Build the engine.
Earn the time.

Your training paces, your race plan and your recovery shouldn’t be guesswork. Free tools and plain-language training science for high school distance runners, from a coach with 25 years in the sport and 31 state champions.

31State champions coached
25 yearsCoaching high school distance runners
Level 2USATF Endurance Coach
2018NH XC Coach of the Year

Start here

Three things decide most high school seasons. Get these right and the rest gets easier.

Train at the right paces

Most runners run their easy days too fast and their hard days too slow. One recent race tells you where every pace should sit.

Training pace calculator Adjust your pace for heat and dew point

Add miles without getting hurt

Your lungs adapt in weeks. Your bones take months. The rule that actually prevents injury isn’t the 10% rule.

How to safely increase mileage Find your 30-day ceiling

Race with a plan

The difference between a PR and a blowup is usually decided in the first 800 meters. Walk to the line knowing your splits.

5K race strategy calculator Mental toughness on race day

One race. Every training pace.

Enter a recent max-effort 1600, 3200, 5K or 10K and the calculator returns your VDOT, your vVO2max pace, and five training zone paces. Three of them anchor every week of training.

LT1

Your aerobic threshold. The upper ceiling for easy running. Stay under it and your easy days build the engine instead of piling up fatigue.

LT2

Your anaerobic threshold. What you run on threshold days. Controlled and hard, never a race.

vVO2max

Your interval pace. The speed that drives your interval sessions.

Calculate your paces

Use a real race result. A solo time trial usually comes out slower than a true max effort, and your paces will too.

Free tools for high school runners

No account. No app. Open them on your phone before practice.

See all 18 free tools

Understand your training

How the best runners in the world actually train, and what a high schooler can take from it.

Browse all training articles

When you want more than free tools

Built for athletes and the parents who back them.

Personalized 3-Month Training Plan

$149

A plan written by me for one runner, 800m to marathon. You tell me your goal race, your running history, your injuries, your sleep and your fueling. I build the 12 weeks around the runner you actually are.

  • Every pace and mileage jump set for you, not a team average
  • Short intake form right after checkout
  • Delivered in 5 business days, with a 30-day guarantee

HS Distance Runner Fueling Guide

$24

Cafeteria strategy, race-day timing and a season fueling map built for real high school life.

See inside

College Recruiting Toolkit

$49

A grade-by-grade timeline, coach email templates and a school tracker, from first email to signing day.

See inside

Get the free training pace chart

The training paces I use to build track and cross country runners, adapted to your current fitness. Enter your email and I’ll send it over.

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