Teams are about competition.
If you like running - just go running - no one's stopping you.
If you want to join a team - you should be interested in supporting and helping the team goals - which include winning competitions.
My suggestion is to join the team - but to shut up about your problems with competition. Who knows, maybe being on the team and training and improving will make you feel more competitive. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
And besides - a cross-country meet is still a workout. It's probably the only workout where you will be pushed to run as fast as possible.
Good luck.
Talk to the coach about training with the team, but not competing in meets.
Some teams are so large that most members do not get to race, but still are members and train and attend meets together.
Unless you are in the top 6 you will not be in meets.
Intramural activities & sports are for fun . Interscholastic competition means just that; Competition.
If I were a coach, I wouldn't allow it. If you want to socialize, join the chess or math club.
Run on your own time.
Sure you can! People run for whatever reason they want to! Infact, there's a guy at my club who really has no stamina at all, but still turns up to every session because he LOVES to run. It's his passion, and maybe it's yours too. Keep doing what you love and good luck!:)
Can you just join because you simply love to run and like doing the challenges and for social reasons? I don't really feel like competing, I just love to run and know a lot of people who do it.
