Financing the Final Stretch

“DIIIIING!” The last bell rings loudly on the high school intercom. Students storm out of the classroom. They run to their lockers, grab their bags, find their friends, and leave school with the biggest smiles on their faces. After what felt like the longest time, summer has finally arrived.

A few days pass, and most students spend their time playing video games, eating junk food, or staying up late, ruining their sleep schedules. However, a few high school athletes, specifically distance runners, know it’s time to use the summer to their advantage. They still have fun, but they know the importance of taking care of their bodies and training smart.

Summer is the best time for distance runners to improve. A smart high school runner starts preparing their body for cross-country at the beginning of break. These dedicated runners show the most improvement during the actual season.

In the financial world, these few runners are making smart investments. Investing is the act of saving and putting money into an asset, like a high-yield savings account, so that it can grow over time. Similarly, running slow, easy miles and eating and sleeping well during the summer will help runners achieve their goals during the cross-country season.

Similar to financial investments, the body has a budget. During a race, a runner has a limited amount of oxygen and energy to spend. These are “race funds”. If the overall budget is high, the runner can spend more of those funds and run a faster time. However, if it is low, funding is limited, and they will achieve a slower overall time. The more preparation in the summer, the higher a runner’s budget is, leading to faster times.

Additionally, running without preparation leans toward financial risk. Trying to go too fast at the beginning of the season without any summer training is like trying to spend money you do not have, resulting in debt. When that debt builds up, the body goes bankrupt. In other words, without summer preparation, the season will end in injuries or burnout as the runner will fold against the chaos and mayhem at the start of a race.

One of the most popular cross-country high school meets in Illinois showcases a fast and physical start:

2025 Twilight XC Invitational: 24 High School Teams & 1000+ Runners Featuring the Chaos at Starts to Races

Ultimately, summer is the most important part of a runner’s training. By investing in training early, runners create a larger budget during the cross-country season to run faster times and shatter previous records. With proper preparation, summer brings lots of opportunities for the fall.