Cross country running can both be a competitive sport and a great leisure-time activity. Running long-distance is an aerobic exercise, a great heart and all-body workout, and it is convenient to do. However, there are some barriers and risks of running that should be noted before running too intensely. Here is a simple guide for new runners on the history, benefits, and risks of long-distance cross-country running. Cross country running largely originated from a sport called “paper-chasing” in England
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves” -Edmund Hilary. Or so my cross country shirt told me. For 6 years of running cross country this quote was meaningless to me. It wasn’t till my final year of cross country that I realized its meaning, through a self-conquering. For 6 years I was a subpar runner, in the first three years of high school, I was lucky to make JV. However, after my 6th year of cross country, in my junior year that all changed. Alex, a friend of mine who was a sophomore
I decided to run cross-country since I had no speed whatsoever. I enjoy running but I am definitely not a runner. I’m the girl that’s loudly gasping for air after running just 1 lap around the track in gym class. So why did I decide to run cross-country? Honestly, I just wanted to get in shape. I wanted to feel like an athlete. I am always up for a challenge and this was definitely one. Running 5 miles a day became the new normal for me. It was agonizing. I was used to running 1 slow mile and nothing
Running during races may seem like a simple activity, but there’s more behind the curtain. It’s an activity that uses the majority of your body, pumping blood through your whole body. It keeps you fit and improves your overall life span. Ever since I had to run the mile during elementary school, I’ve always wanted to know how to improve my speed and endurance. More specifically, How do you perform to you fullest capacity before a Cross Country Running race? Practice, is the most basic answer to anything
and determination, I made it to where I am today, and where I want to be. Throughout my high school career, I have chosen to run Cross Country. Over the past four years, I've learned so much about running, life, and myself. With time, I became stronger, as an athlete and a person. The races were scary to say the least. Before every race throughout my four years of running, my Coach would say some words of encouragement that wouldn't just make me believe I could do better, but helped me do better. He
Running is a Metaphor for Life Growing up shy, I would have never thought I would be running cross country at school. My junior year of high school changed my life forever. One day in class, my teacher, who was also the cross country coach, asked me if I wanted to run cross country. I said yes and got my physical examination that same day. I was so excited to start my new journey in school. I knew that being involved in a sport was going to help me become more confident. Running has taught me how
would be exercising so I could get more healthy and I also thought that a good way to do that would be cross country because then I would be exercising and meeting new people. My first run in cross country was at Niles West and then straight down the street. I was not alone though. The rest of the freshman cross country team was there ready to practice. One of my friends who is doing cross country, Matt, said, “You’re gonna regret joining.” I thought that he was just acting lazy or just making a joke
myself to be an athlete until my sophomore year of high school actually. I got involved in running somewhat accidentally. One of my friends convinced me to join track and considering I was very out of shape, throwing seemed like the best fit. Two weeks in, it turned out that throwing was not for me, so I decided that I would try the mile or in track terms, the 1600m. Ever since then, I’ve been a runner. Running has really challenged me in a way that school could not. School was certainly hard at times
enforcement. At the time, I wanted to go to the U.S. Military Academy (U.S.M.A.), so I decided to physically condition myself and keep my mind occupied in order to stay out of trouble. To achieve these goals, I decided to run cross country. I joined my school’s cross country team in the summer. At the beginning we performed pre-season workouts. The training was tough, but my proud personality and the very thought of what I had to gain kept me motivated and helped me push through the pain. Every time
Puente Honors Lit. 27 May 2014 Cross Country Community (Remove Title for second copy) The aching screams of my legs and feet as I speed down the dusty path. I think to myself, push through it, and don’t give up. I bounce down the path hoping to be done soon. The finish line is calling my name as I race down the chute with the audience cheering me on in the background. Cross Country first began in the 1800’s as stated here, “English schools started competing in cross country races in 1837, and established
Many people argue that cross country is one of the hardest, most physically challenging sports there is out there. A lot of people shudder at the idea of running two or more miles on hilly, steep, muddy and rocky trails. The funny thing about that is that is not even the worst part. In order to run two to four miles in races, one must prepare. “How do you prepare your body to run this long?” one might ask. That is where my argument comes in. Being a cross country runner of four years, I have seen
A Running Experience It was another long day of track practice with even more pain in my right leg. I was not your typical fourteen year old girl this past spring. I have a passion for running and I would do anything to make myself a better runner. That includes running or working through pain when everyone told me to stop. I went to track practice with the high school team before middle school practice had even started. I ran everyday trying to get my body in shape for a great season. As I was
paper ... ... condenses on the lawns and there is a new grass smell in the air, or those winter afternoons when it just finishes snowing and the ground is unmarked. I wait for those days to put on my no longer shiny, squeaky, new running shoes, put on a pair of running shorts and take off down the street with no direction in mind to wherever my legs take me. And now, I slow down from time to time just to see how the sun reflects off the bay, or the distant biker that is just coming around the bend
The Beginning The first time I ever put on a pair of running sneakers I thought It would be the last time. Running for me has opened up a world of opportunities from when I first started to run to this moment. Running has introduced friends, both old and new fast and slow, but never has there been a lonely time. Before I put on my first pair of running spikes I was viewed as un-athletic and socially awkward individual. Going to school was a chore and making friends was a challenge, but it all changed
Completing an ultramarathon a feat for anyone. However, for a 16 year old girl it seemed impossible. So why not? As a varsity cross country runner I am no stranger to running. The contradictory love-hate relationship strains the mind and body like to no other. My Junior year I started falling out of love with cross country, the distances, the races, and the running in general had gotten monotonous. I live by the phrase “You must be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” I constantly seek new challenges
me to running. Her cousin's daughter had a hearing problem and was raising money through a 5k to pay for her special hearing aids. If I wanted to participate in the 5k, I would have to at least be able to run a mile. I worked on my running all summer, getting faster and going farther, when it hit me that what I'm really doing is the sport called cross country. I asked my mom if I could join, knowing she probably wouldn't let me, when she said yes! A couple of months later, the first cross country
always been very active through elementary and middle school. I have always been one of the fastest runners in my school. Every month our school would have a one mile running test in gym class that I always looked forward to. Everyone wanted to compare his/her times and see who was faster than who. I didn't know track and cross country was a middle school sport until 8th grade when my best friend joined track. After that I wanted to join, but I was scared because I had social anxiety and the idea
myself up for anything. I began running cross country in seventh grade. It was really my first chance to get myself involved in something. I had never even heard of cross country before, until a book I read involved the main character being involved in the sport. When I began running, I never imagined that I’d still be running my senior year. Not only did I think I’d still be running, I never even considered the idea of running varsity. I believe that my six years of running has proven, at the very least
Running is my sport. I’ve made so many memories with my friends and team. One of my favorites is our trip to Coach Corry’s cabin. Every year we travel up the mountain and run together until we reach his cabin. But this year was memorable for several reasons; my friends, the rain, our team captains, and my coach. It was a July morning when I woke up to the sound of my alarm. The light rain hit my bedroom window as I prepared to run to Coach’s cabin. This was a tradition of our cross country team
Suddenly, I hear footsteps approaching from behind. A second later, the top boy on the cross country team runs past me verifying my fear of being the slowest runner. While every practice the high school girls run in a pack, this would remain a dream to me. Humiliated and disheartened, my summer was spent in a solitary trudge. While I was oftentimes upset that I couldn’t keep up with everyone else at cross country, it gave me a unique opportunity. Whenever someone joked about being slow in anticipation