‘Twas a warm summer morning, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Well, except for Eleanor Boswell (9). Boswell is a cross country runner, a sport that calls for months of early mornings and hours of practice.
“Cross country is distance running,” Boswell said. “You get to have a challenge with nature — it’s difficult [because] there could be hills and there’s holes.”
As well as uncooperative landscapes, another challenging aspect about the sport is the time commitment. In order to stay in shape and increase speed, runners must practice almost every day. White station’s cross country team holds practice six days a week during the school year with varying levels of difficulty on each day.
“We practice Monday through Saturday out at Shelby Farms [and] on Tuesdays we normally do track workouts,” Boswell said. “Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are easy days. Thursdays are usually hills or mile repeats and Saturdays are our long runs.”
Not only do the runners need to practice during their meet season, but they also need to maintain their stamina and speed over summer break. To avoid the scorching summer sun, runners meet early in the morning for practice, usually while their peers are sleeping in.
“Typically, [practice is] six days a week,” Gabrielle Shirley (12) said. “It’s at 6 a.m. and in the beginning of the summer it’s usually just getting accustomed to running again – usually just long runs, easy runs. Towards the middle [and] to the end of the summer we begin our speed workouts.”
For freshman members of the team, these summer practices serve to prepare them for the intensity of high school cross-country.
“High school sports are a lot different,” Boswell said. “You actually have to be dedicated to them. In middle school, it didn’t even matter if you showed up to practice, really. You could show up to meets and it would be fine. But, in high school, you have to be committed to the team. You have to show up to practice and not miss them just to miss.”
Some disregard the intensity of the sport, perhaps due to the lack of special equipment or team strategy. But Shirley, who has been running track and cross-country for White Station for all four years, can attest to the long hours and lack of days off.
“You could say it’s more laid back than some other sports, but I’d say our training load is a lot more difficult than other sports,” Shirley said.
Many members of the team were introduced to running at a young age and continued for the challenge and community that comes with cross country. Without the love for their sport, some runners would find themselves unmotivated to keep up with the intense training.
“I love running,” Shirley said. “It’s such a good sport. Obviously it’s good for your health and it’s a great way to exercise, but I love the running community.”
