Re: literary hymns: Probably /any/ religious sonnet would qualify (how would you sing it?); also much of the poetry of George Herbert (well, the bits that DIDN'T become hymns); and stuff like Chaucer's ABC... but now I'm beginning to wonder if I'm still misunderstanding the term.

re: XC. Apologies for not posting on this earlier. That is indeed unexpected! (So was archery...) It probably WON'T surprise you that I was also in various forms of track in HS (no coordination required!); I enjoyed it more, and have kept up with it, though I also was fairly mediocre.
Do you hike?