As the Arizona student body slowly reconvenes in Tucson for the start of another semester, there are always two events that never fail to occur. The first is the incessant student grumbling about how early their 9 a.m. class is, and the second is the assembling of the cross country team for its 5:30 am practice.

Three to four times per week, the men’s and women’s cross country team gathers at various places around Tucson for their morning runs. Practices almost always occur during either the early morning or in the evening in an attempt to beat the Tucson heat. A major reason for this rather bizarre training schedule is because running in the heat can cause dehydration and cramping, amongst other maladies.

During the summer months, the athletes basically train on their own. They receive a schedule to follow, but it is on the shoulder of each individual runner to follow it.

Following the coach’s prescribed regimen always has its advantages. Failing to do so can result in falling out of shape and can make trying to catch back up during official practices tough

“”We’re not like football, we just started official practice on Friday”” said junior Staci Ulibarri. “”Practices start off slow, then they will start to get faster and longer.””