Quitting the team my senior year?

How is your relationship with your teammates. You didn't mention them at all so I assume you are not that close. If you are not enjoying XC then don't run.

If your XC team was really close like a lot of teams are I would suggest otherwise, or you wouldn't even be asking the question in the first place.

Sorry, should've mentioned that...the team is pretty close (at least our top 7ish)...I'm good friends with most.

Honestly the only part I still enjoy about being on the team is our longer runs where we just mess around and talk.

Should throw in incase it wasn't evident from OP: I'm pretty much just running because I'd feel really guilty about abandoning the team when I should be our #1/2 scorer.

Think of it this way: what would you regret 10, 20 years from now?

The later regret argument is one that my coach has brought up, and I'm pretty certain that I won't at any point regret quitting (however, I've long felt that I will indeed regret it if I continue to run)

If your heart isn't in it, you should quit it now rather than force yourself to do another season.

But, if you still have some interest/hope in it, then I'd stick it out. You may just be in a rut right now.

I've read all of your posts on this thread, and you don't sound that torn. Just quit. I think you should do something else instead, though, or you might regret your decision. Is it too late to get back into soccer?

^ Agree quit. I know some people in college who would like to but lots and lots of cash at stake. They should, and pay tuition as the other civilians do.

Some girls are doing it for the friendships and nothing more. Then they complain the whole season that they aren't getting enough of a social life. Just get out!

Don't quit. Try to race on less mileage and intensity. You are burned out. When the season starts, you will miss it. Talk to your coach about easing off. This reeks of overtraining.

I quit my last year and regretted it. Maybe just take it easier as someone else suggested. Don't race as much, skip the meaningless meets, etc.

As a coach who has used the "you'll regret this in the future" line several times I would recommend not quitting. Every single time I have used that line with athletes and they end up quitting I have heard from them later at some point that they completely regretted it. That's just my experience. They tell me they were sure they wouldn't regret it when they did it but months or years later they totally wish they hadn't quit.

I don't think I'd want you on my team though, you kind of sound like a turd.

Torn wrote:

Sorry, should've mentioned that...the team is pretty close (at least our top 7ish)...I'm good friends with most.

Honestly the only part I still enjoy about being on the team is our longer runs where we just mess around and talk.

That seems to be the typical team relationship in XC. What would you do if you didn't run? Play another sport, focus on grades, nothing in particular etc...?

If you do not have any other real plans if you don't run I would encourage you to stick it out one more season. Losing that relationship with good friends may be the one thing you regret in the future. Not saying you won't remain friends but you know the closeness that training together brings. My youngest son didn't run track his Sr year and I was OK with it. Track generally doesn't foster the closeness that XC does it seems from what I have seen. I don't think there was any thought in his mind not to run XC though.

Whatever you choose, don't ever second guess your decision.

Is your team a contender for a state title or trophy or anything of that nature? I'm assuming not since most teams like that don't have #1 guys that hate the sport. However, if this is the case, man up for your teammates for one last season and then quit track since it's less of a team sport than cross country. If your team sucks, then quit now because it wouldn't even matter, they'd probably be better off without a negative attitude

Times?

If you are the number 1 or 2 runner, a lot will be expect from you by the coaches and team mates. The underclass men runners will be looking to you for leadership and encouragement. You also got three years invested and only get one senior year shot to do something special. It can be a heavy load, especially if you are injury prone and frustrated. But that it is part of the deal and the price we sometimes have to pay when we are being counted on. It is also a life lesson opportunity not to squandered.

So, my advice is stick with it for one more year and see what happens. Who knows, a scholarship opportunity might be yours for the taking.

Senior year: many kids freak out and start questioning what their priorities are.

So running, and the slogging through summer miles especially with injuries seems particularly pointless.

But think of it this way: despite not really being into running you are one of the top 2 runners at your school. You, despite injuries, still have a chance to have an impact on your team and have some athletics glory for yourself.

Pretty good situation for you really. You thinking it isn't is really the problem and you need to adjust your attitude accordingly.

Torn wrote:

The later regret argument is one that my coach has brought up, and I'm pretty certain that I won't at any point regret quitting (however, I've long felt that I will indeed regret it if I continue to run)

That sounds all backwards to me. Have you tried talking to a licensed professional? It sounds like depression to me.

i agree with much but not all of yaboy34's post. a compromise with yourself may be running x-c then quitting track. this may give you a greater sense of urgency and enthusiasm during the summer, knowing that the fall will be your last races.

if you want some perspective on this, i've been running for over 30 years at a fairly high level; while i can't quite relate to your feeling of burnout since i have as much enthusiasm now as i ever did, this year is my 30th reunion for h.s., and the people i look forward to seeing the most are my former teammates.

finally, on the topic of regret: unless you're cranking out 70+ miles/week and building everyday around your practices, i can't imagine how you could regret running this final x-c season. it's really not that time-consuming of a sport, and this season, in the scheme of things, is the blink of an eye in your life. i've never heard someone say "i regret competing in sports in h.s. because think of all the time i could have spent binge-watching episodes of 'scrubs' on netflix or mastering guitar hero instead...." on the other hand, i know way more runners who quit running in h.s. or college, then picked it up again later in life, and DID regret quitting when they did.

so my advice is hang in there and enjoy the camaraderie of your teammates and treat every race like it may be your last since it sounds like they will be...