Cross Country isn’t just about running, it is a sport built on stamina, determination, physical, and having a tough mentality. Cross Country runners prepare mentally and physically for practices, their races and, with their speed and their endurance. Being in Cross Country requires a lot of dedication to yourself, which requires the right foods, enough sleep, hydration and recovery time. These runners will run their hearts out to beat a time they told themselves and will always try to succeed for themselves and teammates. Now let’s interview some honorable Cross-Country runners from West High School.
I got the chance to interview senior Fahim Fedai and got to ask a couple of questions about his cross-country experience so far. To start off I asked Fedai, when did you realize running was something you wanted to take seriously? Fedai answered with “I wanted to take running more seriously when I saw the potential to become fast and wanted to take it out on the course.” Fedai is currently injured but has had a lot of success in the cross-country program winning many races which included 1st place in the TCAL Championship and won many medals. Another question I got to ask Fedai was “How do you prepare mentally and physically before a race?” Fedai responded with, “I prepare by journaling and meditating before a big race.” Fedai has also broken a school record beating 5 minutes and 20 seconds in the mile race for Cross Country, which Fedai is very proud of.
Another Cross-Country runner I interviewed was Sophomore Tameem Al-Radaei. Tameem started off with being slow and no one believed in him. Now, Al-Radaei is currently one of the fastest sophomores in the league and a two-time TCAL Champ. A question I got to ask him was “What does he enjoy about cross country?” Al-Radaei responded with “I enjoy the carb loading, the races and, the long runs with my teammates.” Another question I asked Al-Radaei was, “What keeps you going while running?” Al-Radaei answered with, “What keeps me going is my coach, my teammates and, trying to break records.”
In the end, Cross-Country is more than just racing and running. This is about pushing runners to go beyond their paths and being capable of something they thought they weren’t. Racing is built on toughness which these runners and other runners all have. They all prepare themselves for challenging courses, workouts and practices. Even though Cross- Country season only lasts a few months, the memories last much more than that. From long runs to meets, from teamwork to pride, these runners’ successes are not only measured in medals and wins but in the mentality and growth in each runner achieves.
