So You Think You Can Run Cross-Country?

ANGELYNE CHU

Sports Editor

Some students may suspect that cross-country is a simple sport which requires a minimal amount of effort. From the students’ view, training without stopping is simple, but from the team members’ perspective, it requires a lot of effort and dedication to be able to run miles at a time.

“It takes a lot of physical and mental strength, endurance, motivation and commitment to be on the team,” said varsity runner Sarah Chavez.

For competitions, each runner must complete a three mile race, also called a 5K (5 kilometers) race. They must run more than three miles each day during their five practice days per week to stay competitive. They practice over different terrains which include pavement, road, grass, flat courses and hills.

According to Head Coach Steve Morales, there are three different phases, or components, to distance running. The first is base-building, jogging at a steady pace for four to five miles. Second, they run the long-speed, running one mile with  seventy percent effort level, stopping to rest and continuing with a few more runs. Lastly, they challenge themselves with a once-a-week long run consisting of six to eight  miles with eighty percent effort.

“Running requires commitment because if a person is not committed and they come to practice one to three times per week, there won’t be any results instantaneously,” said varsity Captain Junior Herrera.

According to Morales, he always starts with a slow approach for new runners who are not experienced with three mile runs. A beginner runs two miles while only stopping fifteen times. Intermediate levels run five to six miles, stopping for only four times. Advanced levels typically run for seven to eight miles.

“Cross-country is underappreciated because people do not respect the sport, but it is as beneficial as any other sport because it involves the same skill, the same amount of hard work, the same amount of dedication and even more,” said Herrera.