1. Drills
  2. Cross Country
  3. Hills & Terrain

Mixed Terrain Loop

Run a loop with grass, dirt and hills while keeping your effort even.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Run with an adult on a marked trail.

Core: As written. Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.

Ages
14 and up
Time
22 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Trail loop with hills, adult, water
Level · skill
Advanced · Hills & Terrain

The steps

How it works

  1. Run with an adult on a marked trail.
  2. Keep the same effort up, down and on the flat.
  3. Shorten your steps on climbs and rough bits.
  4. Finish with 3 minutes of walking.

Coaching point

Same effort, any ground.

Safety: Run trails and parks with an adult, stay on marked paths, and watch for roots and rocks. If you fall and hit your head, stop and see a doctor before you run again.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Trail follow-the-leader: one person leads a movement and the group copies. Swap the leader each time.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (slower or smaller), Core (as written), More (one extra twist). Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.

Story

You are an explorer crossing the woods like a jungle.

My best

Beat your own count

Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free cross country week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.