Training for Cross Country (beginner)?

i tried cross country during my freshman yr..didnt work out too well. hahah but thats because i hated running. i only did it to get in shape. so what you basically do is run a couple miles everyday and do conditioning stuff like weight lifting, pushups, crunches, etc. but you have to be supper fast if you wanna be on cross country and you need to run for a long period of time without getting tired. my opinion is that its not a dumb sport, but its kinda pointless cuz all you do is run.....and it gets a lil boring. but your getting in shape and it helps to build muscle sooo thats a plus. the competitions get really crazy though but their lots of fun. have fun and good luck! & hope i helped!