Cross country running

"Cross country is the ultimate team sport. In many "team" sports you could easily cover for a weak player. In cross country your top five runners score. You can have four very good runners, but if your fifth runner is weak and finishes far behind, you will generally lose the meet. Running together in a pack with the strngest runners leading, and everyone working to keep the pack together is the surest way to score well and win. I always felt these team runs were the key to success in cross country."

"This sport originated in England where it flourishes unabated from September to April and where a whiff of nippy autumn air is a challenge to thousands of Britishers of all ages who run simply for pleasure and exercise during the cooler months. In America, where the colleges and clubs run from four miles to 10,000 meters, the sport is newer. Especially it is new in our high schools, where two-mile crosscountry runs in October and November have become popular in the East and some of the midwestern states. The charm of this race lies in the fact that the runners get away, for at least one season in the year, from the monotony of cinder track running, for the crosscountry courses are routed out in the country over hills, grass, roads and stone fences where contestants constantly encounter different running surfaces and changing autumnal scenery that helps them forget the mental and physical fatigue of the race. The sport is also a prime conditioner for track men. Distance men who run crosscountry in the fall will beat the other half-milers and milers in the spring. A thorough physical examination followed by a moderate but intelligent training program of from six to eight weeks, should be a required precaution. Runners should gain back the following day all weight lost during practice. Sleep and an occasional after-lunch nap are marvelous stamina-builders for this race."

"Team runs are what sharpens the point of the spear."

"A runners value to the team varies inversely to her distance from the first runner."

"Crosscountry is a team sport, too, and many a meet has been won by what the English call "packing," whereby one team sticks together and the good runners encourage the poorer ones, until the final dash home."

"Many cross-country runners suffer from running-related injuries, momentarily restricting their movements and pursuit in racing. Around 53% of collegiate runners suffer from either a second RRI or their first RRI. This is largely due to various of reasons, but the common one is due to the fact that running involves repetitive, high-impact movements of the legs, which affects the bone mineral density. As such, when bone density is at risk, this leads to a greater chance of developing a BSI (bone stress injury)."