The temperature may be freezing, the season may be winter, but nothing stops Shayan Sazdar, junior, from running.
Every day after school, several runners from both the cross country and track team, run between five and eight miles through Wilson, Kehrs Mill, and Country Ridge Rd.
“In addition to road runs, we also do hill workouts and sprints,” Sazdar said.
Sazdar noted running in the winter is more relaxing than running in the summer, because in the summer, “it’s so hot.”
Sazdar said his coaches handed the group of runners training schedules, but the coaches are not present during these practices. The runs after school, therefore, are not part of official team practice, but rather recreational training activities a group of friends organized.
“I think they are setting a great example for the rest of the team,” Matt Neinhaus, math teacher and track coach, said. “Hopefully when other runners see them, they will get motivated to stay in shape, so our team can perform at its best.”
Sazdar hopes that the rest of the team will try and stay in shape, even if they are not running with the group, Sazdar said.
“We run now so that when track season in the spring comes around, we’ll perform better, since it’s harder to run in the winter than the summer,” Sazdar said. “We’ll be ahead of the competition.”
Sazdar runs in the winter to improve his placements from last year competitions and increase his overall stamina.
“This will keep me in good running shape over the winter,” Sazdar said. “I want to do better next year and getting lazy in the winter won’t help me improve.”
Prasanna Rajasekaran, junior, also runs with the group.
“Usually I wear shorts and a shirt,” Rajasekaran said. “Some runners wear hats and light jackets or sweatpants.”
Rajasekaran said even though it’s cold, runners still have to hydrate properly.
“We still bring water bottles and sports drinks,” Rajasekaran said. “Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you don’t lose water while exercising.”
Rajasekaran said all these efforts are in preparation for a better track season.
“We’re working hard, and hopefully, our efforts pay off,” Rajasekaran said.