This is the second day of the first week of Summer Mileage, this is about your future.
Connor Mantz is our featured athlete today. Connor Mantz won the NCAA Cross Country Division 1 title in 2020, he was the first American to win the title since 2008 (Galen Rupp). In 2024, Connor won the US Olympic Trials marathon, and placed 8th in the tough Paris Olympic Marathon. In Boston in April 2025, Connor ran 2:05:08, his personal best. In October, he will run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and he will be looking to break the American marathon record of Khalid Khannouchi, set in 2002 at London of 2:05.44. Connor is coached by Ed Eyestone, Connors’ college coach from BYU. He ran 27:35.2 for 10,000m at the NIKE Pre Classic last weekend.
The road to 2025 Cross country is just beginning
Track & Field 2025 season is over.
Time to rest up and get in two weeks of gentle running.
Today is July 8 , 2025
Week One, Day two, Summer Mileage.
Tuesday, warm-up, 45 minute hilly run, put a little more effort into the hills today, cooldown well.
Hydrate and stretch. Always hydrate.
Some thoughts on summer mileage program.
Have you considered cross country?
Cross Country is offered in over 16,500 high schools and many junior high schools. It normally goes from mid-August to November for most. To prepare for cross country, we at RunBlogRun encourage you and your 550,000 closest friends who like the 400m to 5,000m, consider cross country!
It is a great way to stay in shape and it builds your fitness so that you are ready for the challenges of cross country.
What motivated Steve Prefontaine in the summer between his sophomore and junior year?
Was it the knowledge that he had not done his very best in track and field? Perhaps, he had not taken his commitment as serious as he thought he should?
When you have not achieved what you expected, how do you respond? Are you being called to put in some more effort? Many of us have had those challenges, and Summer mileage is a great program to get one self focused.
Think about five things you can do better for fall cross country, write them on a post card, and tape it to a place in your room where you will see it at least once a day!
Remember to drink 8 glasses of water, 12 ounces each a day!
When Pre was in high school, after he failed to make his State track meet as a sophomore, he became obsessed with daily training. These were not just easy runs, they were bone-churning, gut-wrenching efforts focused to make him unbeatable. In his junior year of cross country, Pre saw that his summer of running made a huge difference.
Do you want to be a better cross country runner than you were in the past? Focus and follow our training. It is all about the consistency.
Other book suggestions include Self Made Olympian by Ron Daws, A Clean Pair of Heels by Murray Halberg, and Pre! by Tom Jordan.
The Nike Pegasus PLUS is a great entry shoe for high school cross country. You should consider it, and learn more about it at nike.com. It is light, cushioned, a good summer mileage shoe. If you need a little more cushioning, try the Vomero 18.
