The early morning dew coats the grass of the cross country course. Buses begin to roll into the course parking lot, people filing out with tents and tarps in hand. While some set up base camp, others walk along the course, memorizing the turns and hills. The start line, sectioned off into a few dozen boxes, holds back hundreds of runners.
In a few moments, the official will gather the athletes to find their marks, and a whistle will sound, followed by a pistol shot to start the three-mile race. This is the typical Saturday morning for a Saints cross country runner.
Just rolling off of my first track season as a sprinter, I was advised by my coach to join cross country to stay in shape, officially starting my distance running journey.
My first day of practice was on a hot August day, the sun blazing with a UV of eight. Walking over to the team meeting area just beside the sports complex, I was met by an average-height, skinny man with a deep, monotone voice that’s hard to miss: Coach Kaplan, or as the team lovingly calls him, Kap. As I sat down, he started to go over the plan for the day. I discovered that my first day of cross country was a workout day, better yet, a hill workout—just my luck.
As I struggled to keep up with the team for the one-mile warm-up to the hill, I realized I was running another mile’s worth of hills at the park just to cool down another mile back to the school.
For the following weeks, the word “hills” sent shivers down my spine, but I now recognize that hills are the glue that holds one’s training together. Every race has at least one hill in it, and those who don’t train with hill workouts suffer the consequences once they’re faced with one.
Though I found the hill workouts to be unbearable at first, they became easier, not just because I got more used to them but because of the people I was surrounded by.
Though when I started I didn’t have a single distance running bone in my body, I was warmly received by the team. The Girls’ cross country team is a no-judgment zone, and it shows during each workout. Every time one of my teammates passed by me, they’d tell me, “Good job!” or “You’re killing it!” and I couldn’t help but smile through the pain a little. Every encouraging phrase made it easier for me to accept discomfort. Every mile I ran became faster, easier and more gratifying.
There are so many valuable lessons that cross country has taught me, yet the most important one is to take accountability in your training. If you miss practice for a few days to stay at home, don’t be upset that you struggle to run when you come back. Don’t run a cool down after a difficult workout; don’t be surprised when your calf hurts the next morning. What you put in is what you get out of it. This same principle applies to all aspects of my life, athletically or academically. It exemplifies the importance of setting routines for yourself and ensuring you do everything to the best of your ability.
Finally, after a long week of training, it’s time to showcase all of the hard work you put into the week. Meets are every Saturday morning during the season. It’s the one day a week that I look forward to the most. Each level, open/JV, frosh/soph and varsity run a swift three miles to the finish. Even though one may not get the results they wanted from the race, crossing the finish line is still one of the greatest feelings. It’s honestly quite emotional, whether that be from relief, pride or frustration; it’s a different experience for every runner.
Despite cross country not having the grand student section that our football team gets, there is plenty of support throughout the race. Whether it’s parents, coaches or even other teams, everybody has somebody cheering them on. The positivity of other runners on the course is contagious, and it spreads fast.
But the fun isn’t limited to the course. Our team mascot “Hoorhay” or “Jorge,” the coyote lawn decoration the team forcefully adopted from Lake Park High School a few years ago, is a staple at our base camp. No meet is complete without him. And our pre-meet outfits of choice? Funky patterned shorts by the brand “chicknlegs” that flash llamas, pineapples, cones, porta-potties, etc. Every Friday, somebody on the team will host a pasta party. The fun never stops.
As my final cross country season comes to a close, I look back on all of the unforgettable memories that I made with the team. It’s truly the best sport that East has to offer. Thousands of high school students participate in cross-country, and hundreds of teams exist in the state of Illinois, yet my favorite place to be is with the Saint Charles East Cross Country team.
