Things to consider before quitting D3 cross country?

since XC is almost over (you probably only have your conference meet left), I'd stick it out. But who says you can't just run XC and skip track? I'd hope the coaching staff would be understanding -- first-year students often struggle to adjust and need some time to work out the head space. Visit the counseling center at your school and let them know all of this and whatever else is troubling. It won't be an interrogation -- go there expecting some relief.

Get your injury checked out. Find healthy ways to take care of yourself physically and mentally. With the season winding down, now is a good time to try some new things, reach out to the other groups you want to be involved with and figure out what kind of commitment is involved. As you're D3, it is not uncommon to have additional commitments outside of class and running, though usually if there is a time conflict there is the expectation to prioritize the meet/practice whenever possible. A good coach will recognize the importance of a well rounded college experience at your level and support you as long as it doesn't interfere with your commitment to the team.

I knew a number of other athletes with work study, wrote for the news paper, joined the choir, and even studied abroad. Are any of the upperclassmen involved with things outside the team? Maybe talk with one of them?

As for time management, mine was better when I had to factor in practice and had that structure. The gaps between seasons was hard for me to prioritize my time when I had more of it available. Each year in school provides different stressors. Work hard, hang tough, and definitely ask for help from the people around you.

sklsdc9vx wrote:

since XC is almost over (you probably only have your conference meet left), I'd stick it out. But who says you can't just run XC and skip track? I'd hope the coaching staff would be understanding -- first-year students often struggle to adjust and need some time to work out the head space. Visit the counseling center at your school and let them know all of this and whatever else is troubling. It won't be an interrogation -- go there expecting some relief.

Yeah, I'm excited to run in conference and then hopefully sort my injury out and think about how I still feel about things. That's true - I guess I could just skip track.... Idk why I haven't thought to ask...

Do not quit the team, and do not quit this board. Please.

I recommend that you stick it out. There is an informal fraternity/sorority of 4 year XC, 4 year T&F college athletes. If you stop, years from now you will wish you would have continued. Would it be easier on your body to swim three days a week and run three days a week as opposed to running every day? Sure. But there are many upsides being apart of XC team and T&F team. In regard to skipping T&F, T&F is more pressure than XC, but there are benefits to training for 1500m & 5000m in the spring. It will make you a faster XC runner next fall.

Thank you for response - yes, it seems quite a few of my teammates are involved elsewhere, including upper classmen. I know that if I quit I'll probably regret leaving this kind of a community and the chance to do what I love, yet it sometimes is tempting to free up some time and run on my own. I'm definitely gonna get the injury looked at and hope for the best.

Finnish XC. Try skipping indoors. Take a break. No reason you can't still train with the guys when you feel like it. Also, have you talked to your coach about this? Ask if it would be ok to do some solo work outs. See if the competitive time off recharges your drive. If so run outdoors, if not do not. Because of XC, indoors & outdoors distance runners have the longest 'season' of any college teams. As far as "Friends" goes, it takes time. You will find the same thing after school. You might go out with your coworkers after work, you might have fun but that does not mean you will instantly be best buddies. I ran competitively for 12 years. Looking back I would say I had two really good/close friends from the sport. Lots of acquaintances. Nice people I would hang out with at meets & road races but not after. Like you I tend to stick to myself. Good Luck and have fun!!!!!!

xcrunner56 wrote:

sklsdc9vx wrote:

since XC is almost over (you probably only have your conference meet left), I'd stick it out. But who says you can't just run XC and skip track? I'd hope the coaching staff would be understanding -- first-year students often struggle to adjust and need some time to work out the head space. Visit the counseling center at your school and let them know all of this and whatever else is troubling. It won't be an interrogation -- go there expecting some relief.

Yeah, I'm excited to run in conference and then hopefully sort my injury out and think about how I still feel about things. That's true - I guess I could just skip track.... Idk why I haven't thought to ask...

We have a family member who ran XC (not track) first year, skipped two years but kept running, and is now competing in XC again as a senior. At best this runner is 12th or 14th on the team, but the coaches welcomed this student back. It is a program that consistently goes to D3 nationals, and they have plenty of flexibility for this sort of pattern. D3 can be extremely competitive, but many schools have room for runners who have other interests, too. If the coaching staff at your school has an all-or-nothing attitude about running, you might consider other options.

xcrunner56 wrote:

I fear I might regret quitting. I want to keep competing and going to practice and being a part of a team, but I also miss going on runs by myself at a time that's best for me and maybe doing some road races every now and then. But then will I feel even more lonely or like something's missing if I quit? I don't know. Part of me wishes I could just do cross country and skip track but that obviously isn't allowed.

You will never get an experience like this again after you graduate. There's club cross country, but it's not remotely the same as competing in college. You seem to be enjoying the experience. I'd recommend sticking it out.

since you are an introvert you are getting something out of xc/track beyond the fitness/competition. Spend more time working on the interpersonal side/social skills, take the running as a side benefit don't sweat the results. Also try to date one of the hot girl runners, if you can catch one.

flyingfrog wrote:

since you are an introvert you are getting something out of xc/track beyond the fitness/competition. Spend more time working on the interpersonal side/social skills, take the running as a side benefit don't sweat the results. Also try to date one of the hot girl runners, if you can catch one.

LRC, not a men's only place. Did you read HER post? SHE stated 25:07 6K. Are you familiar with college XC? Have you met any males who race 6K XC and if a male did race 6K, would it be in 25:07?

Thanks!! My coach is really easy to talk to, so I think I might depending on how I'm feeling about everything...

Almond Coconut wrote:

xcrunner56 wrote:

I fear I might regret quitting. I want to keep competing and going to practice and being a part of a team, but I also miss going on runs by myself at a time that's best for me and maybe doing some road races every now and then. But then will I feel even more lonely or like something's missing if I quit? I don't know. Part of me wishes I could just do cross country and skip track but that obviously isn't allowed.

You will never get an experience like this again after you graduate. There's club cross country, but it's not remotely the same as competing in college. You seem to be enjoying the experience. I'd recommend sticking it out.

I never knew colleges had intramural/club XC? I know they have other club sports but I never knew of this. I went to KSU, a D1 school, and they just had the regular XC and track teams, and club-level participation for other sports not running-related.

You got this. Great to see the positive encouragement on the board.

Talk to your coach and be kind to yourself--it's easy to be hard on yourself--just enjoy the process as best as you can. I hated freshman year in college at first but grew to love it. Be patient. It will get better!

jecht wrote:

Almond Coconut wrote:

You will never get an experience like this again after you graduate. There's club cross country, but it's not remotely the same as competing in college. You seem to be enjoying the experience. I'd recommend sticking it out.

I never knew colleges had intramural/club XC? I know they have other club sports but I never knew of this. I went to KSU, a D1 school, and they just had the regular XC and track teams, and club-level participation for other sports not running-related.

This is a recent thing. If you graduated years ago, they didn't have these clubs. At least not at an official level with their own races and championships.

Don't quit. Even if you aren't super close with your teammates, quitting could make you feel lonely due to lack of social interaction. Your injury would give you the opportunity to train on your own(although not running) on the bike, elliptical or in the pool. I am curious as to what the injured runners on your team do for cross training? Do they cross train as part of a structured practice or is it more on their own?

This sounded just like my D3 experience. It really came down to not making a good friend on the team. So early into track season (that was horrible) I decided to looking for an opportunity to transfer. Toward the end of the year, I started getting to be good friends with some on the team. And I think if I would have stayed it would have been ok.

But I transferred to a school that really wanted me, the team wasn't good at the time, but the dorm life was more to my expectations. I told myself that if I didn't enjoy it, I would go to a flagship school and stop running.

Well, at the new school it turned out great, I was very successful, had great friendships. I think most of all, I didn't fit the D3 experience or the school I picked, and didn't realize what I wanted in a college experience until I experienced college. Which allowed me to make a better choice the second time. The NAIA school, was more the college experience I expected, and the team was smaller more focused, less of a high school feel that the D3 team had. And ultimately I loved my college experience.