For most high school cross country teams, summer is a season unto itself. Teenage runners may be on vacation—working jobs, taking family trips, going to the beach—but if they don’t run virtually every day in a calculated program to build a mountain of fitness, you can throw fall success out the window.

That’s the overriding message delivered in the pages of Running Times in July 2013 by coaches of six outstanding high school programs across the nation. They know that building a base for 5K fall racing takes months. Not to mention the good habits, training knowledge and team bonding that will come with a summer of hard work. These squads, boasting long resumes of state championships and national rankings, build a team culture that stresses summer commitment, no ifs, ands or buts.

But while these schools have fall success in common, they differ widely in their training and organizational approaches. Some coaches meet with their teams all summer long; others, operating within state restrictions, have limited athlete contact until mandatory school practice begins in August. Certain groups start out with only easy mileage; a few work in the hard stuff early on. Some teams emphasize weight training and core work; others just run.

Throughout the summer, Running Times is highlighting six different high school cross country teams and their summer training programs. This week, take a look at summer training for American Fork High School in Utah:

American Fork High School 
American Fork, Utah
Coach: Timo Mostert

Cross Country Success: American Fork boys placed seventh at NXN in 2013 after finishing runner-up in 2012, taking sixth in 2011 and eighth in 2010. The Cavemen have won five straight state 5A titles.

Setting It Up: Starting in June, the team runs six days a week all summer with Sundays off. Mostert says the athletes, who come on a voluntary basis, understand that if they don’t train they have no chance of making varsity or even JV. As many as 40 boys turn out for workouts. Utah, with a mid-October state meet, has the earliest season of any state except Alaska.

Overall Training: The operative word is strength — both aerobic and muscular. The boys run hills and do weight training year-round. As summer moves along, they do two-a-day workouts. Summer repeat work consists of 1,000s, 1200s and miles. Mostert runs a summer camp for three days in the mountains at 7,000 feet. The team motto is “Run to live … Live to run.”

Hill Training: On Mondays, they run a team hallmark called “The Grinder.” It’s a 1.3-mile ascent that is part of a 10-mile run, including 3 miles to the base of the hill, the foothills after and the final downward section. The idea is to hammer the ascent. Any boy who breaks 9 minutes on The Grinder gets a T-shirt; a youngster breaking 8 minutes (few have) will receive a free pair of spikes.

Weight Training: The team uses free weights three times a week, emphasizing core and upper body. For example, standing in place, the boys do “dumbbell runners,” in which they move their arms forward and back in a running motion with dumbbells in hand. “They mimic driving uphill with arm function,” says Mostert.

Summer Innovation: In order to attend the team camp, athletes must be able to negotiate The Grinder without stopping to walk. This test, a team initiation of sorts, provides tremendous motivation and pride, Mostert says. At the camp, situated in a national forest, the athletes (both boys and girls teams attend) sleep in tents, run twice a day, and bond for the fall.

See also:

June 4: Tatnall School Builds Base By Experience
June 11: Mountain Brook Puts Responsibility With Athletes
June 18: Endless Summer: St. Xavier Boys Use Time Trials For Training Targets
June 27: Adapting For Altitude With Los Alamos
July 15: Hills and Hills for the Cardinal O’Hara Boys

Headshot of Marc Bloom
Marc Bloom

Marc Bloom’s high school cross-country rankings have played an influential role in the sport for more than 20 years and led to the creation of many major events, including Nike Cross Nationals and the Great American Cross Country Festival. He published his cross-country journal, Harrier, for more than two decades.