Cross-country in the Summer!

You sprinted across a field of shin-height grass before entering a tree-lined, dirt trail; then climbed a gravel path; and surged down a muddy hill all while hoping your spikes dug deep enough into the ground to prevent you from falling. And you only had to run 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) to accomplish all of this. That's because you just completed a cross-country race.

That just about sums up why the fall, also known as cross-country season, is my favorite time of year. Unfortunately that means during the rest of the year, I am feeling a little gloomy. . .until now! The cause of my unusually high spirits outside of autumn is me having learned of a summer cross-country series.

The NJ Trail Series is hosting 5k cross-country races all summer long! Finally, I get to enjoy my favorite sport in a second season of the year!

If you are also someone who can't get enough cross-country, please join me today (May 27th) in the next 5k race of the XC Summer Series. In fact, I would encourage you to come out and run every Wednesday night this summer.

The race official yells "go" at 6:45 pm every Wednesday. The course is in Morris County's Central Park, which is located at 91 Central Ave in Morris Plains, NJ. Registration begins at 6 pm.

For adults, each race is $10, while youths pay $8 per race.

You can also pay a larger fee that covers all of the remaining races of the 14-race series.

The competitions continue through August 26. Visit this address for more information about the series.