For most teenagers, summer is a glorious two months of relaxation, lazy-haziness, sleeping in until noon, perhaps a part-time job, and a snow cone or two with a group of fellow hoodlums before and after July boating trips.

Then again, cross country runners aren’t most teenagers.

After all, who wants to run miles and miles and miles and miles in the scorching, life-sucking afternoon sun AND do homework during the school year? I hear crickets.

I can’t give a reason for why people all over the place are running. I’m sworn to secrecy. But I can shed some light on the summer life of a high school cross country runner. There are two of us in my family, my oldest brother B1 and me, so I consider myself an expert.

Here’s The Daily Schedule:

6:05 am: Arise and shine, Sleeping Beauty! Or at least tell yourself to. (I hit the snooze button.) When Mom comes in your room to tell you to get up, roll over and pretend to be asleep.

6:10 am: Arise and shine, NOW. OR YOU WILL BE LATE FOR PRACTICE. This is the crucial moment. If you get out of bed now, you’re home free. If you stay, you might as well sleep in until 10:30 (I never do that…) Wake up B1.

6:20 am: Pull out of HQ and head to the football field. Look both ways once, and once more. You never know who else is a bit drowsy and driving at this time of day.

6:30-6:45 am: Congregate with the rest of the runner-folk on the football field. Run a warm-up lap or two on the track and report back for warm-up drills. Hold your breath as Coach tells you your fate for the day. This part is a nail biter. Will it be a speed workout? Long run? HILLS?!

6:45-7:45 am: Let the workout begin. Run with your friends. Discuss the daily excitements of summer, going back to school, boys, food, racing, food. Whisk yourself up hills, whip around the block to build up miles, stop at stop lights to catch your breath and the sight of a sleepy Main Street. Say hello to people walking their poodles or jogging with Bon Jovi-blasting i-pods. For some reason people are always so friendly in the morning. It must be the sunshine. Return to the football field (jaywalk if necessary, but only if the coast is clear).

7:45 am: Time for Core! “Front plank.” “Side plank.” “Back plank.” If your arms shake, too bad. “Russian Twist.” “Superman.” “Dead Bug.” “Bicycles.” If your abs hurt, that’s a good sign! You might finally get the six-pack you’ve always wanted. (YES!) Congratulations, you’ve completed a workout!

8:00 am: Reward yourself with The Breakfast of Champions. This usually consists of Frosted Flakes, toast with raspberry jam, or Lucky Charms with scrambled eggs. This is B1’s nap time.

8:30 am-2:30 pm: Get ready for the day. Clean something. Do your chores. Make a to-do list and stick to it. Eat lunch. Lace up your new running kicks and wear them while you do laundry to break them in. Drink water. Pat yourself on the back for all you’ve accomplished for the day, because the end is near.

2:30-5:30 pm: The Daily Crash. Give up all endeavors and retreat to the couch with some applesauce to watch Cake Boss. Try not to fall asleep. If you do fall asleep, go big or go home. Snooze for two hours.

5:30-11:30 pm: Get your momentum back. Eat some dinner. Eat dessert. See to family and friend affairs. Ice your knees, ankles, nose—anything that hurts. Set your alarm for 6:05.

Repeat.

It sounds crazy, but early morning running is a FABULOUS ADDITION to summer. The early bird truly catches the worm. There’s something about getting your day started by working out—it makes you feel so great! Sure, running has its challenges. But as a cross country team, we push through to see ourselves succeed at another season.

To kick start the cross country season, I will be running a half-marathon next week. That’s 13.1 miles, in case you were wondering, to contemplate why I let myself get talked into running that far. I can’t wait! I have completed an 8 mile, 10 mile, and 12 mile long run with two of my favorite running buddies, my mother and Miss Lemon. I hope our competitors are hydrating well–they’ll be eating our dust next week for a good 2 hours!

Still not convinced that running is for the sane? You are not alone. Studio C has a hilarious sketch about the dangers of distance running. Check it out!