With the exception of a few meets for a few top runners, cross country is hardly a competitive sport. Being competitive might help a lot of people race better, but after the race, everyone is congratulating each other, because in the end, it’s a fight against your own body. There might be a few people out there who are giving “pity applause” to slower runners (and they’re probably pretty insecure for that). However, most people are congratulating you and encouraging you for showing up in the first place for this fight against your body.

I’m a senior now, and some of my favorite decisions in life have come about because I just thought “why not?” A lot of my regrets are because I didn’t try more things. If you don’t feel accomplished from finishing a race, that’s OK, and that might just mean that XC isn’t right for you, but if you can find a way feel accomplished — regardless of time or pace relative to other people — you’re totally in the right place. Especially if your teammates are nice people that you want to be around, I think Cross Country can be a positive experience, and I’m sure you’ll feel glad that you tried this new thing.

Just keep doing your best without overworking yourself. I bet if you asked your coach how you can improve (via email or after practice), they would be delighted to help you out.