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Cross Country Running
What is cross country running?
It is a type of running, out in the open, the woods or rugged land.
The obstacles that the runners face can include water as well as mud or the woods.
Cross Country Running: Some History
Cross country running has it’s roots in the Rugby School in England. The Crick Run that started here in 1837 was the beginnings of this sport. Since early in the 19th century cross country running has been a sport in every private school in England.
When the sport was brought to the U.S., in 1878 it was not actually a sport. Mainly used for training track and field athletes, cross country running became a sport in 1887. Although it had been included as a part of the Olympic Games in 1924 it was taken off due to being a winter sport rather than a summer one. Cross country running is regulated by the International Amateur Athletic Federation. In the 1960s women were allowed to compete in this sport for the first time.
Although the distances in cross country running are normally the same, the shape of the course on which you run normally is not. It is because of this that records for completing the course cannot be kept. What might be a fast time for one track may not be at a later date or on another track. The weather and the conditions of the track can make a difference when it comes to how long it takes to complete the run.
Cross Country Running: Individual Races or in Teams
Cross country running can be done individually or in teams. When racing alone it is just your time that counts of course, when racing in teams there are different methods used to determine the winning team. Sometimes organizers may choose to add up all the finishing teams of the runners in the team and see which team needed the least time to finish all runners.
Another method, more often used, is to award points, equalling the position the runner had when finishing. The first three or five runners of the team are counted. The team with the lowest number of points is the winner.
How Do You Train for Cross Country Running
When you are training for cross country running, many of the normal training principles apply. So, your base running is still incredibly important and should be the foundation of your running. And I definitely encourage you to browse through the many pages in my running training section a bit more for some running tips.
When you do that, make sure you also have a look at my cross country running tips.
Cross country running is a lot of fun.
Whether you do it as part of a team or on your own, a cross country race can be challenging and very rewarding.
It can be a breath of fresh air from road running, so if I were you, I'd definitely do a few cross country races a year!
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