Track and Field is an incredible sport that I enjoy despite the sport having a mixture of good and bad features.
The debate of Cross Country vs Track is unavoidable with both have in their strengths and their weakness, though in this article I want to focus on the sport of Track by sharing my opinion on what are the good and bad elements of Track and Field. Though I side on Team Cross Country on the debate of Cross vs Track, that does not mean that I dislike Track because there are some amazing elements that make up the sport of Track.
Pros:
1. Track is a well known and loved sport
Track is a popular sport. Unlike Cross Country, everyone knows all about the sport of Track and Field. The reason behind this sports popularity can be contributed to multiple reasons. One is that Track and Field is one of those sports that people adore watching unfold at every Summer Olympic because of how often legendary runners break the world records during their race for gold. Track and Field is also a fun sport to watch in person. People enjoy the experience of watching and cheering on runners to run as fast as possible as runners race one another in different race lengths that can vary from being less than a lap to running multiple laps around the track. In addition, Track is considered a popular sport because more runners tend to participate in Track and Field than Cross because as a sport it provides more options in race lengths by having races like the 100 meter, the 400 meter and relays. This variety in race option encourages more people to participate in the sport since everyone can find a race distance that fits them. The more amount of people who participate in a sport than the more popular the sport becomes since more people are involved in it, hence why Track is so popular. In Track being a sport that is so well known and loved, anyone who runs track gets to experience the joy of being able to talking about their sport with others. I have experienced this joy first hand with many of my neighbors and classmates asking about my racing and training for track. These conversations are so easy and enjoyable to carry because people tend to understand many elements of the sport already meaning we spend more time talking about commentary than simply me just explaining the sport. When one runs Track and Field they not only get peoples respect, but also get peoples attention which is always a plus.
2. Can watch races throughout the meet and see all different types of runners compete
Nothing can get you more pumped for your race than spending your pre-race time watching other runners compete. Your adrenaline begins to sky rocket as you watch fellow runners compete making you excited and mentally prepared for your race to come. Unlike in Cross where everyone races at the same time, Track has multiple races throughout the day allowing one to watch others compete prior and after their own race. In Track being designed this way, one gets the chance to enjoy the racing atmosphere as a competitor and as a spectator which is a blessing since you experience both sides of the sport. In addition, one gets the chance to watch all different types of runners compete because of all the different events Track provides. One can watch sprinters dash down the 100 or watch hurdlers pounce over hurdles for 400 meters or watch the dramatic pass of the baton for the relays. As a distance runner, one is so used to watching races that prioritize stamina over speed since that is simply the nature of our races. Though, it truly is interesting for us to watch sprinters race because their strengths and priorities in a race are the exact opposite of ours since sprinters relay on their quick twitch muscles to push their bodies to run as fast as possible. This chance to watch other types of runners race really allows one to see how diverse running is as a sport and allows one to have a glance into another side of running. In addition, Track allows one to even watch their fellow teammates race in their races since there is no way your running the 800, 1500, the 5k and 10k all in one day. The ability to simply watch others run and participate in the sport you love is just a wonderful way to further express and experience your love for the sport.
3. Constant cheering from team mates and crowd
Nothing is better than hearing your name being chanted every single 100 meters. While one has to endurance long moments of silence in Cross, silence is never an option in Track because of the crowds support. As briefly mentioned before, when one races on the Track, they have the chance to be constantly surrounded by love ones who can provided advice and encouragement to them as they races as hard as possible. The experience of receiving constant support as one races can not be unmatched because it is beyond helpful for the runner to have a positive mentality and remain engaged through out their race. There have been countless amount of times during a track race in which my mentality begins to drift into negative thoughts only to be quickly replaced by positive after hearing either my families encouragement, my coaches advice, and my teammates playful inside jokes. In running, having a strong mentality is a must for one to race to their best potential and racing on the track helps one’s mentality stay strong since the crowds positive energy often delays or destroys ones negative thoughts. In my opinion, the best cheerleader a runner can have during their race is their very own team mates since they know exactly what to say to get you revved up to run even faster since they train by your side every day. Unlike in Cross, your team mates can cheer you on from the side and can give you that moral support you need to take your running to the next level. The cheering one receives during a track race is a huge blessing no one can overlook.
4. Two day meets meaning sleepover
Yes, slumber parties can occur in Track, but only if you run the 5k and 10k in Track. The biggest and best surprise I had learned about running Track in college was that many of the races were two day races with the 5k and the 10k occurring one day and the rest of the races occurring on the following day. Though many of the races my college team attends are far away meaning it wouldn’t make sense to drive to the race, drive back to campus, and then drive back to the race once again. This is why slumber parties happen. My coach would take the small group of 5kers and 10kers to the race, we would run, and then stay a night over at a hotel in order to run at the race tomorrow. I absolutely love staying over at the hotel because it would be just like a slumber party since I’m surround by my friends, hyped up on adrenaline, and often do not have to race hard the next day meaning I can stay up late eating junk food. It is literally a blast getting to spend quality time with not only my teammates/ friend, but also my coach since he only has to worry about a few people. One gets some quality time getting to talk to their coach during these types of trips since your coach only needs to focus on small group since the rest of the team only comes for the second day of racing. This allows you to have your coaches full attention leading you to race better and create a better connection with your coach. I love these mini slumber party situations because it leads to me creating strong bonds with my teammates and my coach.
5. Different types and lengths of races
One of the most amazing aspect of Track is there is truly a race for everyone since there is such a variety in race distances that allows distance runners to find their ideal distance to run. Unlike Cross where everyone does the same distance of a 5k for every race, Track allows one the chance to run a variety of distances at different meets. Track really highlights the different strengths many distance runners have by providing them the chance to run distance races that best fit their racing strengths. In Track there are events that cater to distance runners who have a mixture of fast twitch and slow twitch muscles by there being a 800 meter and the 1500 meter race, while also having options for the hard core slow twitch runners such a 5k and the lovably never ending 10k. The variety that Track provides not only allows runners to run race distances that work best for them, but gives them a chance to experiment in different types of races on a meet to meet bases. At one meet one might be running the 5k while at the next they are running a 1500 and a 800. While runners will always have their specialty race, it is nice for runners to experience different races that requires them to work harder on different muscles and speed. Lastly its fun that Track proves teams truly the chance to run as a team without competing against each other by having relay options such as the occasional 4x800 that not a official college race, but an occasional fan favorite that shows up every once and a while.
Cons:
1. Only run in a circle with no change of view
Imagine running around the same long circle over and over until you have done it around 25 time. Sounds crazy, right? Some of you don’t have to imagine this because you have voluntarily lived this insanity. Where’s my fellow 10k runners at? Honestly, my biggest pet peeve of Track is how repetitive it is. You run around and around this same circle almost every single day at practice and then, guess what, get to do the exact same thing again at every single race. There is no change of scenery and no change of motion beside turning left. All you got to do is run fast and turn left sadly. (My high school coaches pep talk before every track race minus the sadly because he was always positive about the track experience). It is so easy to get annoyed and bored with running around the track because your doing the same thing over and over to the point where you feel like your just going through the motion as your level of interest and motivation goes down. This lack of change while running on the track can make it so difficult to race long distances. Unlike in Cross where one can easily be mentally uplifted by the scenery and the spontaneous direction the courses takes you, racing on the track is almost the same experience as the last. As if the repetition of the Track wasn’t worst enough, one know exactly how much longer they have to endure the pain of racing because one can keep an exact count of how many laps they have left. Even if you tried not to count the amount of laps that are left, the race officials will sadly make it happily known to you about how many more laps you have to run by them yelling at you the exact amount of laps you still have left as you run by them. Either that or they will direct your attention to their always present lap counting sign that stands by the start/finish line. You’ll hear: 24 laps, 23 laps, 22 laps, 21 laps, and all the other laps until your down to the last one. It is so hard not to think of how many laps one has left when racing on the Track. Unlike in Cross, where one is only made aware of how many miles one has left making it easy to forget how much longer you have to run, in Track your constantly counting down ever 400 meters which is 4% of your race. You might be thinking, “Why run the 10k if you dislike running laps over and over?” to which I would reply that it is a ironic and unfortunate situation since the races I always prefer are the longest ones and sadly the 10k is only an option on the Track and not in Cross Country. I like Track, but the fact that I will always know exactly how many times I will have to run the same motion over and over is the biggest issue I have with Track.
2.Track meets tend to be very long because they get behind so easily
So remember when you were suppose to race at 3:00, well now your racing at 5:00 because setting up the hurdles took an extra thirty minutes, leading the 100 dash to take twenty more minutes to start and the mile didn’t end as fast as predicted so that was another ten minute delay. This sentence literally sums up every track meet. Track meets always get so behind meaning one tends to have to stay at a track meet way late into the night. Once I went to a track meet that start at 12pm and didn’t end til 1 am because of how delayed it got. Track meets are so prone to getting behind schedule because of all the different types of races that occur in one day. Remember a few moments ago when I said it was a benefit that Track had diverse race options, well it really is a double edge sword since setting up all these different races always take extra time. The set up for these races can be time consuming and hard to predict because so many variables are in play such as how many race officials are working the race, how many runners are in the race, and lastly did the prior race finish at the time it should have. This issue doesn’t exist with Cross because there is only one race normally for each gender so the race is a one and down kinda thing. Yet, Tracks multiple race formate makes delays almost inevitable. In fact, some races just have the reputation of taking forever to get started such as the 100 meter, the 400 meter and the 100 hurdles. (Everyone knows sprinter races take way too long to get started for such a s short race. We all know its true so don’t @ me sprinters). Though distance races can take longer too because if someone is having a bad day their normal 22 minute 5k can easily turn into a 25 minute 5k leading to the schedule being way off. In Track, all it takes is one race to slightly get behind schedule and the suddenly all the races are behind as the schedule begins to slowly, but steady get majorly delayed.
3. Hard to plan food options
Ever distance runners greatest fear is feeling like they are going to throw up as they are running leading many runners to be very picky about the time frame they should eat and the type of food they can eat before a race. Many runners know that they have to eat a couple of hours before their race so they will eat a quick snack that will fuel them and sit well in their stomach. Though what happens if your race gets push back for an hour or two? This is when one is put into a tough position. As explained above, it is common for Track races to get behind so ones eating schedule tends to get completely thrown off too. One is often left with the million dollar question of if they should eat a quick snack or not. While non-runners would think little of such a choice, any distance runner knows the gravity of this choice. One could not eat another snack with the hope that they have enough fuel and further avoid the possibility of throwing up or they could eat the little snack for more fuel despite possibly advancing their chance of throwing up. Choices. So many choices. This indecisive feeling of when one should eat is a huge bummer because one tends to spend most of their track race days eating like a mouse to insure that when they race their stomach will feel fine. This is not a problem in Cross Country since most Cross Country races take place in the morning at similar times and on schedule meaning one can rely on their traditional breakfast without worrying. This is not the case for Track since Track likes to be unpredictable. The biggest bummer overall about the situation is that you likely at some point be sitting next to a sprinting teammate who can eat candy or a huge sandwich before their race since they only have to run for at most a minute. It’s like torture to sit there and just watch them eat. The Tracks unpredictable nature tends to ruin your eating habits and make the question of to eat or not to eat seem like the worlds biggest decision.
4. Can get Blocked in easily
Running is like driving and no one wants to get behind a slow driver. In Track, the importance of getting out fast is very high since no one wants to be completely surrounded by runners who aren’t going the pace one needs to be running at in order to run a professional record, aka PR. Getting blocked in while racing is when one is so surrounded by other runners that it is impossible for the runner to pass anyone. This inability to pass this pack of runners could cost a runner precious seconds that could make the runner behind pace causing them to run a slower time than they wanted. While it is possible to get out of a block, it can be very difficult since one runs the risk of possibly falling or exerting way too much energy in their attempt to get out of the pack. While getting blocked in is possible in Cross Country it is not as common since the courses width is wider allowing people to have a ton of space to pass each others. In Track, is is very common to get blocked in since every person in the race wants to be in the first lane since that means they are running the least amount of distance possible. One should never try and run in the second lane because they would be running more distance than necessary which is why everyone is trying to run in that first lane. This desire to run in the first lane leads to many people getting blocked in and nothing is worst than spending half of your race trying to get out of a traffic jam.
5.The fear of getting spiked is real because it is painful
I know people who have scars from spikes, like legit scars. Spikes are dangerous little things that could play a more hazardous role in Track than a Cross Country because your in a more confined space when racing on the track. As mentioned before, all these runners are squeezing into a small lane making it easy to get nicked by another persons spike. While I have been fortunate enough to never been spiked in the leg, I do understand the power of those things after getting completely flat tired by someone behind me causing my shoe to fall off and forcing me to run the rest of my high school state mile race with only one shoe on. The scariest situation one can find themselves in track racing is if one falls while racing on the track. I have seen people completely fall on the track and then have to endure a whole stampede of runners literally jump over them with their claw like spikes almost inches from the falling runners face. I can’t imagine what that would feel like as one lays there praying that everyone doesn’t stomp all over them with their spikes. I have never been in the position before fortunately, but I have had to jump over a fallen runners in the past and that is nerve racking to because I’m not a great jumper so its not an ideal situation. Spikes just add another element to the sport that one has to think about. Spikes are truly helpful and necessary for runners racing on the track, but they will always have the potentially of harming runners because of their sharp nature.
