Track by far. Partly because I was an 800 runner, but mostly because running to me is an individual sport. Cross tries to make it a team sport which I think is dumb.
Track by far. Partly because I was an 800 runner, but mostly because running to me is an individual sport. Cross tries to make it a team sport which I think is dumb.
In high school it was track. I had severe Ragweed allergies in the fall and my XC coach wasn't that great. Springtime is much better for me and thus track was more fun.
Now I run road races for fun. I still enjoy spring races better. Just something great about those first days when it gets above 45 degrees on a training run.
mellow seeds wrote:
Track by far. Partly because I was an 800 runner, but mostly because running to me is an individual sport. Cross tries to make it a team sport which I think is dumb.
Totally agree with this, although maybe it's because our xc team was never very good. I also hate how difficult it is to compare results in xc. It's impossible to sort out exactly how much you improved from one year to the next, from one race to the next, etc. I like how track is so much more cut and dry.
That said, now that I'm out of college I really miss xc. It's very hard to find xc meets that are 1. close to home 2. competitive and 3. allow open athletes. Since I've graduated I've only done track and road races and I've really been longing for a sloppy, muddy xc race.
Well, I was better at track and was a 400/800 guy (48.x/1:56 vs never below 16:30 on a CC course) but I actually enjoyed CC much more. I just liked running on grass, over hills, through mud etc...even though my natural abilities lent themselves more towards the track and shorter distances.
+1
reed wrote:
track.
i'm better at xc, but only because the races are longer.
i prefer track because you can run fast at every race, not just when the course dictates it.
i also am a rhythm runner and xc screws up my pacing. i'd rather do all my races on a 400m track because i can focus on splits and be efficient.
and those things combined makes me a 10000m guy.
cross country. The team is more close-knit. Everyone is focused on the same event/distance
Track is the major leagues; XC is little league. The roads are a combination of both.
The answer to your question/poll is based on four factors: 1) Summer weather where athlete trains; 2) Winter weather where athlete trains; 3) Is athlete best at events 3000m to 10000m; 4) Is athlete best at events 400m to 1500m. Athletes who state they prefer XC over T&F usually are better at longer distances in relation to their 400/800 performances. OP states OP prefers T&F to XC because one chooses T&F events. I don't know about that? I would get a tap on the shoulder. I was told I was racing anything between 200/220 to 3200/2mi. on any given hs T&F meet.
I like cross country better because the course is always changing and different. It makes things a lot more interesting than lots of laps on the track. I also like being able to use a dynamic course to my advantage, it's a lot easier to surge around tight/blind corners and break out of a pack on a big uphill or downhill. I also like it better because in high school, my XC 5K is the longest distance I get to race and I definitely get better the longer the race gets. As a guy who loves splits and stats and such, I like track better because I can get splits down to every 200 m.
Jrunners wrote:
cross country. The team is more close-knit. Everyone is focused on the same event/distance
+1
XC. IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION?
I ran both XC and track in college and ran somewhat better at track, but I liked XC better. And as a masters, Club XC is where it is at. For 40 and up the championship is much deeper than anything you will see on the track or roads.
NON A name wrote:
XC. IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION?
Apparently
Cross country
Neither. Road racing as a post collegiate is the best
Runners who aren't good enough at track to go to invitationals like cross country better.
Runners who aren't good enough to make the travelling XC squad like track better.
XC
I liked the variety of courses back in my day. Times mattered less (most of the time I had no idea what kind of a time I ran and because of the nature of the courses the times were pretty meaningless) than place. Plus felt more like a team than the track did--in track you had the sprinters, jumpers, throwers .
Xc - team is awesome and way closer than track.
Luv2Run wrote:
in track you had the sprinters, jumpers, throwers .
And nobody likes them.