Methods, apparatus and systems for implementing for implementing Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE) refresh and wake signaling for high-speed Ethernet links. During an EEE refresh or wake signaling period, ALERT frames are transmitted between first and second Ethernet interfaces on opposing ends of the link, with a first ALERT frame being sent from a first Ethernet interface and a second ALERT frame being returned from the second Ethernet interface. The ALERT frames have a length that is different that the length of Physical Media Attachment (PMA) frames, and the returned ALERT frames include frame alignment offset data identifying a relative offset between an ALERT frame and a predetermined location in a PMA frame, and countdown data. The frame alignment offset data and countdown data are employed to facilitate a rapid transition from the link training mode to the data mode.