Preparation is key
”
The race doesn’t always go to the stronger or faster person, but
to the one who thinks she can.
”
Autumn provides the perfect weather to get back into those
tennies and run. Our summer schedules may have taken us to
mountain, lake or beach. Now it’s time to hit the track again.
Preparation is key
“The race doesn’t always go to the stronger or faster person, but to the one who thinks she can.”
Autumn provides the perfect weather to get back into those tennies and run. Our summer schedules may have taken us to mountain, lake or beach. Now it’s time to hit the track again.
Running enthusiasts have taken to running early morning and evenings. Water is a key to enjoying the run. “Heat stroke is possible even in these cooler temperatures. Pre-hydrate,” offers local running enthusiast Armando Padilla.
My own daughter has invested in a cooler that can be found at any sporting goods store. She fills the bottle with ice in the early morning and during her afternoon sports practices, running and touching lines, she will down an entire gallon jug of water.
The sunsets and sunrises are especially beautiful in the fall. Now we are blessed with the fog curling over mountains. Wearing brightly colored clothing and a light strapped to the ankle or head, much as a cyclist or spelunker wears, makes us more visible to autos.
Having suffered a severe ankle strain in June, I am more cognizant of the gift of our healthy legs. Doing warm up “butt” kickers, hop skipping and jumping like a bunny, was tough. Running backwards for the first time this season takes some doing, for they call me “Grace” when I run.
Going around local tracks in pairs, or jogging on the trails that grace our landscape is a freeing experience.
Always warm up. Do a 5- or 10-minute jog. Cross your ankles while resting. Bend to the ground and touch your knuckles to the tops of your tennies. Grabbing hold of a tree or fence, bend your leg at the knee and grab your ankle. Hold. Do the other leg.
Invest in a great pair of shoes. Do not jump at local sales unless you are certain the shoes give you the best fit. Run up and down the length of the store. Have multiple pairs of shoes. Break them in long before the first race you attempt.
Newly constructed shirts, shorts and socks wick the water away from our bodies. You won’t feel like a wet mop when you run.
Of course, I run a 5 minute quarter-mile, but I’m out there. Always check with your doctor before starting a new physical activity program.
Only 12 weeks until the next triathlon. There is no moment like this one to get up off the chair and walk or run down the street. The zone exercise affords is miraculous.
Worries, schedules, obligations disappear. It’s just you and the road.
Whether we stroll, walk or run our neighborhoods, the connection our skin makes with the fresh evening air, the gentle breeze blowing the day’s conflicts and struggles away, and the muscular motion all serve our hearts, lungs and bodies well.
