Mid-Season XC Power Combo

Workout - Mid-Season XC Power Combo

• 10min @ 9'00''/mi
• 10 lots of:
  • 1min 30s @ 5'00''/mi
  • 1min rest
• 4.8km @ 5'30''/mi
• 3.2km @ 5'00''/mi
• 10min @ 8'00''/mi
• 5 lots of:
  • 25s @ 4'00''/mi
  • 1min rest

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Intro

Here’s a summary of What type of training is best for cross country? from StrengthRunning. It’s solid advice—we’ve broken down the highlights so you can put them to work right away. Check out the full video for the complete rundown.

Key Points

• Maintain steady mileage through mid-season – hold onto the high volume you built over the summer.
• Mix up your workouts: tempo runs, lactate-threshold sessions, hill repeats, race-specific paces, and faster-than-goal-pace efforts.
• Hill repeats: 8–12 reps of 1–1.5 min uphill, or the classic 10 × 90-second steep hill repeats; occasionally include longer climbs (2–3 min) for strength and aerobic capacity.
• Practice on the surface where you’ll race (grass, trails) to nail your pacing.
• Do 4–6 strides 2–3 times per week.
• Long-run mileage: 9–13 mi for high school runners, 15–20 mi for Division III, and 17–20 mi for Division I (10K) athletes.
• Faster-than-goal-pace workouts: roughly 5 mi at best-effort pace to build race-specific endurance.

Workout Example

Mid-Season Cross-Country Workout (Miles)

1. Warm-up – 1–2 mi of easy jogging.
2. Hill Repeats – 10 × 90 seconds uphill (moderately steep) with an easy jog down for recovery. (Scale to 8–12 reps based on your fitness.)
3. Tempo Run – 3 mi at lactate-threshold pace (comfortably hard, ~20–30 seconds slower than 5K race pace).
4. Goal-Pace Segment – 2 mi at target race pace on grass or trail.
5. Cool-down – 1 mi easy.
6. Strides – 4–6 strides (20–30 seconds each) after the workout, 2–3 times a week.
7. Long Run – 9–13 mi (high school) or 15–20 mi (college) at an easy-to-moderate pace, once weekly.

Closing Note

Give this training mix a shot this week, adjusting the distances and paces to fit your current level in the Pacing app. You’ll be building strength, speed, and confidence for race day—now get after it!

References

• What type of training is best for cross country? - YouTube (YouTube Video)