Artificial, what is Cross Country like? I've only done competitive gymnastics for one year and running for me is agonizing as it is :P
also congrats on trying so hard keep it up!
Well year one of highschool cross sucks, but after that it gets easier. If you do what you should (Drink water, stay away from crap food, sleep) then it pays off a lot. For me, I wake up around 7 and feel tired as hell, and when I get to practice just to hear that it is a 12 mile run or a hill workout, then I feel like its gonna suck. It used to be horrible as a freshman because I got 4 hours of sleep, drank no water, and ate junk food all the time. Nowadays I can keep up with the juniors and seniors, and it can be kinda fun going for a long run and talking about stuff and making jokes.