In the spirit of camaraderie, resilience, and lively competition, the AACS cross country team recently embarked on an extraordinary challenge: to commit to running 100 miles between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Led by Coach Cook, each athlete was given a running log with a few simple rules: miles can be run outdoors on trails or roads, inside on a treadmill, and in the case of a few battling post-season injuries, on an elliptical, rowing ergometer, or in the pool. The team then invited alumni, parents, and athletes from other sports at AACS to participate. To add some friendly competition, prizes are awarded for certain mileage milestones, including gift cards, donut delivery, and cold-weather running gear. At the halfway point in the challenge, several runners had already passed the 100-mile mark and were still going strong.
The inspiration for the contest came when a few of the top runners asked Coach Cook for an off-season running plan to help them maintain or improve endurance or prepare for a new race distance. Coupled with the fact that many cross country runners also run the distance track events in the Spring, a challenge to keep the team running through the off-season seemed like a great way to spur on the athletes to keep running in the winter months.
"Running endurance takes months to build, but just weeks to lose if you don't keep at it. Since track requires so much skill and strategy, the last thing we want to worry about at the beginning of the season is re-building the level of endurance they had in the fall but lost because they didn't run all winter," says Coach Cook. "If we can keep runners running for fun in the off-season, we start preseason track workouts on a whole new level."
The challenge also includes regular check-ins with Coach Cook, weekly strength workouts in the weight room, and regular tips on the importance of proper nutrition, hydration, and recovery to ensure they can endure the physical demands of the task. Student athletes and alumni often meet up together after school or on the weekends to share miles, and several have already competed in local races from 5Ks to Half Marathons.
More than anything, participating in the 100-mile challenge has given the runners a chance to see just how much they can accomplish when they set their minds to a goal. The miles have been full of friendly banter, and a palpable sense of shared purpose. At last count, there were 13 members of the boys and girls cross country teams, 4 coaches, 4 cross country alumni, 2 parents, and one soccer player participating in the challenge. Finding joy in the journey has been the common denominator, as running is truly a sport that is open to all!