After qualifying for State last year, the boys’ and girls’ cross country runners do not plan on ending this years’ season early.

The boys’ team has eight meets left, while the girls’ team has nine. The runners see each meet as an opportunity to train and improve before Sectionals and State. Both teams have different training methods for getting to State, but share similar goals.

“In order to be a [boys’] varsity runner, you need to be in the top seven, which in the years past has been around breaking 16 minutes and 15 seconds in a three mile race,” Alex Milner, senior and boys’ cross country captain, said. “At varsity level our top guys are running 75-80 miles a week. Our philosophy is if you run 10 miles daily, the 3 mile race will seem like nothing.”

Ian Silverman, girls’ cross country head coach, believes in a different training method.

“We give each individual a number of miles to run each day. It’s up to them whether or not they want or feel like they should run those miles. Our top runners, like Meaghan Gelinas, [junior], are running 5-7 miles a day. It varies every day, because we like to balance hard work with fun,” Silverman said.

Silverman said the girls’ team has several traditions that everyone enjoys.

“We have pasta parties on Fridays that most teams do. We have birthday day to celebrate birthdays. [We play] poker in the park, [and the] winners get cookies. We are the first team at invites because we like to get up at the crack of dawn to be the first team at a race. We also volunteer at the [Chicago] marathon, which is really fun,” Silverman said.

While the runners continue training, both coaches and runners have their own goals for season.

“I want to make it to State, do well in our meets, and be in the top three at invitationals. Last year was the first year the team went to State since 2000, so we want to continue our success this season,” Meaghan Gelinas, junior, said.

The girls are not the only ones with big goals in mind.

“We hope to continue our streak of conference championships and make it to State and put our best foot forward. We’ve made it to State the last four years and would like to win the State championship. We’ve never done that before,” J.B. Hanson, boys’ cross country head coach, said.

While both teams anticipate achieving goals and qualifying for state, they also look forward to enjoying the season.

“I look forward to every race to be honest. Obviously I want to go to state, but every step along the way I look to enjoy, whether it’s a dual meet, invite, or conference meet,” Milner said. “Every little challenge ahead I look forward to, and seeing all the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors succeed.”

Hanson looks forward to the boys’ season because he said he gets to be around a group of guys that are very dedicated, hard workers and have great attitudes making it easy to coach. Silverman feels similarly and believes that the group of girls this season are very intense, competitive, and talented, a combination they have never had before.

The current team of runners succeed because one thing they like is the sense of accomplishment, according to Milner.

“When you’re running, you can feel tired or weak, but the end makes it worth it. As soon as you cross the line you yell ‘yes’ inside your head because you just ran three miles and it feels great to be able to do it,” Gelinas said.

Milner agrees that the sport is rewarding in the end.

“The sense of accomplishment and knowing you ran well is what keeps you going. You don’t need a medal to say you did well, you just know it. The feeling is enough, like setting a new personal record,” Milner said.

The coaches and runners agree that in order to be successful, they need to have the desire to improve and drive themselves.

“You have to be mentally tough because you’re going to hit breaks, meet injuries, something is going to happen to you and you have to be able to work past it,” Milner said. “You have to know not to go out too fast, pace yourself, and know how to finish. It’s basically a mind game testing how dedicated you are. Yes, you have to be physically strong and fast, but it’s mostly a mental sport.”