More personal records and successes are rising from this year's boys cross country team. None of this success would be seen without intense practices and workouts. Cross country is a demanding sport to participate in, there is no doubt about it, but this group of young men has shown that putting in the time and effort yields results.
These athletes involved in cross country have to practice a lot. They have to run in long, tiring conditions to achieve greatness.
“The best thing to prepare for a long run is making sure I can get a good sleep the night before,” junior Jakson Haynes said. “I also make sure I drink a lot of water because if I am going for a 10-mile run, that water is very important. One more thing is that I love to have someone to run with ‘cause it makes 10-12 miles go way faster.”
Warming up for a long run is necessary. These athletes know how a run would go without warming up. Muscles could be stiff, they may not be in the right headspace, and they might not feel comfortable competing in a high-stakes race. This makes cross country different from many other sports.
Another aspect that makes cross country different from other sports, according to head coach Sean O’Brien, is the way athletes can tangibly track their improvement over time.
“In some sports, it's hard to [see progress] which can be frustrating,” O’Brien said. “In cross country, though, you can see your times improve, which is extra motivation to work hard.”
For many athletes, showing up with a good mental attitude is key to success. This is especially true for cross country, as showing up with a bad mental outlook will make it hard to keep up stamina and keep competing.
“I feel like you have to be determined to give your best that day [because] there is no slacking off,” senior Grant Coburn said.
The team has a lot to look forward to, as they have already been successful in meets, especially Coburn, who has shown greatness in his meets as the team's number-one runner.
“Grant Coburn is in a very good position to advance to the state meet this year,” Coach O’Brien said. “He is the first runner of ours who has run faster than 16 minutes for a 5K since 2014. 2014 is also the last time that we had an individual qualify for the state meet too.”