Cross Country. If you love running, then you probably love this sport. If you are one of the people in the world who hate running, then you probably wonder why people would ever want to do this. It's hard for a runner to explain why they like running. Some do it because they like the feeling of accomplishment. Some do it to meet a great group of friends. Some do it to stay in shape. Others do it simply because they love to run. If you ran cross country in high school, are fortunate enough to be a collegiate runner, or if you ran cross country way back in the day, you'll be able to relate to these signs that you are a cross country runner.
1. People are always shocked at your answer when they ask how far you ran today.
Person: How far did you run today?
You: Just five miles today.
Person: JUST five miles?!?!
2. You know that there is a very significant difference between cross country and track.
And you get slightly offended when people refer to them as the same thing.
3. The boys on your team probably wear shorter shorts than the girls.
Who wears short shorts? Cross country boys wear short shorts!
4. You can probably eat enough to feed a small army.
We runners like to stick to the four main food groups: bagels, pasta, bananas, and peanut butter.
5. You aren't afraid of mud.
During a real cross country race, you're probably going to get a little muddy. You've learned to just embrace it.
6. You have voluntarily submerged yourself in a pool of ice.
Ice baths: They hurt so good!
7. You can run 8 miles easily, but get winded walking up a flight of stairs.
Those stairs will get you every time. Especially the day after a workout.
8. You are probably decent at math, but only because you've had to figure out your splits for workouts or races so many times.
You've probably been in class scribbling down numbers trying to figure out different splits.
9. Your toenails may have fallen off numerous times and your feet probably aren't the prettiest things to look at.
Between blisters and losing toenails...
10. You can tell which teammate is behind you based on the sound of their footsteps and their breathing.
And you can tell which teammate is in front of you solely by looking at their calves.
11. You are so used to hearing the phrase "Run, Forrest, Run!" or being honked at that it really doesn't phase you anymore.
Yelling that at me isn't going to make me run faster!
12. What's an off-season?
So there's summer conditioning, cross country season, track conditioning, track season, and then back to summer conditioning. Who has time for a break anyways? Summer miles bring fall smiles!
13. You are just as happy when your teammates PR as you are when you do.
You are each other's biggest cheerleaders.
14. You are constantly tired, hungry, sore, sweaty, or a combination of all of these things.
Running takes a lot out of you!
15. Your teammates are your best friends and second family.
Between all the laughs and the inside jokes, people probably think that y'all are crazy.
16. Your coach has taught you a lot more than just about running.
The life lessons I've learned from my coaches are the best.
17. Even though running can be tiring and hard at times, you wouldn't trade it for the world.
Cross country really is the best sport.
