Nervous for college track

If you redshirt XC you might only get to run once race unattached. Most runners get more chances to race in indoor and outdoor meets unattached. From my experience in D1 running and hearing others experience, unless you're detrimental to the team in some way (grades,drinking) you'll at least be fine through outdoors. When I was on the team we had a HS stud run a 4:15 and 4:12 1500m in consecutive weeks (he also partied alot) and was promptly kicked off where we also had an average HS kid injured all winter and most of spring who did everything he could to get better and is now one of our top 5 guys

TLDR: If you do what you're supposed to you'll be fine

You will never succeed to your full potential if you're already walking around worried about getting cut before you even set foot on campus.

Either be confident in your ability to make the team or embrace the fact that you might not but you're still committed to doing your best.

Asking hypothetical questions about average coach and time to cut is stupid and self-defeating.

You're 18, so don't feel bad about thinking like this, it's pretty normal. But you need to stop.

Thanks guys! Ive talked to the coach for a few months and I'm on the summer program he has given out and on the team, just worried that I won't be seller in practice in workouts and long runs and he'll look to cut me, but an guess that's the wrong way to look at things and I should look at how I got here.

No idea what school you are heading to bit I've never heard of a college coach 'cutting' a freshman if he or she shows up for practice and does what is asked. Most coaches know that many freshmen have a lot of their plates with living away from home, new and more challenging classes, new coach, new teammates, new food, new and longer distances etc etc. Almost all freshmen, even highly recruited ones, have less than stellar first years.

Will you be number one on your team? Probably not. Will you be on the traveling team? Possibly not. But cut from the team? Unlikely.

Thanks. The teams program has been average for the past few years (in a big time D1 conference though) so based off returnees times for my school I'd be number two, except there are a few studs ahead of me in our incoming class. I realize I won't race a ton, but as long as I try hard in practices- workouts and long runs- even if I fall just a tad off pace for the first couple weeks in adjustment, that shouldn't do anything horrible to my spot (obviously I want to do the best I can, just nervous and like mentioned adjusting to the new world may be hard)

Like I may fall back a bit on workouts or something but it won't be like I'll be raging drunk and high every night

Ok, I'm talking from my experience at a British college's track/xc group but should be pretty similar.

Basically, if you try your hardest, and the coach can see that you are really putting in the work in track or interval training or whatever and not just cruising chatting to your training partners they will already value you as an asset to your team. And obviously, attend the sessions that are of benefit to you without overdoing it. Even if you are not the best in the field, showing up regularly and giving your best in each session, no matter what that may be will undoubtedly mean you improve, and that will show your coach you are dedicated and an asset to the team. Not to mention that you're not a quitter when the going gets tough. As already mentioned there's always that guy who turns up occasionally when he feels like it and runs fast times but parties and can';t be counted on to race when the team/club need him.

I came back to track and xc at college after years off but worked my ass of every interval session and on longer runs I would always, as a girl, push to run alongside the lead or at least in the mid pack of guys. It was hard, but paid off in improvements, and the coach seeing I work hard and really want progress is willing to give me more time than for example other athletes who may be faster and have years of training behind them.