So what do we do now?

For many, the cross country season has ended--or has it?

With high school regionals having just eliminated better than half of the teams in the state and the Colorado Middle School State Championships now in the history books for 2014, a lot of young runners are staring down the question, "What now?"

For many, the answer to that question comes in the form of another sport. Wresting, swimming, hockey, skiing, and basketball all beckon certain individuals from among the cross country crowd. And, if it's your name one of those sports is calling, you owe it to your school's team to be there when practice begins. And, don't feel badly about it at all, far better to be active over the winter doing something you enjoy than thinking now and then about running and never really doing it in any sort of consistent way.

For others, however, the allure of the run is still there. But, how to satisfy the urge?

As it turns out, there are plenty of ways to satisfy the urge. Let's talk about that for a moment.

There are two USATF cross country meets coming up soon. The Landsharks Running Club will be hosting a meet at Fountain Creek Regional Park (south of Colorado Springs) on Sunday, October 26, for ages 14 and under. Then, on November 8, USATF will be hosting their state championship meet at DeKoevend Park (not the creek crossing course). All age groups are welcome at this meet.

For both of these USATF meets, USATF membership is required. You can find more details about registering for these meets at the USATF Youth Upcoming Events page. The USATF state championship race can qualify you for what is likely to be a chilly date in Flagstaff, Arizona, for the regional championship two weeks later, which, in turn, can qualify you for a December date in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the national championships. 

And, of course, Nike Cross Regionals - Southwest and Foot Locker Midwest beckon. You can take your choice between the heat of the Arizona desert the weekend before Thanksgiving or the chill of the morning breezes off of Lake Michigan the weekend after Thanksgiving. Or you could do both and pile up the frequent flyer miles. Both meets are high school only for the main races, but also include open races where middle schoolers--and especially middle schoolers with older siblings in the high school races--can compete on the same course.

And, while on the topic of Thanksgiving, did you know that Thanksgiving Day is now the most popular day in America for road races? We call them Turkey Trots, and they're all over the place. Colorado Springs hosts what is surely one of the largest Turkey Trots in the state, but there's one in your neighborhood, too. If you're still in any kind of shape on the big day, it's pretty easy to dust a whole lot of adults on the morning of the race. That little extra effort in the morning just makes the afternoon dinner taste that much better.

And, you can chide the adults in your family about how much better their Turkey Trot will go next year if they back off on the pumpkin pie and whipped cream topping this year.

Taking a more distant view, the USA Cross Country Championships come back to Boulder on February 7. In association with that event, two 4K high school races (one for males, one for females) will be contested on the grass of Flatirons Golf Course that morning. So, sign up, show up, and then stick around to see many of America's top cross country runners compete in the feature events following. USATF membership is not required for the high school races. Look for an article on this event in the very near future here on Colorado Track XC.

If you prefer just to watch, there are several big events coming up in addition to the CHSAA State Championships next Saturday. The RMAC Cross Country Championships run in Gunnison on November 8, and the NCAA DII South Central Region Championships runs at Denver's Washington Park on November 22. You will be able to see several recent Colorado high school graduates competing at both meets. 

I'll do some checking, and then report back to you, to see if there will be an open race runners can join at the RMAC Championships in Gunnison. You might want to bring your spandex if there is, however.