How hard is Cross Country in HS?

No sure how you mean by saying you're an OK runner but that you don't have stamina. Cross country will suck if you aren't prepared for it, so yes, start training. Run 5-6 days a week at first, whatever you can handle, and build up the distance gradually. Consistency is your friend.

It would help a ton if you run over the summer. How much are currently running? The key is building gradually and consistently.

XC is as hard as you want to make it. If you want to contribute to your team you would start running by mid-June. Start with 2mi x3 days and gradually increase your mileage(plenty of plans out there). If you are just doing it to do it, you can walk/run and not be any good because XC teams rarely make cuts.

Depends. How is your stamina?

We had a fairly large girls team years ago and some of the hard working, faster runners heard a girl (who couldn't break 32:00 for 5K) try to recruit others and she told them it was fun and easy.

That didn't go over very well.

What you should do this summer depends on what you're currently able to do. If you can already run for 10 minutes without stopping, here's a get started plan:

Week 1: Run 3 days. 10 minutes each.

Week 2: Run 4 days. 10 minutes each.

Week 3: Run 4 days. 2 10 minute days, 2 15 minute days

Week 4: Run 4 days. 15 minutes each.

Week 5: Run 5 days. 2 15 minute days, 3 10 minute days

That's a general idea. You'd keep building up in a similar way with the end goal of being able to run around 25-35 mins/day with a longer run of 40-some minutes by the end of the summer.

If you can't run 10 minutes without stopping now, you could use the same plan, but also add in some walk breaks. For example:

Week 1: 1 min running, 1 min walking (repeat for 20 minutes total--10 mins of running)

Week 2: 2 min running, 1 min walking

Week 3: 3 min running, 2 min walking

Week 4: 3 min running, 1 min walking

etc.

I'm sure some posters will say this is too cautious, but my goal for first-year runners is just to get them ready to run around 30 minutes per day by the time practice starts.

Hopefully your team meets for captains' practices or something of that sort in the summer. If that's the case, you should try to go! Also, definitely ask the coach what you should be doing. Don't worry that you're going to annoy them. Coaches love having runners that are excited to train.

My coach had the unfit (think almost 30 minute 5k) runners do VO2 max 200s every other day to just develop nominal fitness and economy so they can actually do easy runs. This was for about 3 weeks and then most would be around 23/25 shape which allows them to actually do easy runs that aren’t basically walking

To answer your question though, it’s enjoyable and relatively easy. Most of my workouts I ran within myself so I wouldn’t be hunched over gasping for air. I still trained hard but would do something like a 10 mile uptempo LR at 6:00, a moderate tempo at 5:30 for 6 miles, and then a few races to get into 15:30 shape.

If you get in shape over the summer, it can be as easy as you want it to be. If you're not in shape, it could be easy or hard depending on your coach and team.

You will get out of the sport what you put into it, my advise is to get into shape over the summer and be willing to work hard when the season starts.

If the OP is going to be running in HS for the next 3-4 years, the 2-3 month head start won’t make any difference. We had several freshman that didn’t start running until the season started and still went on to have good HS careers.

It's certainly not mandatory, but it will make the first few weeks of the season easier, that's what the OP is looking for.

It depends on a team. One local team, I saw a group of kids resting and complaining after 1.5 mile run because they have to run back.

Ask your HS coach to set up an outline of workouts you can do this summer, so that you will be in decent shape for Fall XC practices and races. This may include weight lifting, drills, cross-training, and some easy running.

Start with 20 min a day for 5 days and do a 30-40 min long run once a week and then work your way up from there

As long as your stamina is good, you'll be fine. No problem. No worries.

But if your stamin is bad....ummmm.....maybe you should try bowling.

I think the point is that it's easier and more enjoyable when you start the season with some base level of fitness. And I agree with that. If you're a brand new runner, the first few weeks of the season is going to be tough if you're starting from scratch -- as opposed to coming into the season with even a minimum amount of running over the summer.

This schedule is laughable. This is for someone who has never run before. The dude already runs. Said so in the OP. I already ran - conciously trained and raced - before getting talked into joining the XC team Sophmore year. High school coaches such as yourself assume - very often correctly, I admit - that you and your program is how young people find out about and start running. I even raced before my first day of high school. Unusual? Yes....but this guy seems to be on a similar path. Maybe hasn't gotten as far as I had, but has at least run.

By the way, OP, the high school team scene is overrated. I didn't pursue it until Senior year. Trained and raced the whole time; just didn't see any reason to add the school into the equation. The most often reason given for the "best experience of my life"-type explanations is that "All my best friends were on the team." If you show up on Day 1 and, what do you know, all your friends really ARE standing there, then maybe do it. I'm thinking they won't be. It's more likely you won't know any.