Should I run cross country this year?

Just relax and go run cross country with your team and make the best out of it.Good Lord!

do what is best for your future not your coach. It isn't your responsibility to run cross country just for the coach . If you think it will hurt your track season or hinder your chances at grad school then just train through it. Maybe meet with the team but just build base.

But bottom line college is to better yourself so do what you need to do not what others want you to do.

Honestly, I would be on my own. Keep building base but still only run and show up for the meets. You can use these as tempos. You will be runnig alone a lot, but you will not have to deal with waiting for workouts anyway. It sounds like your coach is a complete and ignorant person. If your coach has a problem with you only being around on meets then I would say, you don't need it.

I agree with your dad. Even though the university doesn't support your goals, you're throwing away a coach, teammates and university structure. As tough as it is now, it'll be lots tougher to fit in running when you start working. The coach/teammates are less than ideal, but you're taking a lot for granted.

I wouldn't worry too much about your GMATS. Take a couple practice tests and go for it. I work in the admissions office at a grad school and I've seen people take the tests, study a bunch then take them again with little score improvement. Alot of it is logic, which can't be taught. Alot of it is deductive reasoning, connecting the dots. The math section, I would just review your basic rules of geometry algebra and calculus, but nothing too in depth. Take the online practice exams and you'll be fine. I scored above 600 and barely studied. I took a few hour long practice tests on the computer befre hand, but found the book to be useless. I got a 1250 on my SAT's so I was sort of in the middle. I'm no braniac and am of probably average intelligence.

As far as the other things go, I would do cross country. Pretty much every successful miler in the NCAA will do cross country. There are a few guys who don't but for the most part they do. It is an excellent way to get in alot of non-specific, general base work in. You won't be racing at this time so I wouldnt worry about it. Just get the work in, pay your dues, and reap the benefits on the track. The base will be key if you plan on running next year into July and August.

I'm in a situation that's about 95% same as yours, also at a small D3 college. The only differences are that my coach has the dumb workouts planned ahead most of the time and we get decent treatment from the school as far as transportation goes. We have had no results for the past 4 years under the same coach despite a lot of guys working their asses off. If you're in the 26-27 range for 5 miles, you're definitely decently competitive on the D3 level. I'm a bit slower, 27-28 range. I'm also having the best summer of running 80-90 going up to 90-100 within the next few weeks. I've decided to not run, everyone around me has been trying to convince me to run anyway, even though my coach and I are now on bad terms after I told him that I quit because he can't coach. It's hard dealing with my friends on the team, because I'm letting them down in a way, but I'm not wasting another season on a joke of a coach. The team dynamic isn't fantastic either, although it will probably be much better this year. Anyway, the point is, I'm doing what I strongly believe in. People try to tell me that I will regret it, but I won't. So if you stand for something, put your foot down and make a decision. Don't let others influence you too much.

Run XC. It is your senior year and one of your last chances to take part in this sport in a team atmosphere.

You've got the rest of your life to train on your own. This is your last chance to train in a team atmosphere like this.

I was in a similar situation 25 years ago. I hated the coach and had no way out. But then it dawned on me that I ran for me and my teammates and not him, and I had my best XC season ever.

26-27 minutes for D3 isn't All-American material, but it isn't all that shabby either. You are good enough to be in the top 25 in most D3 invitations and in the top 3 for most D3 teams. So, stop thinking of yourself as just a track runner - you are only maybe 30 seconds off being a very strong D3 XC runner.

Go for it and enjoy it. Many of us old guys wish we had the opportunity in front of you.

I say do cross country this season. I suggest making your own training plan, presenting it to your coach, and while he is figuring out the workout before practice, tell him what you are doing. If he cares about your success, he will probably agree with your suggestions or just modify it. I would hate to see you lose your senior season because of an irresponisble team. Just worry about your own training, and basically use the team for the meets and some fun!

You've got your whole life to run, but only a few years to enjoy the college experience. Cross-country requires a large time commitment and if you're not getting satisfaction from it, I'd spend my time doing something else. Of course, it's a shame to waste those 60+ mile weeks, and if you're going to run on the track team in the spring and you need to run anyway, why not do it with the cc team?

Thanks everyone for responding. So far this is what I am finding out; the older posters are saying run CC and it seems like the younger guys are saying enjoy college and run on my own.

After reading some of the other threads about filling the void after college etc, I am just really confused and don't want to look back 20 years from now all bitter that I didn't do CC with the team.

I have just always struggled to do well at CC and I am more of the short distance guy but I really wonder with my mileage this summer if I can't really break out and do well.

Maybe I am being too emotional and stubborn but I just can't stand the thought of wasting my time and a great summer of training with the coach and the school team. Maybe I am too serious but running is a really big deal to me. The school, coach, and lame team mates just bring me down. So why shouldn't I just do my own thing and run some open meets unattached and keep an eye on track which is what I am better at anyway. Man, I am confused.

Your last paragraph sums up the reasoning behind my decision pretty well, except of course I do have a few good friends on the team. But either way, I'm excited about the freedom I will have to do whatever I want during the XC season. Since we didn't have a distance coach for indoor or outdoor track, I trained on my own anyway so I know what to expect, and I'm prepared to go at it alone. The desire to beat every single guy on the XC team will add to my motivation to go out there every day. Running is a simple sport but it's easy to screw up if you don't do the right workouts at the right time, and that's where the bad coaches come in.

try to figure out how to save your eligibility for your first year of grad school

odds are you will be going to a d1 school and could walk on in the back of the pack

definitely run some races this fall - either unattached for xc or road races, but don't accept prize money to stay eligible

I would do the coach and the guy's on the team a big favor and not run.By the tone of your thread you sound like a real putz.I mean lets face it you kind of suck in the big picture even for a D-III school.Yea play it safe putz, run your 60-90 mile weeks, tool box some road races etc, and in all likely hood not even run track.Besides no one can possibly go to school, study for the GMAT and run 60 plus miles not to mention you have the worse coach in the nation.I mean your doomed, the coach sucks and your a freaking wimp spoiled PUTZ!

word.

TAKE CONTROL. Why wait for your team? Come out of the locker room and do a few long sprints while you wait for the coach to make up his mind. Don't wait for him. You KNOW when the race starts there is going to be a big sprint, yes? Train to sprint super hard. Then when your workout starts you will already be tired from the sprints, yes? After that opening sprint you have to be able to run well, yes? The only way you will be able to do that is to already be tired when you start your workout, yes? Sounds like a great opportunity IF you TAKE CONTROL and just doo itt.