90 percent mental."

That's a silly idea. If that were true, there would be tens of thousands of aspiring high school athletes lying on their backs in bed visualizing their way to PRs (though there is a ton of value in visualization, which I'll get to in a moment).

However, there is truth to this: fit athletes often fail t...

Published August 31, 2025

Two weeks in a row, and I’ve gotten to watch some early season cross country.

The first week was a small, humble meet. The second meet was an big-ish invitational, with some great competition. I can't wait to see what my HS and MS daughters' teams can do this year!

If you took the time to open an email on Labor Day weekend, you’re clearly committed to having a great season. So let’s get clear about what’s actually in ...

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...

📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The most crucial concept for winter training success
• Keep heart rate elevated by going directly from warm-up → run → strides → post-run work (no breaks)
• Athletes get as much or more aerobic benefit with LESS running — prevents injuries
• This is why Jay's system keeps athletes injury-free while helping them PR
• Works for any program, any environment, boys and girls, big schools and small
• Change this approach in December...

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...