Many people believe cross country to be a dull and draining sport with the main focus to just run a bunch of miles. However, that is not exactly the case. It is true that many cross country athletes are required to run several miles, both in meets and during practices, but there is much more in-depth training that people do not often hear about.

In order to stay in top shape, many runners do drills during or in-between runs in order to exercise all areas of the body in order to combat any situations they may encounter during runs. All of the exercises are meant to improve either form, speed or stamina.

The exercises include:

• butt-kickers
• high-knees
• Russian marches
• arm rotations

One thing that is pivotal to cross country is not only stamina and endurance, but speed. It is hard to express how critical of a role it plays in the sport because of just how
much it is needed. Yes, runners need to run several miles, but they are doing so in a race. In order to be the victors in a race, they must be fast and able to maintain it for a long period of time. In addition, when they are near the finish line, they need to be able to put in one last boost of a sprint in order to finish well.

Many workouts that can improve a cross country runner’s speed include: 200, 400, 600 and even 1000 meter runs.

Not all require a full on sprint the whole time but must have some speed put in. With all that said, there is even more about cross country that many have misconceptions about.

“As a person who has been running long distance since 6th grade and cross country since 9th grade, the most common misconception that I have seen is that people believe that they can’t run long distances,” says RHS cross country captain, Katelynn Appolonio.

Having been doing cross for three years and going to state, she has done and experienced a lot. But, there is one thing in particular that has her in love with the sport.

“The most unique thing is how close the team is, we are basically a family. Seeing everyone laugh at the smallest things makes me happy because unlike other teams where there are usually arguments between the people on their teams, in cross country we’re just a family,” shared Appolonio

With all that said, there is obviously more to cross country than meets the eyes. There is always the benefit of unique training and the possibility for new friendships along the way.