The smell of freshly cut grass and pine needles is in the air as women from 40-plus schools come to the starting line. They stand shoulder to shoulder, muscles twitching, waiting for the gun. And then, after several rules have been explained, a bang rings through the air. In the blink of an eye, they’re off. They run over uneven ground, through trees, around patches of mud and water and over a hill.

But cross-country at the collegiate level is more than just putting one foot in front of the other. 

“Running well is basically a lifestyle,” senior Courtney Yaeger said. “You have to be constantly fueling your body the proper way as well as making sure you’re recovering enough.”

Yaeger said team nutritionists help the runners prepare for practice or the race, advising to take in quick sugars and simple carbohydrates. She said after running, they will eat a protein-carb combo to help them recover quickly.

Recovery is another important aspect that the team stresses. Yaeger said she “wouldn’t want to go out and play an intense game of sand volleyball” after a workout or race, so runners should give themselves downtime, with limited exercise on off days.

Illinois women’s cross-country coach Jeremy Rasmussen said some describe the sport to be at least 80 percent mental.

The runner’s psychological aspect can be the difference between third-place finish and a victory.

“Most people only think about the mental element to running when it comes to race time,” Rasmussen said.  It’s a huge mind game. You’re out there a lot by yourself and you have a lot of opportunities to battle yourself. … Being mentally strong is something we talk about on a daily basis.”

“A lot of it is just staying positive, not letting fear be an obstacle, not letting your nerves get in the way and not getting distracted,” freshman Amanda Fox said.

On top of the emotional side, most runners take mental notes or “race plans” before the race about their goals, strategies and specific course sections to watch out for.

Most race plans are about either running with teammates or looking for them throughout the race. There are also aspects like remembering to slow down before turns or doing something different in regard to an obstacle or knowing where to exert the most energy during the race.

Runners usually plan to compete at their hardest at the beginning and the end of each race. This way, they can break away from the pack after the gun, avoiding the shoving that comes with a large field.

This style works for a fair amount of racers, but for others, like Yaeger, the best way to focus on running is to focus on nothing.

Yaeger said she usually has an understanding of the course before the race, using past experience to dictate race pace. But as soon as she gets good position in the race, she begins to zone out. She says zoning out alleviates unneeded stress and anxiety in the middle of the race.

On the physical side of things, continuing to alternate strides with either foot is just the start. Rasmussen said that even the way a runner’s foot hits the ground can be broken down and examined to improve technique.

“We try to work through their form,” Rasmussen said. “If we can help them work through that, it helps cut down on injuries and allows them to be more efficient.”

The coaches stress not to waste motion, and this all starts with the foot strike.

“We constantly work on form, trying to have a midfoot strike while racing, and being efficient is very important,” Fox said. “You don’t want your toes to hit first because you get the most power when you strike from the midfoot.”

Rasmussen added that good form, beyond the foot strike, is also extremely important.

“We want their feet striking the ground underneath their hips and not out in front of them,” he said. “We also don’t want the team twisting too much when they run. We tell them to run with their arms instead of their shoulders to keep things symmetrical.”

In order to perfect their mechanics and form as well as keep up conditioning, the Illini practice five or six times per week.

During almost every practice, the team mixes in strength drills to complement the running portion of the workout. The team also runs stride and sprint drills daily as well as jump-rope running, which helps with form.

Most runners also have a weekly mileage mark, which they have to hit while practicing. Yaeger runs 68 miles per week, the most on the team. Almost everyone else on the team runs 40 to 60 miles per week.

From mental to physical and from mechanical and even nutritional, hundreds of different factors impact how runners compete on any given day. But Rasmussen said that at the end of the day, it comes down to running.

“A lot of people think running is just about running,” Rasmussen said. “And to a certain extent it is. But if you can develop consistency in your running, that’s how you become great.”

Nicholas can be reached at [email protected] and @IlliniSportsGuy.