Cross Country

What is Cross Country?

Running according to "The Michigan Journal" is among the best aerobic exercises for physical conditioning of your heart and lungs. Studies have shown the health benefits of running to be enormous, reducing the likelihood of everything from the common cold to cancer. Also, running improves your overall health greatly. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, you will feel better.

Just as important, running like many forms of exercise's is a great cure for stress, emotional strain, even mild depression. You'll likely find yourself with fewer headaches and more energy, patience, humor, and creativity. Confidence increases as you push your own limits: meeting goals and often surprising yourself by exceeding your own expectations. Running is a sport of discipline.

Cross country running is a running event in which runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain. The courses used at these events may include grass, mud, woodlands, hills, flat ground. At the middle school level, cross country races are typically 3200 meters (About 2 miles). At the high school level cross country races are 5k's or about 3.11 miles. The difficulty will vary depending on the course.

If I run Track and have never run Cross Country should I try it?

YES!!! If you have only run Track whether it was the 100-200-400 meters or the 800, 1500, mile etc...YOU should run Cross Country. You will be amazed at how you will do during track season if you keep training consistently...you will be a stronger runner no doubt. Some of the top high school sprinters run Cross Country even though it is way longer than there track events. This builds leg strength, keeps them in good physical condition for when track starts, and builds endurance. It is specifically more beneficial for the middle distance to long distance track athletes (800 meters and up) but if you're a sprinter and you know you won't be doing anything from July-November than to sit on the couch and play video games then come out and run Cross Country.