The practice structure
Most two-hour practices fit into the same blocks. The whole team warms up together, splits into event groups for the main work, and comes back together at the end.
| Block | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Check-in | 5 min | Attendance, announcements, today's plan |
| Warm-up | 15–20 min | Easy jog, dynamic mobility, activation |
| Drills | 10–15 min | Event-appropriate drills and strides |
| Main session | 40–50 min | Event-group workouts (see sample below) |
| Secondary work | 15–20 min | Starts, technical work, strength, or core |
| Cooldown | 10–15 min | Easy jog, mobility, quick recap |
Sample session: early-season Tuesday
Here's one way to fill in the main session for three groups on the same day. Recovery is generous for sprinters and hurdlers because the goal is quality, not fatigue.
| Group | Main session | Secondary work |
|---|---|---|
| Sprints | 3–4 × 150m at about 90% effort, full walk-back recovery | Block starts: 4–6 × 20m |
| Hurdles | 5–6 × first three hurdles from blocks, full recovery | Hurdle mobility, trail-leg drills |
| Mid-distance | 2 sets of 4 × 300m at 800m race effort, 60–90s between reps, 4 min between sets | Core circuit |
Turn race efforts into individual times with the interval pace calculator, or see setting individual paces in a group workout.
Blank practice plan
Print this and fill it in by hand, or copy it into your own notes.
| Block | Sprints | Hurdles | Mid-distance | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check-in | ||||
| Warm-up | ||||
| Drills | ||||
| Main session | ||||
| Secondary work | ||||
| Cooldown | ||||
| Notes |
Tips for running a multi-group practice
- Assign the track before practice. Decide which lanes or straightaways each group uses in each block so nobody is waiting.
- Put one coach on each group. When assistants know their group, session, and targets in advance, the head coach can move between groups instead of running every one.
- Plan the week, not just the day. Hard days for one group don't have to line up with hard days for another, but each group needs recovery between its own quality sessions.
- Write the targets down. A plan that says "4 × 300 at 800 effort" is clear to you; a list of each athlete's actual time is clear to everyone.
- Record what happened. Times, attendance, and short notes turn this week's practice into next week's plan.
Safety note: Sample sessions are general examples. Adjust for your athletes' age, experience, and readiness, and follow your school or league's practice guidelines.
Running the plan in PaceCommand
Build each group's session in the workout builder, save it as a template, and schedule it on the calendar. Assistant coaches get a handoff view of their group's session, athletes see their own workouts and targets, and times recorded during practice save to each athlete's history. Coaching distance runners in the fall too? See the cross-country training week template.