Cross Country

So...Faith is running Cross Country right now. There are some things I have learned about this sport in the last week that I would like to share and remember.

It took some persuading to get Faith to join the team and here were my reasons she should go for it...

1. You will get in way better shape.
2. Running is good for you.
3. You are attending a very large jr. high and the chances of you ever being on any sort of team is very slim.
4. You don't have to try out for Cross Country...they take everyone.
5. Riding the bus to away meets will be fun.
6. It will give you chance to meet new kids before school starts.
7. Since you are wanting to get more serious about softball, this will help you to stay in better shape until softball starts up again.
8. You might decide you really like it.
9. Your friend, Emma, is doing it.

She agreed with me and decided to give it a shot. I told her that if she hated it with a passion then she could quit.

Here are the things I have learned...

1. Cross Country is not for wimps. These kids, no matter how fast or slow, run 2-5 miles 5-6 days a week. They also do lots of warm-ups that would kick my butt.
2. They have to watch what they eat and not eat 2 1/2 hours before running in a meet...they must also drink lots of water during the day but also not right before a meet. A peanut butter bagel with 1/2 a banana is ideally what you eat the 2 1/2 hours beforehand.
3. It is a very supportive, non-political sport. You see...there are no try-outs which = non-political.
4. Cross Country parents are just as fanatical and crazy as parents from any other sport I have seen. I saw one parent today (a mom) about 50 yards from the finish line yelling (in a supportive way) at her kid and running with them through other spectators until the finish line.
5. If you follow correct Cross Country etiquette you wait and cheer on the very last runner...even if it takes them 30 min. to do 2 miles and they need not be from your team.
6. There is an 8th grade boy from Faith's school that can run 2 miles in 11 minutes and that is awesome!
7. It is an inexpensive sport compared to many other sports.
8. One can be very small and have short legs but still run very, very fast.
9. Some kids vomit at the finish line. Faith informed me today that she will never push herself so hard that she vomits...can't blame her there!

The good news is...I was right about all the reasons Faith should join. I love it when that happens :) Although not the fastest runner...she can do 2 miles without stopping and is improving all the time. I am very, very proud of her efforts. Best of all....she really does like it!! I knew nothing about Cross Country (except that you run) until the last couple of weeks. A lot of nerdy type people ran it...and very few girls... when I was in high school so I never paid much attention but now I have an all new respect. Faith's jr. high has between 60-70 kids on the team.