Dashing Through the Snow
December 18, 2008
Every day, a group of dedicated Neuqua Valley students top off their seven hour school day with a run…outside. This circumstance seems grossly unappealing to many due to the Chicago area’s infamous sub-zero winters, but for members of Neuqua Valley’s Winter Running Club, this routine is completely normal.
Although they are difficult to identify without their notorious short-shorts, members of Neuqua Valley Boys Cross Country, along with Track runners and athletes of other sports conditioning for upcoming seasons, make up the Winter Running Club. This club plans outdoor workouts daily as long as weather permits; however, the definition of “permitting weather” does not exclude the ordinary snowfall or typical cold conditions, but only rules out training outdoors during icy conditions, cases of extreme cold, or blizzards.
The program is led by the runners themselves due to IHSA limitations in practice time that coaches are allotted to train with athletes. “The cool thing about winter conditioning is that the athletes themselves create the workouts. The older guys usually come up with the workouts and post them for everyone else to follow,” said Cross Country Coach Jamie Janota referring to the athlete-led nature of the program.
Training varies from the speed and interval workouts run during sports seasons. “The work we do now with running tons of miles enables us to then translate that into interval workouts later on,” said Janota. Such workouts are important for preventing shock to the body during these athletes’ seasons. In addition to shock prevention, the great perk of Winter Running is that running outdoors in itself actually prevents injury.
Neuqua Valley’s runners continue to live up to their impressive reputation during the offseason with their ongoing training at Winter Running. This club provides activity for persistent athletes at Neuqua during their offseasons.
By Allie Hermann, staff writer
