Cross country, loving to run

Five thousand meters – just over three miles.

That’s how far you have to run if you want to compete as a high school cross country athlete.

That is some serious distance when you add in uneven trails, blistering heat or the rain or the cold. For Dickson Co. High races at Buckner Park, you can also add in hills, “lots of hills”, as so many DCHS runners will tell you. Without a doubt, you’ve got to be tough to be in cross country – physically and mentally tough.

From middle school to high school, Dickson County has regularly produced some truly tough runners who find joy in not only beating the competition racing next to them, but simply beating the clock.

DC freshman, Audra Estes

“For high school you’ve got to run a lot more. In middle school you run about two miles a race. In high school, it’s a little bit over three. At practice for high school you work a lot harder than middle school…it’s pretty hard.”

Estes had only run one race by the time of Dickson County’s first home race at Buckner Park on Sept. 1.

“I have IT Band Syndrome from my hip to my knee and it’s this band in my leg and it’s pretty much useless. It causes me pain when I run,” Estes said, adding that she was planning on sitting out the Buckner race as well to let her leg rest and heal.

According to Rice University the iliotibial (IT) band is a tough group of fibers the run along the outside of the thigh, functioning as a stabilizer during running and can become irritated from overuse. Treatment is focused on rest and stretching.

“I didn’t have that in middle school. It just started this year,” Estes added. “I did pretty good (in middle school). I was about third.”

DC sophomore, Kaia Enevoldsen

Like her teammate, the biggest adjustment for Enevoldsen her freshman year was the difference in distance between middle school and high school.

“I’ve done pretty good. I guess it’s a good start,” she said about this season. “I’m still hoping to do better. I did okay last year. I guess it was just kind of still adjusting to the new mileage but hopefully this year I’ll keep getting better.”

DC sophomore, Robyn Scott

“It’s more competitive. You’ve got I guess better runners, more serious runners,” Scott said about stepping up to the high school level.

Overall, it’s been a good start to the season for Scott.

“I’m planning on improving every race. My goal is to pass 23:30.”

DC sophomore, Jordyn Boman

The one perk to being a Dickson Middle cross country runner is that you practice and compete on the same Buckner Park course that the high school uses.

“There’s a little bit adding the distance on and going a different way but other than that it’s about the same.”

DC junior, Justin Harris

It’s his first year in the sport but for Harris, joining the cross country team was an easy decision.

“I didn’t run on the team in middle school but decided to do it in high school. I just like running, being out here,” he said.