Whenever fall rolls around, I miss the days of running cross country in high school. I miss those early Saturday mornings when I’d put on my spikes and line up at the starting line ready to take on 3.1 miles of hills, gravel, mud and whatever else came my way: heat, sleet, rain and wind.

Although I don’t run competitively now, I love running today as much as I did when I first started in high school. The MSU Running Club has been the perfect way for me to continue my passion for running. It’s a great group for anyone who likes running, wants to stay fit or even someone who has never run before. It’s also a great way to connect with other former cross country runners.

There’s something special about having been a cross country runner. It’s a sport that takes more mental toughness and determination than many other sports. Running through narrow woods while trying to pass other runners and avoid getting stepped on by their spikes is challenging, to say the least. Running miles and miles until your feet have blisters and bleed is not for the weak.

To all you former and current cross country runners out there, you might be able to relate to some of these things:

1. Nothing beats the exhilarating feeling you get when you’re standing at the starting line with a hundred or so runners waiting in silence for the start gun to fire.

2. The jitters (but good jitters) you get when you and your teammates do a pre-race warm-up through the dewy grass on race day.

3. You’d rather do ANYTHING than mile repeats or any other speed workouts for that matter.

4. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Bathroom. Bathroom. Bathroom.

5. Having to explain a million times to people that cross country is not track!

6. If you eat another pre-race pasta dinner, you’re going to lose it.

7. KT tape and other taping become your fashion accessories during race season.

8. Hearing your non-runner friends say, “How can you like to run?”

9.Long road runs become therapy sessions with your fellow runners who become like family.

10.You can never look at ice buckets at frat parties the same way because of the time you spent soaking (and freezing) your feet and legs in them.

11. Throwing up at the finish line usually means you ran a great race.

12. Sunday morning ritual: check Athletic.net for your competitors’ race results.

13. The incredible feeling you get when you cross the finish line and see on the time clock that you set a new PR, or better yet, you beat the rival you’ve been working hard to beat since last season.

Oh, how I miss cross country.