Looking at the rosters for the LSU track and field and cross country teams, people might think they need their eyes checked — they’ll be seeing double.Several members of the cross country team compete on the track team as well. Though they lack the notoriety of football and baseball star Chad Jones, their task may be more daunting.Anyone who has attempted an endurance sport like cross country knows the toll the sport takes on the body. Weeks of high-mileage endurance training that isn’t gelled with the appropriate amount of rest can fatigue or injure an athlete to the point where competition isn’t possible.An endurance athlete must train year round in order to maintain his or her ability, which is a perishable skill in the running world.Sophomore Cullen Doody, who was the top finisher for LSU in both of their cross country events this season, also competes in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter races for indoor track. Doody said training for the entire year is better than training for half of the year.”It takes a toll on your body,” Doody said. “If you give yourself recovery time and you’re smart about your training, it helps to stay on it year-round.LSU cross country coach Mark Elliott knows the steps required to keep endurance athletes at the top of their game.  During his time as a student-athlete at LSU, Elliott was a Southeastern Conference champion in both cross country and track.”When I was in school, I was able to compete in both sports because my events were very similar,” Elliott said. “It’s more difficult for someone who runs the 800 to successfully transition into cross country.”To the untrained eye, track and cross country look the same. Running for one sport is the same as running for another. But several differences separate the two sports.The cross country season takes place during the fall. For LSU runners, that means running in incredibly hot and humid conditions, which make times slower.The composition of the course also offers various difficulties cross country runners do not see when competing on the track. Doody said running over hills and on grass provides a welcome challenge to the sport.”Personally, track is fun. The course is accurate and fast, and there are no hills like there are on cross country courses,” Doody said. “It’s good to go run fast times.”Some of LSU’s runners believe improper training is the only thing that can lead to fatigue from the amount of training they do. Their biggest hurdle is being mentally tough enough to handle the work they must put in.Junior Devon Williams, who runs for cross country and participates in the 800-meter run in track, trains for cross country most of her summer before starting training for the 800 toward the end of the cross country season.”I think [fatigue] is more mental than physical,” Williams said. “I try not to think negatively about it. It’s either going to help you or mentally wear you down.”—–Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]