Cold Weather

            It is finally starting to get cold outside so that means layering up before you go outside for a run. When it comes to running in the winter or late fall, I am usually stuck outside to run as long as the weather will permit. My family doesn’t have a treadmill to run on so I have to run outside. I also prefer not to run on treadmills because I don’t like to keep running in one spot. I could also go to the gym to run but the gym I go to has a very small track so you have to run a ton of laps before you can get any good mileage in, so I run outside in the cold or until it gets too cold or too snowy and I am forced to go run in the gym.

            When I am running outside in the cold, it is always difficult to know how many layers to wear. If you wear too many layers or sweatshirts you get really hot and sweat a lot but if you don’t wear enough layers it can get really cold and you still sweat. I always to try to make sure that I run with gloves because my hands are normally the coldest and get numb. I also like to bring a headband for my ears so my ears will stay warm. Depending on how cold it is I will normally wear a t-shirt, sweatshirt and running tights and am able to stay warm. If its super, super cold out and there is still surprisingly no snow on the ground I will wear a long sleeved shirt or another sweatshirt and two layers of pants. It can also be a good idea to wear extra socks or thick socks so your toes aren’t numb.

            It’s important to still try to run and get miles in even in the cold winter months because track starts soon and you need to be in shape. Track for me starts in February so I need to be in shape then. It is also still cold in February, so running outside on your own helps prepare you for when you need to run in the cold for practice. When it gets to cold or starts to snow it is probably a good idea to find a gym because while it might be harder to get as many miles in when your inside it will still help you stay in shape and get ready for track season.

Especially for You Race

Running road races can be can be a great thing especially if you are running for a certain cause. Some races are set up as fundraisers to help to fund for a certain cause. Many of the races will allow you to choose whether you participate by running or walking so if you are not big on running but still want to participate you can always walk. Since I am a runner and enjoy running in races it is great to be able to sign up for a race knowing not only do I get to help people but I also get to do it by doing one of my favorite things, running.

This weekend on Sunday I am participating in the especially for you race that is for breast cancer. I am going to be running the race with my friends. The race should be a fun event but is also very important because it raises money to help with breast cancer. I get to run and have a good time with my friends while still helping a great cause.

The breast cancer race I went to had a great turn out. There were tons of people there, a total of 15,000 people. Everyone there was wearing their red shirts for the race so there was a huge sea of people wearing red all going to participate to help fundraise for breast cancer. There were so many people there that by the time the first place runner finished the race at a time of about 17:20 there were still people trying to cross the starting line to start the race. The race also had many people from different places. There were people at the race from 35 of the states and also from three different countries.

After you finished the race you could go get water and other snacks that were provided for the racers. You could also go see your results of the race. The race used electronic chips this year for the first time so you could see your results right away. It was also nice to use the chips because the chips start timing you from when you crossed the start and finish line so it doesn’t count all the extra time it took for you to even start the race. I would recommend running races that a for a good cause because you are able to help fundraise for that cause while having fun and running.  

Cross Country Comes to an End

Cross country season is coming to an end. There is only one week left for the junior varsity and the freshman and sophomores on my cross country team. Our last meet is on Thursday. The varsity runners on my team have the possibility of having three more weeks left. They have this week then the state qualifying meet and then the state meet if they are able to qualify.

I can’t believe how fast the season has gone by. Time seems to go by so fast. I remember at the beginning of the season it seemed like it would take forever for the end but now the end has finally came. I am very sad that our season is almost over and I’m going to miss cross country and all of the people until the season starts again next year.

I am also very disappointed to have only one more meet left. I still haven’t reached my time goal for this year yet. I have gotten close but am still not quite there and now I only have one more meet, one more chance to reach my time goal until next year. During this cross country season when I have been running my races and haven’t quite reached my target time yet I knew that I still had more meets and more chances to try to get my target time but now I only have one more chance. It is a lot of pressure to try to reach my target time and I hope that I am able to do it.

I also hope to be an alternate for cross country state this year. You can only run seven runners in the state meet but you can bring alternates in case someone gets injured or is unable to run. Your team can bring three alternates and right now I am one of the top ten runners on my team so I have a possibility of  going to state if I can remain in the top ten and if my coach brings three alternates to state because sometimes he chooses to bring only one or two.

The last meet of your cross country team can be a lot of pressure because you want to end the season well and run a good time. It can also be sad to see the cross country season come to an end but it’s nice to have some time off before track season starts again in the spring.

Spikes

Running spikes can be important to help you run faster times during races. My coach claims that if you wear spikes for the first time during one of your races you will drop forty seconds off of your time. I'm not exactly sure if that is true but is still believe that running with spikes can help to improve your time.

Spikes are a lighter weight shoe then normal training shoes. By decreasing the weight of your shoes spikes can help to lower your times. When you are running with spikes and your spikes dig into the ground on the course it also helps give more traction so your feet aren’t slipping and that also helps you run faster.

Spikes can also be very dangerous shoes to wear. When wearing spikes it is a good idea to try to make sure you don't spike anyone and that no one spikes you. It can hurt. When we were just about to start one of our races I was pulling my leg up to stretch and accidently spiked one of my teammates who started to bleed right away so she had to run with blood on her leg during the whole race.

Running with spikes can also create problems at the starting line. If you spike someone at the very beginning of the race and the person falls then the starter has to shot his gun and everyone has to come back and restart the race. Though tripping someone when wearing regular shoes during the start of a race can also have the same effect.

Spikes are also fun to wear. Many spikes have fun and bright colors that stand out. I bought my spikes from running wild and they are bright orange and blue. Another nice thing about spikes is that you don’t have to buy them as often as other shoes. You wear your training shoes everyday so they get warn out very easily but you only wear spikes during races so it takes a lot longer to wear them out so you don’t have to buy them as often.

I wear spikes for all of my meets and I believe that they do help me run faster because they provide traction and are lighter weight. I also really enjoy the bright colors of my spikes that stand out during the race. If you don’t wear spikes during races you should consider to start wearing them because they could help you run faster and drop your time.

Trails

For cross country practice my team runs on the Cedar Valley Nature trail a lot. The trail has decent scenery with many plants and trees, a small pond and a creek. It is nice to have a certain place to run practices on. We are able to run many of our long runs there.

It is very convenient to be able to have a certain trail or path you can do many of your runs on. By running on the same trail it helps you know how far you have run. You can have certain mile markers or landmarks on the trail that help you know how far you are running.  On the trail I run on there are mile markers that are spray painted on the trail for each one half of a mile.

Running on the same trail can also help you to run at a certain pace. If you run with a watch when you’re running it’s nice to have one half mile markers because at each mark you can check and see if you are close to running your target time. You can also compare one of your runs to another run if you are on the same trail. You can compare one of your times to the time you are running and see if you are going faster, the same or slower than before by comparing how far you have ran on the trail to how long you have been running.

It is also nice to run on a trail when you have to run long distances.  When I have to run at my house and I want to run eight miles I have to run a four mile loops twice because there aren’t any paths in my neighborhood that I can run eight miles on. When I run on the trail I can run eight miles without having to do any extra loops or running the same thing twice.

On most trails there is also a drinking fountain which is really nice on hot days so you can stop to get a drink of water during your run. Running on a trail is very nice for knowing how far you are running and at what pace you are running. It is also very nice for when you have to run for long distances.

Running with Music

Should you run with music? I think it depends on where and how long you are running if you decide you want to listen to music when you are running. Really long runs can get really boring so it can be nice to have music to listen to during your run. When I have to run over thirty minutes by myself I like to bring an iPod to listen to when I'm running. Listening to music can help the time pass faster. Running long distances can seem to take forever especially when it is really quiet so it can help to bring music so your run seems to go by quicker.

Listening to music can help on long runs but it can also be a downside because you have to bring an iPod to listen to the music on. You can buy certain things made for running with music like and arm band to put your iPod in so you don't have to hold your music player when you run but I don't own anything like that so when I want to listen to music when I'm running I have to hold my iPod in my hand and it gets sweaty and bothersome to have to run with. I am also always afraid that I will drop my iPod when I'm running.

 

Besides having to hold your music player when you’re running it can also be annoying to wear headphones. My headphones always fall out when I’m running. Even if I were to buy headphones that would stay in my ear better it wouldn’t help because I always hit the headphone’s cord with my arm when I’m running and that yanks my ear buds out too.

In the summer when I run by myself is when I will occasionally bring my iPod to listen to music on and it helps my run be more entertaining. During cross country season I never listen to music when I run. When I have practice I have my whole team that I can run with and talk with while I’m running so I don’t need to listen to music. You also can’t have iPods during races so I find it pointless to get used to running with music when you can’t in a race. Running while listening to music can be helpful on long runs and when you are running by yourself but it can be bothersome to have to run with a music player and you can’t listen to music when you are racing.

 

Running in the Rain

            Running in the rain is not always very enjoyable. It can frustrating when you are running and it starts to rain but it can also be really exciting. When I am running a workout sometimes I wish that it would rain. When it’s really hot out it can be nice for it rain so the rain will help cool you off. Sometimes my team runs through the sprinklers on really hot days to cool off just like if it was raining. When it’s really hot and humid outside and it starts to rain but the rain doesn’t cool you off because the rain is warm or air temperature it is not fun to run in the rain. When the rain is hot and it's hot out it just adds to heat.

I also don’t like running in the rain when it is also storming. If it starts to storm it is probably smart to cut your run short if possible. Strong winds and lots of rain can make it difficult to run and to be able to see where you are going. My sister and I were running one night over the summer and had to cut are run short when the wind started picking up and it was down pouring. When we started our run we thought it looked like it was going to storm so we ran shorter loops then we normally would around the block to make sure we could stop early if we needed to. It is smart to look up the weather before you run. With all of today’s technology it is very easy to find out what the weather is going to be like and to plan your run ahead of time so you can try to avoid storms.

            It is also smart to try to avoid running outside when there is lightning. It can be very dangerous to run in lightning so it’s best to try to stop your run if possible. During cross country practice during my freshman year we were running on a track while the junior varsity football team was warming up for their game that morning. In the middle of are run it started to rain and we kept running. When it started to lightning shortly after and the junior varsity football game was cancelled it was a good idea to end our run early.  Running in the rain can be really nice to help cool you off on very hot days but it’s important to try to avoid running in storms because it can be dangerous.