Discovering High School Cross Country

"Discovering High School Cross Country: Going the Extra Mile" is a follow-up to Coach Rankin's 2024 " Discovering High School Cross Country". "I never anticipated writing a second edition," Rankin says, "but the volume of requests for deeper insight - particularly related to workout design and the concept of proper periodization - made it clear that there was a lot more to share." In "Going the Extra Mile", Coach Rankin addresses key elements of effective training, including selecting appropriate footwear, developing sound race strategy, and understanding the underlying principles behind workout design. He emphasizes learning from early mistakes as a runner and presents a detailed case study to demonstrate how he evaluates and critiques his own athletes in the ultimate interest of individualizing their training and maximizing their performance. "My primary goal is not only to educate young runners as to some of the intricacies of our sport," says Rankin, "but also to help provide motivation. Our sport is not always easy. In fact, it rarely is. Perhaps my own experience, both as a runner and, more recently, as a coach can help flatten the learning curve a bit for some of today's young runners, helping them to more readily achieve their goals".