We always said, “champions are built in the summer.” This is the time of year for athletes to build a solid foundation so that they can handle the pounding and hard training of the cross country season and so that they will be able to continue to compete throughout the spring track season without losing steam. It is also a great time to build team camaraderie and accountability. There is nothing like exploring the trails and roads of your town together during the heat of the summer to form strong bonds and lifelong friendships.

The primary focus of the Summer Base Training Phase is Endurance. We are not worried so much about pace as we are the proper and gradual build up of volume that is appropriate for each athlete. We want to build a training plan for the athletes that has the highest likelihood of being consistently followed during the unstructured summer months.

Summer workouts must be “portable” – a kid should be able to complete the workout while on vacation with family as easily as they can by meeting their teammates at the normal location and time. They should be able to complete the workout on their own as long as they are wearing a watch.

You want to start the Summer Base Training Phase two weeks after the last meet of the track season. Start at a low level of mileage and work up no more than 10% a week to 40-60 miles, depending on these three factors:

1. Each athlete’s Experience (is this their first year running or fourth?)
2. Each athlete’s Durability (how injury prone are they?)
3. Each athlete’s Commitment (how consistently will they follow your training plan, even though you can’t hold official practices?)

Separate your athletes into groups according to the criteria above. Let’s say you have 3 groups. You may start the group of newer and less durable athletes at 20 miles a week, more experienced and committed athletes at 25 miles a week, and your veterans at 30 miles a week. There is no need to start anyone higher than 30 miles a week during this phase at the high school level.

Sample mileage starting at 20, 25 or 30 miles, for 12 weeks:

• Group 1: 20 – 22 – 24 – 20 – 26 – 29 – 32 – 20 – 35 – 39 – 43 – 20
• Group 2: 25 – 28 – 31 – 25 – 34 – 37 – 41 – 25 – 45 – 50 – 55 – 25
• Group 3: 30 – 33 – 34 – 30 – 37 – 41 – 45 – 30 – 50 – 55 – 61 – 30

Notice that every 4th week, the mileage drops down. That is intentional; it is important for athletes to take these “down weeks” to recharge for another ramp-up.

Sample week during the Summer Base Training Phase:

Monday:

• Core + Drills + 3 mile easy run + a few strides during or after

Tuesday:

• 1 mi warmup jog (or 10 minutes)
• 25 minutes of running uphill hard and jogging down 1 mi cooldown jog (or 10 minutes)
• Mileage: ~ 5 miles

Wednesday:

• 6 mile run “as you feel” – medium distance day

Thursday:

• Core + Drills + 3 mile easy run + a few strides during or after

Friday:

• 1 mi warmup jog (or 10 minutes)
• 3 mile tempo run at Tempo Pace OR 20 minutes at “tempo run effort” 1 mi cooldown jog (or 10 minutes)
• Mileage: ~ 5 miles

Saturday/Sunday:

• Long Run of 8 miles one day / Rest the other day

TOTAL: 30 miles.

Additional notes:

• When increasing mileage each week, alternate between increasing the mileage on easy days/long run day with increasing the mileage on workout days
• High mileage runners can do 2-mile warm up and cool down jogs and/or 3 mile easy morning jogs
• Mix up the Tuesday/Friday workouts:
  • Progression runs (get faster each mile or half mile)
  • Fartleks: rest is always shorter than hard rep
    • Alternate 3 min hard/2 min easy for 25-35 minutes
    • DOWN LADDER:6 min-5 min-4 min-3 min-2 min-1 min hard with 1 min easy between
    • UP/DOWN LADDER: 1 min-2 min-3 min-4 min-4 min-3 min-2 min-1 min w/ 1 min easy between

Need help writing your training plan for the summer? We offer ready-to-go AND custom Summer Training Plans for high school distance runners.