Apartheid: A Steroid In Cross Country

Having the desire to one day see those views in person or enough self-confidence to finally post a decent beach picture without being self-conscious. Running on the cross country team will quickly whip you into shape. Maybe you won’t get that rock-hard six pack that you have always wanted at first, but if you stay consistent with it, you’ll end up being closer than you were before. Since cross country is a very active sport, especially since it is a long distance, you will burn several hundreds of calories and can influence healthy eating habits depending on your goals. Running cross country will improve your overall strength, endurance, health, and hopefully influence positive daily

Although, some don’t consider cross country a true sport at all because there’s no ball, no physical contact, and there’s hardly a team. Cross-country is compiled of a team of individuals, bonded by their shared suffering, and each of them runs their own race. Success depends solely on the individual and each runner has the same opportunity to succeed. A cross country runner must be able to own both their successes as well as their failures. The races are the most thrilling times of the sport.

After every race, you can vaguely expect what you will see up on the clock. I know, now, how much I put in, is only as much as I can expect to get out. Running has helped me form some ideas that are still fresh in my brain but will hopefully help me become a better version of myself. Just remember, someone may have a lifetime ahead of them, but they need to make the last bit just as good as the

I am an extremely passionate runner; my primary focus is to be an encouraging, hard working team member. This commitment entails running up to fifty miles a week, as well as lifting three days and cross training three days for about six months of the year. I pour my time and energy into this sport because it challenges me to become a tougher person. Cross country has taught me to keep a positive, growth mindset and to ruthlessly chase every goal. Additionally, I am best friends with all the girls on the team. I give them everything I can offer to make cross country the happiest place in the world. I am a leader, being named Captain of the ninety person team my senior year. No matter the sacrifice, no matter how I perform, I am ultimately on this team for my teammates.

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle or last. You can say, ‘ I finished’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that” - Fred Lebow. I began cross country in eighth grade shortly after my brother joined the year before. He enjoyed it a lot, so I thought it would be fun. I’ve been on the team for two years. I would like to run for the rest of my life. Cross country changed my life positively forever. It taught me to push myself past what I thought was my limit. It revealed to me a great community of people and it taught me to leave my comfort zone.

Spectators at sporting events come to watch athletes compete at their best during a game or meet. However, there is more to sports than just “playing the game”, “running the course”, “performing”, or whatever the case may be. Athletes understand how important sport specific workouts are; cross country is one sport that focuses on this. Most people think that “all you do is run”, although running is indeed the task, it takes a combinations of different workouts to build up an athlete’s body in order to be race ready. It is beneficial for cross country runners to do workouts that focus on speed, strength, and endurance.

High School Cross-Country meets can be intimidating because of the competitive atmosphere. First off, the people and coaches yelling on the sidelines throw runners off their game. Cheering on the sidelines, coaches and fans can frazzle you somewhat and make you unfocused. Also, the lingo the sideline viewers’ use can make someone who is not obsessed with running feel like they have no idea what they are doing. Secondly, menacing hills and dreadful trails can make runners sweat with nerves. Looking at a giant hill before a race can make runners regret joining cross-country. Most runners just try not to pass out while running up the hills, and when they finally get up them they breathe a sigh of relief. Hilly courses spook runners

Ready, set, “bang,” the starter gun goes off, thousands of people cheer, hundreds of runners on your left and right, and the only thing you’re focus on is crossing the finish line. Your heart is pounding, your stomach twists around itself, and the lactic acid builds in your legs to a point where all you can focus on is the pain that each step takes. But this is Cross Country. Outlasting the pain is part of the sport and if you hadn’t known that from the start you wouldn’t have joined right? And you wouldn’t have stayed all four years either.

There are many things that people can learn from this sport. Patience is one of those essentials. One thing runners will quickly realize is that times do not get faster overnight. People have to put in a lot of work and effort to drop seconds on of their times. It strengthens one’s endurance levels since they are not handed being a good athlete. Runners have to train hard and log many miles into their shoes to get faster. Good runners also create a great work ethic. Even when they are in immense pain, they keep going. When someone is a runner, he or she has to zone out and forget the pain. This is good because runners are known to be hard-workers at their occupations. Persistence and work ethic go together. One has to be persistent to work hard. Out of all the life skills running teaches, the strongest one is expanding runner’s mental capabilities. Runners have to be motivated. If a person does not have the willpower and strength to say that he or she can do it, they will not go very far. Having a positive mindset goes a long way. One could be the slowest runner, but when they believe they can run faster, they will achieve their goal. Giving up is not an option. This applies to not just running but to other things in life also. Runners learn many life lessons; these being just a few of

One thing should be said about Cross Country, it is no easy sport. Most of the time is spent running, miles upon miles. There is not always someone around to monitor everyone’s activity levels, it would be very easy to stop running; however, doing that only hurts oneself. Even though times it would have been easier to quit, I persevered, knowing that it would benefit me in the long run.

If I didn’t like this sport, I would go find one with a bench in it. Running is a mental sport. No half times, time outs and no breaks. From start to finish….. I run cross country. Cross country is not just me being athletic it’s: I train, I’m confident, I have the guts, sprite and the Accomplishment when you finish strong. Fun, active, skillful, cross country will make me happy no matter what. I believe in cross country.

Participants will need to be unattached cross-country or marathon runners who run a minimum of 15 miles a week. The runners must already be accustomed to wearing stability-type running styles excluding the styles used in the study and are not dependent on orthotics for support. They must not currently have or have had any lower body musculoskeletal injuries within the past year, and must visibly over pronate with longer heel-to-ball measurement than heel-to-toe, indicating a flat arch. Only men with size 10 and 12 feet, and women with 8 and 9 can be included due to

Cross Country doesn't typically get a lot of attention at times, despite it being one of the most difficult sports at Western. To be a Cross Country runner you have to be both physically and mentally dedicated. It requires constant practice to be a top runner and our team is more than willing to put in the effort practicing every day, after school rain or shine. Not only is their physical strength seen, but their ability to continue to run during the harshest conditions shows their dedication to the sport and our school.

Just about every person who has ever run competitively has heard the phrase, "Aren't track and cross country basically the same thing?" This comment frustrates many runners, especially those who participate in both sports. Even though the two sports hold various similar aspects, a multitude of differences are apparent. Both involve running, but the running style changes with distance. There are similarities and differences in the scoring methods, the training regimens, the history of the sports, and how the athletes are organized into racing groups. The length of distances run, the amount of variety in events, and the amount of time involved differentiate between the sports.

The reason people still get hurt with endurance sports is due to the repetitive action of the sports. Hendrick (n.d.) provides a good example, “A cyclist who’s cycling at 90 revolutions per minute cycling cadence, … [is] pedaling their bike over 5,000 times an hour (Hendrick, n.d., p. 2). Think about how many times the muscles are contracting, even if it is sub-maximal contraction. How about runners training for a marathon, how many miles does the typical athlete average per week? Most people training for a marathon will probably clock in about 40-50 miles a week. Plantar fasciitis is just waiting to happen to those athletes due to the overuse of certain muscles and feet. Therefore, some common injuries in endurance sports are tendon and muscular injuries (Hendrick, n.d., p. 2). For example, according to Cosca & Navazio (2007), “Common overuse injuries in runners and other endurance athletes include patellofemoral pain syndrome, iliotibial band friction syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and lower extremity stress fractures” (p. 237). These types of injuries are prevented with rest accompanied by rehabilitative exercise programs, icing, stretching, knee sleeves, and eccentric strength training to name a few. The biggest form of prevention is proper progression and rest in between exercises. Endurance events occur every single month; prevent overtraining and work up to each event with an achievable realistic training plan. Again, great podcast focusing on the rise of endurance sports and common injuries with prevention