Why Cross County is my "All In" Sport

Was I ever that young? This grainy picture was taken during a Cross Country meet way, way back in the fall of 1978. I'm the guy with red hair wearing Nike's classic Oregon Waffles (or anyone under 50 years of age - the yellow shoes). Despite the serious look on my face, I was having the time of my life. We were facing our league rivals on a tough golf course. We won that particular meet and several others that year as part of a memorable season that ended with a trip to the State Cross Country Meet in Eugene.

Tackling those steep hills on that warm September afternoon provided but one of many fond memories of running Cross Country in high school and college. From that first awkward day of practice as a freshman, wearing sweats on a hot afternoon and only going out for the sport because someone talked me into it, somehow eight years passed with me a college senior, walking towards the team van, slowing beginning to realize that this would be the final race in a sport that had truly shaped my life to that point.

Being a long-distance runner afforded me the benefit of being able to compete in Track as well as Cross Country. But as I indicated in a previous post, my memories of Track are not nearly as positive. In this post, I'll give the reasons why Cross Country is my "All In" sport.

• I was better at Cross Country. Let's cut to the chase. My abilities as a runner were more suited for Cross Country than Track. As a result, I had greater success in it - all of which is explained in the next several bullet points.

• Speed Kills (Or the Lack Thereof). My greatest weakness as a runner was my lack of "true" speed. Despite the best efforts of several excellent coaches, my legs could only go so fast. That put me at an immediate disadvantage in Track where speed is everything. But I did have endurance. My legs weren't quick, but they could keep going - regardless of the conditions. Which leads into the next reason

• Cross Country was a Great Equalizer. Cross Country is called Cross Country for a reason. Courses can include steep hills, grassy flats, shaded dirt trails, gravel roads, steep downhills and paved roads or bicycle paths - sometimes all on the same course. This was where endurance paid off, allowing me to beat runners that I couldn't touch in Track.

• A Change Will Do You Good. Going along with the previous bullet, the varying course conditions not only helped from a running standpoint, I found the diversity providing further motivation. Put it another way, who wouldn't rather race on a paved trail beside a river over going in circles around the same track? Or turn the corner at a wooded park to see the finish line coming into view instead of knowing there's still another lap to on a track?

• Less is More. One of my frustrations with Track was that even on my best days, I never contributed much to the team. Unless I won my event, I may only add two or three points to our team total - despite what could be a personal best time. A good sprinter or thrower who competes in several events can provide over half the team's total score. It was a different story with Cross Country. From my junior year in high school on, I was never worse than the team's number four runner. Since Cross Country scores the top five runners, that meant my performance in a meet truly impacted the team. (I should also note that Cross Country adds the places of the top five runners for each time as the score with the lowest score being the winner. Hence, "less is more.")

• Camaraderie Counts. While I enjoyed being part of every Track team, it wasn't the same as it was with Cross Country. Part of it had to do with the size of larger Track teams compared to smaller ones in Cross Country, but the reality is that no one understands distance runners as much as other distance runners. That includes all our quirks and habits. Many of my Cross-Country teammates became good friends away from practice as well. I'm very happy to add that some of those friends still remain all these years later. It bears stating that while I've struggled to feel comfortable at class reunions, when I meet former teammates from past Cross-Country teams, I have no problem reconnecting.

This upcoming November will mark the fortieth year since my last Cross Country meet. Despite all those years, I still instinctively think of Autumn as "Cross Country" season. It's my hope that this post has illustrated why I this sport is so special to me. What about you? Any thoughts or memories to share? You can put them in the comments or on the FB post.

Speaking of races, it's my pleasure to announce a fun upcoming race for those of you in central Iowa. The Ankeny School Foundation is sponsoring the annual Hawk Jag 5k in Ankeny on September 24 at 9:00 am. The race starts at Ankeny Centennial High School and ends at Ankeny High school. Proceeds support students and teachers in the Ankeny School District. For more information, check out this link.