2026-06-14

Copley XC Week of June 15th - 21st

Copley XC Weekly Update

Youth Camp • Summer Training • Alumni Night • Fartlek Week

🏖️ Youth Camp: Tomorrow (Monday) – Thursday

Our Youth Camp runs tomorrow through Thursday, and we are excited for a great week with our campers! Emails have gone out with important camp information.

View Youth Camp Information

🏋️ Summer Strength Training

Beginning on Tuesday, June 16 and Thursday, June 18 at 7:00 AM, Coach Rod will be offering lifting sessions in the High School Weight Room.

These sessions will continue throughout July on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

✅ Training Plans & Consistency

Training plans are out for those who have asked! Make sure you are marking your work complete. If you are ready to start training and are not on a plan yet, please let me know.

The goal is to be at 100% consistency. I know things come up, and perfection isn't always possible. Athletes will miss various things as we know it is summer break. But if we want to be successful this fall and establish ourselves as one of the top TEAMS in the area, the work we do this summer is necessary.

Al Ali proved last fall that a good, solid block of summer work can take an athlete from outside of varsity to the podium at the State Meet.

The teams that achieve their goals in November are the ones that put in the work during June, July, and August—especially on the days they don't feel like it.

🔑 CONSISTENCY IS KEY!!

Stay consistent. Trust the process. Keep stacking good days together.

View Training Plans

🏃 Key Workout of the Week: Fartlek

This week's key workout is the Fartlek. Please take a second and read about Fartlek runs and why they are such a valuable training tool.

Read About Fartlek Runs

🎉 Alumni Night: Friday at 8:00 PM

Friday we will have Alumni Night at the Stadium at 8:00 PM. All are welcome to attend!

If you are racing or attending, please RSVP below:

Alumni Night Registration

📝 Final Forms & Remind

Final Forms is OPEN! Make sure to get registered there for Fall Cross Country and get those physicals up to date.

Complete Final Forms

Our HS Remind code is CFHSXC23. Make sure to join for quick updates throughout the season.

Let's Have a Great Week!

Coach Driscoll

Eric Driscoll
Copley High School Cross Country Coach
Copley High School Assistant Track Coach | Distance
Copley-Fairlawn Schools

Stay Connected with XC & TF

🌐 Stats Website: www.copleyrunning.com

🔔 Remind: CFHSXC23

📸 Instagram & Facebook: @CHSXC

📬 For updates, highlights, and more!

2026-06-14

Fartlek Runs

What Is a Fartlek?

A fartlek is a run that mixes faster running with easier running. The word comes from the Swedish phrase "speed play", and that's exactly what it is: learning how to change gears while still running relaxed.

A Little History

Fartlek training was developed in the 1930s by Swedish coach Gösta Holmér. Looking for a way to help his athletes become more competitive against dominant Finnish distance runners, Holmér encouraged runners to vary their pace naturally over trails and rolling terrain. Instead of rigid track workouts with exact distances and rest periods, athletes would surge up hills, accelerate between landmarks, and recover whenever needed. The result was a training method that built both endurance and speed while keeping running fun and engaging.

See Fartlek Training in Action

Watch this quick video to see how runners use "speed play" to mix faster and easier efforts throughout a run.

Why We Use Fartleks

Builds endurance and speed at the same time
Teaches runners how to change pace during races
Feels less rigid than track intervals
Develops body awareness and pacing skills
Can be done on roads, trails, grass, or the track

Example Workout

20-Minute Fartlek:

Run easy for 2 minutes, then faster for 1 minute. Repeat that pattern for 20 minutes. The faster sections should feel controlled, about your 5K effort, not like an all-out sprint.

Coach's Reminder

Fartlek running is about learning rhythm. Run the faster sections with good form, stay relaxed, and use the easy sections to recover while still moving forward. Some of the best fartleks don't require a watch at all, just pick a tree, a mailbox, or the next hill and play with your pace.

2026-06-12

2026 Youth Camp Counselor Information

Youth Camp Begins this Monday 6/15

2026 Copley Youth XC Camp

Counselor Information

Counselors:

If you can get there by 8:00 AM Monday, that would be great to help Coach Rod and I set up for the first day. If not, 15 minutes prior is great.

Camp runs from 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM. Most days you can arrive 10–15 minutes before camp starts at 8:30 AM.

🎯 We will do our TEAM Goal Setting Session directly after the first day of camp, and it should last approximately 1 hour.

📋 View Camp Agenda 👥 View Counselor List

Thanks,

Coach Driscoll