My earliest memories of cross country come from high school; my very first cross country race was at our home course, set on the campus of a local community college. Flat, monotonous loops in the fall heat were the backdrop to my first attempt at racing cross country and, while I was successful from the very start, I was never able to really forge the commitment to long distance racing like I did later to racing on the track.

In college, cross country was strictly a team sport. I raced cross country to the best of my abilities for the team – not for my own personal pleasure or advancement. I loved my team and the intimacy created during the fall cross country season. Seven to 10 girls made up the team and were forced to be close throughout the entire season – from workouts to travel to special team dinners, the cross country team always grew close over those three months of racing.

Cross country, as a season, was always a comfortable time to fall back upon. After the intensity and uncertainty and emotionality of racing outdoor track – how far will you make it on the track? Will you make the NCAA final? Can you survive the preliminary rounds at the USA Championship to make the final? Will you make it through four months of racing without an injury? – beginning cross country training was always a relief. I knew the progression that worked for me: a week or two completely off of running in July (during which I would travel, study abroad, do all the things a three-season student-athlete couldn’t do during the regular year); a slow build-up of mileage starting at about 30 miles a week and moving up to 60 or 65 by mid-August.

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