How to Run High School Cross Country

Many students run high school cross country because it was their Plan B. After being cut from the soccer, football, or basketball team, it was the only option left. Let's face it, running isn't always the most glamorous sport from the outside looking in. However, if you give high school cross country a fair chance, many find that it can be a life-changing experience. Read on for tips in deciding how to go about running high school cross country.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Determination
• Commitment

1. THE CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM: So you're devastated that you're not going to be the next quarterback of the Cougars. Or maybe you ran track in grade school and thought about running longer distance. Whether you look at running high school cross country as your Plan B or Plan A, give your school's program a quick evaluation. How successful is it? More importantly, what's the interest level in the program? Neither can predict what your experience will be, but if there's a genuine interest in the program, the positive vibes can be infectious and bode well for your time on the team.

2. THE TRADITION: Should you choose to run high school cross country, you'll likely find that your memories are tied to the team's traditions. What are your school's cross country traditions? Friday night team carbo-loading dinners? A week long summer trip to train, camp, have fun? Run in costumes on Halloween? The memories can be big and small, but find out what they are before you start running.

3. THE COACH: Like any sport, the coach can make or break a program. Listen to how the other runners talk about the coach. How do they respond to his / her message? Does the coach create an atmosphere of camaraderie, dedication, fun, and more?

4. YEAR-ROUND TRAINING: If you're going to run high school cross country the right way, you're going to have to run all year round. Mentally prepare yourself for this. There are no long breaks. There is no easy way. The best programs have seasons with a schedule like this:
   - Base of endurance built in the summer
   - High school cross country season in the fall
   - Short break, followed by winter endurance building
   - Track season in the spring where you'll focus on the 800 meters, 1 mile, and 2 mile distances
   - Repeat next year

5. THE FRIENDSHIPS: Like any sport or club, high school cross country is a great way to make friends. Depending on the program, level of interest, the traditions, the coach, if runners commit to a year round program, etc., you might get lucky and even make a few lifelong friends from running cross country. It's amazing how close you can get to people when you start running 20, 30, 40... miles a week together.

Tips & Warnings

• Whether high school cross country is your sport of choice or Plan B, give it a fair evaluation before deciding either way.

Resources

• joevitucci.com - Author of A Run by the River

[AudreyBrown]

on 2/28/2009 I LOVED cross country in high school, track too. I love to run and have done a handful of half and full marathons. Good article, it's such a good sport for high schoolers!