Groton XC Preseason

I have never ran more than a mile straight in my life. Or at least that was true until earlier this month. On September 1st, I set foot on campus a week before all of the other 4th form students for the start of cross country preseason. While I was excited to see my friends, the first practice of the season, which was later that very day, was extremely daunting. The start of practice went well enough. We first introduced ourselves, then stretched, and afterwards we ran striders. However, after a quick water break, we began the main event of our practice: a run of the Groton course. 

For those who do not know much about cross country, a typical course is 5,000 meters which is approximately 3.1 miles. That’s well over my previous distance running record! In addition, the course is filled with exposed roots to snag your feet on, low-hanging branches that take swipes at your face, and long stretches of uphill running that makes your legs want to quit working and take a vacation to Cancún. What fun! Predictably, that run was nothing short of a healthy serving of pain, sprinkled with some extra pain, served with a nice side of suffering and a plateful of agony for dessert; but, thanks to some motivation from my friends, I was able to run/walk/hobble my way to the finish line and collapse on the green grass near the Whispering Bench. Never before had I wished so hard for a sport to vanish from existence.

 The beginning of the next day wasn’t much better. We began our day with a beautiful morning run at a so-called “conversational pace”, which to me was more of an agonizing sprint than leisurely jog, before heading off to breakfast. Then, at noon, we set off to hike Mount Monadnock. As you already know, I am not exactly a specimen of peak human athleticism so the climb looked incredibly intimidating when I first stepped foot on the trail. It was on this arduous climb, though, that I first enjoyed preseason. 

While we all trudged up the mountainside, I was able to truly meet my new teammates and get to know them. I learned about their families, hobbies, and passions. I learned that one of them was a nature enthusiast and another had a penchant for cracking colorful jokes. It was on this climb where I finally felt happy to be a part of the team.

Things only went uphill after the climb. Through help from my coaches and motivation from my new friends, although running was still laborious, it was not as bad; and I slowly began to improve. On the penultimate day of preseason, I ran over 7 miles and on the final day, I completed the Groton race course and finished with a sub-30 time! Preseason has been such a great experience and I am so grateful to the friends and coaches that helped me throughout. This season is going to be a  blast!