Cross Country is a distance running sport, that takes speed and endurance. This sport is for people who enjoy the thrill of racing and the gratification of earning your spot in a pack of runners that are striving for the same thing you are, to be the best. It doesn't matter if you are fast or slow as long as you can run the distance you can be a cross country runner with a little time and a lot of effort you can do anything. Cross country is also a sport that is made up of independent team work. What I mean by this is that you run for yourself and in the end your place is added to the teams score and to win you have the lowest score. Essentially to win your team needs to beat the most people by place not time. One thing that some people dislike about cross country is that there are no breaks or a half time, or a bench. When you get out there and start a race there is no stopping until the end. 

It takes an intense amount of training and conditioning to be a cross country runner. A daily practice usually consists of a mile warm up a 3-8 mile run and then a mile cool down. During the week you would have a mix of long runs short runs speed workout and easy days. Long runs are usually 5 of more miles plus the warm up and cool down. A short run is the warm up cool down and a 3-4 mile run. A speed workout is on a set course like a track where you can easily track your distance, you would run a lap hard and then a slow jog for a lap and do that about 12 times each and steadily increase to match your ability. Easy days would just be a warm up a cool down and a 2-3 mile run, you would run these before a race so you do not strain yourself but are still running a steady distance. You would also have different trails and roads to run on, so you do not get bored with the same thing day in and day out. You should also train on different terrain and slopes so you can be ready for any type of race. In a typical high school race you would run about 2.9 to 3.1 miles. 

This is a simple sport that doesn't need a lot of equipment. all you need are a good pair of running shoes that are comfortable to run in and/or a pair of running spikes if you so choose. You may also want compression shorts or spandex to run a race in. For practice all you need is your shoes and shorts and a breathable T-shirt. your typical cross country uniform consists of running shorts and a tank top. it can also get very cold or even rain and snow at some races so you will want to always have a long sleeve shirt and a pair of running warmups/sweat pants and something to change into after a race. 

Cross country is usually a fall sport at Wellsboro High School, which starts sometime in the beginning of the school year and ends around thanksgiving but it varies depending on the place you live. Cross country is an all-terrain sport. Which means that you could be running on the road, dirt, grass, gravel, mud, and most other things you can think of.  You also run in the woods on trails or in towns on the road, and if you practice in both places you can be ready for either. the meets and invitationals are usually at schools or a park somewhere in the town. If you have a course with more hills, then you would have a very good home course advantage because if you practice on it you will be better conditioned.

You should run cross country because you have to be well trained and have a lot of determination to do it and it is always fun to race your friends and know who is better. Another reason why is that you can stay in shape by running, you can also maintain normal eating habits and you won't feel guilty taking that extra serving because you know you ran hard that day. 

Somethings to watch for when you are about to race is staying hydrated. Drink lots of water the night before, but also do not drink a lot before a race because then you will have all the liquid in your stomach while you run. Eat very good the morning of and eat a little bit when you are hungry before the race, but do not go into a race on a full or empty stomach, both can have the same effect. Be sure to stretch before the race and before you go running, you don't want to pull a muscle during the peak of your season.