As everyone knows, school has officially started, and all of the sports are beginning. One of them being Cross Country. Cross Country, the most mentally challenging sport, is finally back and practice has started.

Recently, practices for Cross Country started August 15, 2019. Practice starts at 6 a.m. Waking up so early to run at school is mentally challenging. Many people would rather just stay in bed and relax. For practices, we do a simple warm-up and dynamics to loosen are tight, sore muscles from all the hard practices. Right after, we are told what certain workout we would be doing that certain day. Usually, each day would have its own workout like Tuesdays.  

Another mental challenge is when your running one to two miles. This could be many things, a certain body part may be hurting and your pushing to finish the workout, or your breathing rapidly and can’t catch your breath. The heat can also play a part in this since it drains so much of your energy. Running fast in ninety-degree weather isn’t the easiest.

The last mental challenge when it comes to Cross Country are the meets. During the meet, you’re mainly challenging yourself to do well and place or beat your time. While running in the hot weather, at the end of the day we all have a great time. I always enjoy supporting or helping my teammates. Recently, my new time for this new season is a fifteen-minute two-mile run. Which was my exact time during the middle of the season, last year. Hopefully, I can work hard enough to improve my time by the end of the season.

A positive thing that I like about Cross Country is the team bonding. It’s always exciting at the end of the season to hang out. Especially going to State Cross Country Meet, we play many entertaining games, we have amusing conversations, reflect on past memories, and overall have a wonderful time.

Cross Country comes with many challenges and baggage, but with a few good times. Hopefully, this year would be one of those good seasons.