Cross-Country Runner

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In the immortal words of Andy Dwyer, "Everything hurts. Running is impossible." As a cross country runner, these words are common in my vocabulary. Along with, "are we almost there?" and "ow." But, just as a race progresses, so does your love for running throughout the season. The first mile of the five kilometer race is usually run the fastest, therefore the toughest. Similarly, the start of the season is where the most miles are put in while you work to get in shape for the season, making it the hardest. The second mile of the three point one mile race is where you start to settle in and find your place among the runners. Likewise, mid season is when the runs begin to seem less awful as the temperature drops and you get stronger. The last …show more content…
First of all, you go from zero, at the starting line, to one hundred, during the first 400 meters while you attempt to get in front of the pack. As a good friend of mine once said, "you never have to recover from a good start." This mentality pertains to the season as a whole as well. As a beginner, the first week or so of practice is not necessarily easy, but you don't feel far behind from the other runners as they get back into the groove of distance running. You're off to a good start, just like the first 400 meters of your race. Then, your teammates find their rhythm again and suddenly their 20 minute run becomes 40 minutes, and you're left wondering if that's even humanly possible. You stick with your steady 20, feeling like that is more than enough running for one day. And, if you're anything like me when I was starting out, you throw in a few walks in there too, just to give your lungs a little break. Similarly, in a race, you struggle to stick with the leaders up in front of the pack and wish you could walk a little here as well. Somehow, though, you keep …show more content…
Passing people, however, is never not a good idea. Likewise, this is usually the part of the season where captain's practices have ended and meets have started. This puts us at early September, and the temperature drop definitely adds to the appeal of long runs. Along with that, you are starting to see the benefits that all of those summer miles had on your legs, including awesome calves. This is usually the part where running shifts from something your mom made you do because you were spending too much time on Netflix, to something you look forward to everyday. You're starting to identify as a runner. Running continues to grow on you as the workouts become less and less awful and your goals become more and more attainable. This part of the season often blends together and passes in a fog of miles, ice baths, and laughs. During a race, this is the part where everything becomes a blur, where it’s just you and the next runner. You don't know your time, mile, or pace but it's okay because you are running. And all you have to do is just keep
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