It takes a lot for a high school student to wake up at 5:30 every morning and not only that, but to complete a cross country workout before the sun has even risen. For the LCM Cross Country team, these hard work ethics are traits that have pushed them to succeed in the 2014 season thus far.

The team, consisting of four boys and four girls, has competed in four meets already and so far, have done well at them all. The runners have been competing individually thus far, since a team requires at least five runners.

“The individuals are progressing well and have shown a lot of improvement and dedication this season,” Head Coach Dena Adkins said.

During their early morning practices, the runners mostly focus on speed intervals, such as running 10 400’s. On the other practice days, they are expected to run for 30 to 60 minutes at a time.

For those just starting out, all it takes to get motivated is looking to the veteran runners for some encouragement.

“I’m inspired by other runners,” Freshman Heidi Schaffer said. “Some of them run like their feet are on fire. One day I would like to run as fast as James (Armstrong).”

The leader for the boy’s crew this year is senior James Armstrong. Adkins said she hopes to see him win district and advance to Regionals and then hopefully State.

“He has put in a lot of hard work over the past four years,” Adkins said. “I also hope that my other runners run their personal best at the district meet and advance to Regionals as well.”

The team’s next meet will be Saturday, Oct. 4 at Liberty.

“As with all meets, I look forward to seeing my runners do the best they can and rise to the level of competition,” Adkins said.