The abnormal fall weather would make most students seek air conditioning inside. However, the men and women of the UD cross country teams are doing just the opposite.

Both teams are getting ready to compete in the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships Friday. This week, the teams have been diligently preparing for the meet, in hopes of being named one of the top teams in the state.

The week leading up to a race can mean a lot for a group of runners. The practices within that period are able to provide an extra boost of confidence and the little aspects of the week can help to ease a racer's mind.

'I think it's a lot mental,' said senior Sarah Kessler. 'You race with the attitude you have had all week, you have to start thinking in the beginning of the week about your race.'

The Flyers have taken the last week to make sure every detail is right for when they toe the line against over 30 teams.

The women's preparation for the All-Ohio meet started bright and early.

On Saturday morning they met at 8 a.m. to do a race simulating workout. After a quick drive to a nearby park, the Flyers gave it their all as they ran sets of 1000 meter intervals.

Even as the sun started to shine, the women never gave up, showing how well they have trained in the past months. As the Flyers completed each interval, the women worked together in groups to finish the task coach Ann Alyanak set before them.

Saturday was not the toughest workout for the women's team.

A Tuesday workout brought together many aspects that would allow for preparation on Saturday's tough course. The women ran 600 meter intervals at Belmont Park. With the terrain varying from hilly to flat grass, each aspect of the run was challenging. The very sunny and hot weather also did not make it an easier task for the women as temperatures reached the 80s. However, the women prevailed and finished the workout despite the unfavorable conditions.

'We toughed it out like we always do,' junior Amanda Tucker said.

Not to be outdone by the women, the men's cross country team has also been pushing themselves in workouts.

Most notably, under the guidance of men's coach Rich Davis, the Flyers took part in their traditional Tombstone Relays.

Saturday morning they split into teams of two for a relay race at Calvary Cemetery. After a fierce competition where the men worked hard in hopes of being crowned the champions; the pair of sophomores Dan Sammons and Mike Conolly were named the winners. This workout allowed the men's team to practice on terrain similar to that of the known hilly All-Ohio course as well as work hard to come out as the best pair within the team.

Along with practices, the men's and women's cross country teams have done many other things to prepare for the race.

Freshmen are obligated to partake in study tables, a requirement for all student athletes at UD. Along with going to classes, practices, and lifting, first year students must complete a minimum of eight study hours a week, but with the race on Friday, only six where required this week. All the other commitments the athletes have can make this added obligation difficult to fulfill.

'It's not too bad [to get hours in],' freshman Anne Oltman said, 'but sometimes you just want to study in your room.'

For the upcoming meet, other things have also been done to ensure each and every runner has the opportunity to be their best on Friday. Both teams usually lift on Thursdays, but with the race on a Friday, Thursday lifting was postponed to prevent soreness.

The women's team works to mentally prepare as each member wrote out individual and team goals for the race. This gives the chance to think about what needs to be done to reach the goal.

The men's team always does the same workout of 30 X 100 meter strides as well as the same warm-up on race day. A 'team feed,' as junior Eric Contreras calls it, occurred for the men where the traditional runner's diet of pasta was consumed Thursday night.

'Distance runners are pretty much creatures of habit, so we like to do the same thing before almost every race,' Contreras added.

The habits that each and every member of the men's and women's teams follow allows them to be as prepared as possible for all the races within the season. With all the commitment and dedication each team member showed, this week sure bodes well for how the team will perform on Friday.