Distance Track is Better than Cross Country

EFFICIENCYMy opponent says in his response that since you get to see less splits in Cross Country, you're more likely to run faster, because you're less sure of your pace. "For me, when I have a set pace i simply try and match that pace. If I do not have a set pace, I simply push myself and try for the best possible time." Here my opponent cites a personal example of his running, which does violate the universal rule. Aside from that though, he has omitted to mention the downside to what he considers to be his better running style, one which he associates with Cross. Simply pushing yourself and trying for the best time, without using a pace whatsoever (which my opponent insinuates here), can easily lead to you pushing yourself at a pace that causes you to tire out majorly, and then leads to an overall slower time than what you could've had if you had chosen a pace that you could hold all the way through, but just barely.Additionally, my opponent is omitting the fact that just because one has more splits taken while running on a track, that doesn't mean you're guaranteed to push yourself less. Runners know their bodies. If they set out at a pace and realize they're feeling great, they can go ahead and try to go faster than their predicted pace.Also omitted is the fact that in Track you aren't necessarily using your splits to run a pace, you could be using your splits to stay ahead of a pace. If you know what your splits are from a previous race, you can try to be ahead of them in your next race in order to improve your finishing time. This involves pushing oneself, just like in CC.Bottom line, the fact that there are more splits and precision in Track does not mean that you'll be pushing yourself less. Splits are often a guideline to success. Splits are used the same way in both sports, but in Track you can use them more, thus benefiting you as a runner.400 METER OVAL"There are more distance that you run, but once you strip Track down to the bare bones, the only difference between races is how many times you run around the same oval."I can't believe that my opponent actually believes this, as he runs Track. While it is true that ONE of the differences between the different events is the distance, there is another factor, and that is speed. If you're running less laps, you'll be running way faster. It creates a different dynamic to each race, and gives each racer of the different events a specific respectability. 800 meter runners don't want to do the 2 mile because of its distance, and 2 mile runners don't want to do the 800 meter because of the sheer speed and guts it takes to run that race.COURSESI concede the point that the Cross Country courses have more variety, I would like to provide Cons that outweigh the Pro.First, Cross Country courses are easily affected by weather, and in a negative way. If it rains, the courses get muddy, and when the courses get muddy, you get less traction, and thus run slower, through no fault of your own. You could be having the best race of your career, but thanks to a crappy course, you could end up with a non-PR day. How would that be fair? Second, Cross Country courses are inconsistent. Again, you could be having the best race of your career, but you could be on an extremely hilly course, and just like that, what could have been a new personal record is now just a par for the course finish time. Third, there can be errors in course marking and length. Unlike the universally sized track, a Cross Country course is usually mapped by a guy with a tape measurer. He can be off by only .03 miles, but that still affects peoples' times by several seconds. One can falsely be led to believe they're faster than they are, or slower than they are, depending on the errors in course-making.EXCITEMENT"I had a track meet once where I didn't get home until 9:30 (The meet started at 3:30). Some people are finished all of their races before 6:00, but they still have to sit around waiting while the rest of the team runs."They can do more than that. They can talk with their friends. Anyone who has ran a race before knows that after a race, one usually feels a little more giddy than usual. So if you've run your race, and you're hanging with your friends, you'll be having a great time. Not only that, but you can cheer on other runners as they do their events. As I mentioned earlier (and this went un-refuted by my opponent too), in Track there's a running tally kept of the score, and so each race you watch bears more and more importance as the time dwindles for your team to secure the winning spot. Additionally, if you really don't want to hang with your friends or support them as they run, you can just leave, usually. Most teams let their runners go after their events are done, as long as a parent signs a sign-out sheet (or they're 18+). "I'll usually run with my one friend during Cross.."This isn't necessarily exclusive to CC.Thanks for reading.