A Page Dedicated to ~XC~

For the REALLY clueless people, XC=cross country xD Anyway, I really wanted to write a bit about the sport, its pros and cons, and how it has changed me. (wow that sounds so...cheesy) Oh well, just check it out! :)

Pros&Cons Of XC:

It may be hard to believe, but YES, running 6+ miles a day really does have some bad effects on your health and body. But it makes you really skinny :D Okay I'm going on a tangent here. BACK TO THE POST.

Pros:

1) Running. (Noo way, Captain Obvious)

Running in itself is good for you for...the most part. It improves you physically and psychologically. Physically-your heart rate increases when you run, which reduces your chances of getting a heart attack and high cholesterol...basically it improves your cardiovascular health. Besides that, it also naturally improves your bone health and it is also proven to slow down the aging process. Psychologically, it improves your mood and relieves stress (as does anything that's related to exercise).

2) Teamwork!

Being on a Cross Country team has taught me tons about teamwork, winning as a team, and losing as a team. Although its an individual sport and it seems a bit self-centered, there are still a lot of teamwork involved. (Your goal is to run your butt off in a 5k race and beat everyone, including your own teammates.) My cross country team is very tightly-knit, everyone is pretty much friends with each other. Because of this, we are extremely supportive of each other; we all cheer each other on and try to push each other to maximize our abilities. When we win a race, we celebrate as a team. When we lose a race, we lose as a team. No one does this: "Dude, I won the race I ran in but you lost yours....so that means Imma winner and you're a loser! :D".

^that's a jerk move anyway, so only a butt would do that xD

Cons:

1) Health risks.

Excessive running every single day has the potential to permanently damage your body. Most of the damage is to your legs, which can be affected by shin splints, tendinitis, stress fractures, ankle problems, knee problems, and the list goes on and on. If you still run while having these conditions, it's possible to make the damage permanent on your legs. Therefore, if you have any problems with your legs, ice is the magical cure you need to get back up and running as soon as possible. Ice everyday for 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off, and repeat three times. This is a quick way to bounce back from a recovery because ice removes the swelling from the area and keeps inflammation down.

Random Quotes:

~Our sport is your sport's punishment~

Let me paint you a scenario: (football)

The team: -screaming and messing around-

The coach: -eye twitch- "EVERYONE CUT IT OUT"

The team: -oblivious- "HEY LOOK, LETS GO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF THAT LITTLE NERD KID"

The coach: -snaps- "OKAY I'VE HAD IT. ALL OF YOU, GO RUN ONE MILE. N.O.W.

The team: "awwww" -sadface-

So while everyone complains about running 1 mile at all, the cross country team is running 6+ miles A DAY. But that's probably because everyone likes running :)

~I don't think, I don't feel, I just run~

Yep, this is the famous quote from Brian the emo kid. He actually chants this when he runs, which makes his emoness basically pour out of him. Anyway, this is probably what's running through everyone's head when they're running their butts off in a 5k race. (Oh, just a random side note, 5k=about 3.1 miles)

Okay I think I'm done ranting about this sport for now :) I hope you enjoyed it and please don't take the football jokes seriously I was just being stereotypical as always hehe.

~Chichi