Track & Field, Cross Country Misconceptions

The Title "Cross Country" 

We are unaware who coined this term (or why). It may be the worst sport title ever, well besides cricket, luge, skeleton and maybe rugby... Whenever the europeans try naming sports they get a little too fancy and nobody quite knows what they're talking about. We're American, we eat an enormous amount of processed food and our fruits and vegetables have seen more chemicals than women Tiger Woods has slept with. Our brains can't handle these cutesy little titles, like the old saying goes "Keep it simple, stupid" a silly saying that pretty much exemplifies American culture perfectly. It's no surprise that football, basketball and baseball have taken over mainstream culture, they are exactly what they say they are. And then on the other side of that we have cross country. There's no crosses in this sport, theres no countries either, nor are we running across the country. Our title is a complete fraud, it's like when McDonald's says they use real meat. Like yeah, sure you do... And does Big foot exist too? 

But it's alright, like McDonalds says "i'm lovin it" we're fine being a fraud. We don't need one of those cool three letter acronyms like NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, etc. We rock with that long stuff, IAAF, USATF. We rock with more of a slogan that goes "Keep it incredibly complicated at all times" We can't even decide on a universal distance after 800meters. We have people running 1500meters, 1600meters, 1609meters, sometimes 1000meters and other times we throw all of that out the window and run in yards. If the plan is to keep the general public petrified from entering into this realm and becoming completely immersed with the sport, we're doing a very good job. Heck, I've been in it for years and theres still times when I feel like a tourist without a map.

And maybe we're just too smart to keep everything simple. Maybe we enjoy all of the odd numbers and like it to be a little complex. There's definitely a real argument for that, it's common for good runners to also have great test scores and GPA's, there's a lot less scholarships in a sport like this, which means if you want to compete at the great school you also have to perform well and put up the high scores in the classroom as well. When a runner from a school like Stanford, Harvard, Princeton or any of those high caliber schools runs a great time, where they went to school isn't a story. While if you're an NBA player and put great numbers and you happen to have attended Harvard, that's a story. That's a big story. Intelligence has just become a norm in this sport, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. 

in conclusion, we don't run across the country. 

"Cross Country Isn't a sport" 

............................................................................................................................................................ ok 

The "Fartlek"

A term that is sure to turn heads no matter where or when you say it. "A WHAT?" "Fartlek??" "Is that when somebody farts and you lick it?" The person is expecting you to pull out some crazy urban dictionary definition like it's some hip new sex position but then you tell them it's simply just running fast then slow then fast then slow then fast then slow then fast then slow... and before you can continue to say "fast then slow..." at least forty more times they give you this look of annoyance with a giant scoop of disappointment followed by an "oh"

The Last .1 of 3.1 Miles

For some reason in high school we just decide that the last .1 of the 5k is 100-meters (or maybe this was just me) it's not. it's actually 173meters... 

"Cross Country and Track & Field are the same"

Completely different terrain, different length spikes, there isn't an indoor cross country, still haven't found any hills on the track, not to mention track is an oval and although sometimes meet directors think that running around a high school is a cross country course it's still a different shape than an oval. I also have never been to a cross country race where I can sit in one place and see everything. The fact that so many people confuse the two is insane, all that you have to remember is that one is in the spring and one is in the fall. It's pretty simple. 

Side note : Because they're two separate sports the mainstream media should be looking at Mo Farah like they look at Bo Jackson or Michael Jordan... Mo ran The Great Edinburgh Cross Country race and competes regularly in Track... And has also competed in half-marathons on the road... That's three sports. Pretty sure Bo Jackson only excelled in two...  (yes, I realize this is a crazy comparison but c'mon, maybe? )

1 Mile is 1600meters

Wrong. It's 1609 meters. 

Cross Country, Running is easy. 

It is. It's very easy. Run from the couch to the fridge, that's one of the easiest things you can do. Run from the couch to the TV, put one foot in front of the other a few times and you're there. Easy. 

The hard part begins when you're actually going on a run. 

Going on a run isn't running 2 miles... I mean it is. But okay, here's what I mean, if you consistently run 2 miles everyday and say "I hate running" my answer to you is just going to be "you're not running enough" because you're not. You reach a certain point when nothing else matters, a point when all of the pain goes away and it's just you and the earth. But to get to that point you have to fight your mind a little bit and get over some hurdles, it's not easy. It's never easy, that little voice that says "hey, you can just stop now" and "you can take a day off." Will never go away, but you learn to at least mute it. 

But then of course the pain creeps back in and when it creeps back in, is when the real test begins. 

You have to be skin and bones to be a good runner  

 That's ridiculous. Chris Solinsky, Galen Rupp and Mo Farah all have different body types, and yet they're three of the best ever. Solinsky was just over 160 pounds while Rupp hovers around 130... And Farah even less. You can't judge your body based on somebody else's. Your perfect 10k body is not going to be the same as somebody else's perfect 10k body. Now with this being said, this does not mean that if you eat McDonald's everyday and down a few bags of Doritos and then step on the scale and see 600lbs that you should get mad when you're not breaking 4 in the mile. You still have to eat healthy, just don't starve yourself.