Cross Country Competitor

G'day mate, I'm a true bludger who believes in bunyips and lives in a woopwoop. Hooroo.

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

Just keep running

Running has brought me more joy, more freedom, better health, etc... Although, the only thing I really care about are the memories I created. The time where my friends and I played a game of tag that had us running through 100s of people and climbing up hills covered in thorn bushes. The things we did so we didn’t get tagged. Or the other time where ‘you guess it’ we where running and i decided to take a like a 5 meter “shortcut” and started yelling “shortcut shortcut!!” then all of a sudden I ended up on the floor because I tripped over a rock. I’m on the floor and I see this random kid in the corner laughing like crazy and my friends join in with him. All I did was start laughing with them also and my coach passes us by and said “why are you guys going so slow it supposed to be tempo”. All we did was laugh and run. That has basically been my last 5 years of running with many memories like those. Just a simple run with many laughs. I hope to keep it going in my life for as long as I can. Over and out

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

Reactions

My fellow classmates were required to post a few questions about my blog and I have yet found time to anwser tehm until now!

1) Why do you enjoy running, is it because you are fairly expert at it?

In all honesty I am no expert at running. I love to compete and the reason why I run is because I get to meet new people and I just like to explore new places on foot. Adventure.

2) How do you improve your time when you run?

Train like crazy and plan each and every workout. Two hard workouts a week and one long run. It takes time and physical strength but over anything else it is definitely mind over matter.

3) Best running shoes for running cross country?

Were talking about “legit training” for cross country here not casual running. So if you have nike running shoes they are useless except for their flats during race, but everything else is just poop for running. The best shoes for training cross country are asics. They are cheaper, last longer, feel better, and will definitely help anyone train for cross country.

4) The difference between cross country and track? - Very common

Cross country is basically any distance greater than three miles on any surface such as trails and asphalt. XC is running everywhere at a controlled pace and having the capacity to run great distances. While track is... well track. You run in a circle or half a circle if you do have of it. There’s multiple events but most of them you are running on a padded circular floor. They have high jump, long jump, and javelin but I don’t see why we couldn’t do that during a cross country run. Heck I’ve done all three of those things while running xc.

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

The impact of running

Running is a high-impact sport in which no runner is immune to injury. Runners typically develop knee problems for two reasons: impact and overuse. Ross Tucker, author of "The Runner's Body," explains that "each time your foot makes contact with the ground, forces equaling two to four times your body weight travel upward through your lower leg, knee, thigh, hip and pelvis, and into your spine." This repetitive motion puts a great deal of stress on the body. 

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

I believe one of the greatest way to get and stay in great physical shape is to run. When I started I could bearly run a mile and I was over weight but the more I ran the more I started to enjoy it. Although, it not only helps you physically but also mentally. You mentally become more aware of your bodies limitation and that knowledge helps you push through those limits easier. Another, benefit is that running clears your mind and when you get your runner high it is one of the greatest feeling ever. It makes you feel indestructable and unstoppable like you could run your fastest pace forever and your just so happy at the same time.

I know most of you don’t run as much as I do so I’ll make a shorter distance challenge.

Hate the 8 (Hate the 800m)

Challenge: Two laps (800m) on the track under 2:45 for men or under 3:10 for women. 

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

Barefoot Running Controversy - My thoughts

There’s been a lot of talk about barefoot running and I personally side more with barefoot running mainly because it help us understand the mechanics of our body and effectively increase our leg strength as well as reduce injury. Although, I also agree that shoes have their benefits but they are definitely overhyped by multimillion dollar companies. Today, you need both. If you want to be great at running you have to understand how your body mechanics work and how efficiently you can work them. Then, you mimick your form while wearing your shoes which help protect you from the daily man made obstacles such as asphalt, glass, trash, etc that are harm your feet.

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

The amount of physical pain our body’s can handle is absolutely incredible, but it is all in our heads and once you fully understand that, you can push yourself further than ever before. It’s mind over matter. Although, by the end of the workout you might feel amazing and hyped but later on in the day you’ll feel like shit.

Here’s what happened today from my perspective.

My feet bouncing off the track floor and steedly increasing speed as I ran negative splits on a 400 meter loop. My heart started to race faster while my breathing decreased into slower but deeper breaths. Anytime I was in pain; I focused on my surrounding trying to distract myself from the pain, but as we did more 400s (16 in total) it became harder to focus on my surroundings. This is were mind over matter comes in. I only had one single little thought that kept me going. It’s the same little thought that I use to push myself everytime. It may cause my body to ache more by pushing it to the limits but that thought just numbs it all and I feel energized and happy. By the end of the day I felt like shit but hey it got me through the workout.

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

Until college I never knew how beneficial core workouts were for running. Increased strength around the core allows for better stability during long races and helps with form. The picture above has some suggested workouts to help people increase their core strength.

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

Tip on running in the sand - This was the hardest course I have ever ran. Nearly a 1000 meters of deep sand. The trick is to pick up your knees more and increase your stride by a few inches while landing on the balls of your feet.

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

Running is a mug. You can keep using it till it breaks and the same goes with running. You can keep running until you break or you can’t run anymore.

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

The Little Things

That day, so vivid in my mind; luminous and blistering with no clouds insight. The scorching grains of sand resting below the most colorful neon green flats. In front, a roaring battalion stood ready to give everything for a shot at victory. Then, all of a sudden there was silence. We leaned forward and our ears listened to the lone cool breeze from the deep blue sea with a single voice echoing through the mass. It said “Ready! Set! Go!” followed by “pop”. Instantly, thoughts started to race thru my mind “I don’t think i can do it. I can’t make it. What if I pass out?” but the need to worry suddenly left for a fraction of a second as the earth beneath us began to tremble.

The battalion was now a hundred feet away and rapidly increasing speed only leaving behind a storm of sand. Sadly, isolated in the rear of the battalion, I paced through the dust cloud. The powder of grinded rocks mixed with my saliva and formed a thin layer of bitter yuck. Yet, I had no time to choke; I was their backup and every person mattered. So, I placed one foot in front of the other and continued the charge. A mile later, I was hit with a surprise. Hundreds of allies covered in green lined up on both sides to form a tunnel. As I ran through, eyes closed, I listened to them “ You can do it! We believe in you! Keep going! Yes you can!”. A feeling so incredible, so bizarre, and so immense trickled down my spine that it gave me goosebumps. It was the start of a natural high. Most of us get them, that feeling of complete invincibility. Nothing can stop you and you don’t want to stop. There is so much joy and energy released that it feels like you just went super sayian.

As another mile goes down; the battlefield changes. It goes from physical to more mental, but with preparation comes victory. Our trainers prepared us to hit the wall and push through hit. No, it’s not a physical wall, it’s more of a mental wall where fatigue and dehydration hit. Yet, it is one of the most crucial points for victory. Passing the wall; pushes anyone to new limits. Limits that no one thought could be reachable. Also, the wall served as a divider between the weak and the tough minded individuals. Further down, most of the battalion had finished and I had about four hundred meters left. Our trainers had told us to expect the realization of the end closing in within those four hundred meters and that it would be the last time to beat anyone in front. I remember it so well because out of the surrounding crowd; a sharp whistle echoed into my ears. In a split second I closed my eyes and all I could feel was that gut feeling getting stronger and stronger while I focused all my energy from every mitochondria cell within every muscle straight into an explosive adrenaline boost. It's like going super sayian two. A new power level reached when you thought you ran out of juice. As the adrenaline coursed through my veins, I opened my eyes and flew like the wind at a seventy five degree lean. This wasn’t a straight four hundred but more of a giant curve to the finish. The power I had was just absolutely incredible and wish I could keep it forever but everything must come to an end.

After, I crossed the line, everything hit me like a bullet. My stomach started to hurt. It was like getting food poisoning without eating anything; all while my throat burned from the stomach acid built up from wanting to vomit. Standing became impossible as fatigue hit all the muscles like a fifty thousand volt taser, but that was all a seven on the scale of one to ten of painful. The worst and most agonizing part of it all was the side stitch. A cramp with a persistent and intense nagging that felt like a doctor was constantly adding and removing stitch without any anesthesia. Thankfully it went away quickly. Although, it wasn’t over. A little nerve going from my hip through the thigh and to the knee was sprained and oh my god did it hurt. This was none stop pain 24/7 with the inability to walk or stand. The next day I went to get a massage to correct the nerve. That massage was excruciating. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I screamed in agonising pain. It felt like someone was stabbing me from the inside. I kept repeating “Why? Why? Why did I do this to myself?”. Eventually, the nerve stopped hurting and we went home. Within a few hours I went to sleep peacefully and the next morning I was back at it again. I guess what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and now four years later I can prove that is correct.

[crosscountrycompetitor-blog]

High up the rocky hills, we trained. At first it the pace was fairly easy. Then came the hill. We pumped our arms as hard as we could but it was not enough. Pretty soon, we found ourselves walking but after we reached the top it was all down hill. As we went down, the pace increased and the wind got stronger, but it helped us. A runner can lean forward more going down hill and use the wind’s strength hold you up which in-turn increases your speed in a very efficient manner.