Running, that word gives many people different emotions that range all the way from disgust to excitement. Most people will say that they would never willingly run, at least not without some motivation and other people might even say that they enjoy it. This is why the sport of cross country is so strange to people, in fact it is strange to me as well that people would willingly run, despite the fact that I actually run cross country. The main reason that people don 't think running is fun is because it is so physically challenging. Running requires you to always be on your game, the slightest injury or distraction can prevent you from doing your best. Running is not only physical, however, it is also the most mentally tough sports out there, which is not something that most people know. Sports like soccer and volleyball are team sports and although cross country is as well to some extent, cross country is actually a race against yourself. Cross country is all about racing against time and most importantly yourself. A runner will do only as well as he or she want to, if you want it enough then you can achieve it. Coach Charlie always tells the cross country team that," they just gotta believe," which is definitely true for racing. It requires great mentality to be able to push past all your pain to beat your time. In order to be able to improve, a runner must be able to push himself or herself further even when they are exhausted. Running is the greatest