Watch BYU Men’s Cross-Country Team Bust a Move During 5:45-Pace Long Run – runnersworld.com

• During a team long run along dirt roads in Northern Utah, the BYU men’s cross-country team broke into a dance to Blanco Brown’s country song, “The Git Up.”
• The Cougars, who finished runner-up to Northern Arizona State at the NCAA championships last year, are currently ranked number two in the nation for cross country.

Long runs can get monotonous, but good training partners—and an upbeat playlist—can make the miles tick by a little faster. Just ask the Brigham Young University men’s cross-country team, who busted out some dance moves in the middle of their 18-miler over the weekend.

Eight miles into the group long run—which was led by head coach Ed Eyestone, who was riding in front of the team in a pick-up truck stocked with water and tricked out with a speaker system—Blanco Brown’s “The Git Up” came on, and the boys launched into choreographed moves inspired by the viral dance to the song.

The dancing seemed to give the boys a boost, as they split 5:45 for that mile. The team, which finished 2nd at the 2018 NCAA cross country championships, averaged a six-minute pace for 18 miles. The long run took place in a farming community in Northern Utah called Eden, where the team stayed for preseason training before school began.

During the run, which capped off the weeklong training camp, Eyestone was handing out water from the truck, yelling out splits, and keeping the prepared playlist spinning.

“When ‘The Git Up’ came on I was a little surprised, not because they don’t like country, but more because that is not usually what gets them pumped up on a long run,” Eyestone told Runner’s World. “As we were pretty early into the long run, I think the guys were feeling fresh and so a couple started to attempt some of the dance moves, and before you know it, they were all doing it.”

With the exception of this occasion, Eyestone said that dancing does not normally occur during workouts. Heading into the 2019 college cross country season, the Cougars are currently ranked 2nd in the nation, according to preseason rankings.

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“I pulled out my cell phone and shot the video because it was a cool moment at the end of a long week of running, eating, and playing hard,” Eyestone said. “It was a nice indication of the bonding that happens by the end of training camp.”

While most of us would be hard-pressed to run 18 miles that fast, even without the dance break, we all might benefit from making a get-up-and-go playlist to accompany our long efforts. In fact, studies have shown that listening to music can help your runs feel easier and keep you on pace. And while dancing midrun may slow you down a bit, having a little fun while you put in the work will likely pay off in the long run.