Inspiration for this myTake comes from the track season starting this week on Monday. These ten problems are things I have encountered in my 5 years of cross country and 5 (going on 6) years of track!
#1 Needing to Poop While Running
If you've never experienced this you are lucky! It is the worse situation in my book by far. All that running works stuff through the digestive system quick. When this occurs you have two choices, run/walk through the pain or find the nearest bush to relieve yourself behind. I actually have a friend who had to go so bad on a longer run that she did that, thank god our cross country trails are in a wooded area!
#2 Forgetting Equipment
Of course this is not just a runner problem but it was an often occurrence for me in both track and cross country. I was known for borrowing socks and taking a long time to return them this cross country season. I even forgot socks this Monday for track but luckily i had a slightly used pair in my bad (i ended up wearing one ankle sock and one crew cut).
#3 Chafing
Chafing sucks for everyone. Period.
#4 Runners Tan
You can spot a runner in a line up easily in the summer. The trick is to look for the man/woman with the funkiest tan. Unless the person wears the same outfit everyday while out for a run they're bound to have random tan lines from different shirts, socks, and shorts.
#5 Sweat
This happens to everyone obviously, but it really sucks for runners! If you thinking running with sweat dripping into your eyes and running over your lips is fun/cute please leave a comment. Or when you come in from a run and sit down to stretch and for some reason you sweat 10x more than you were before! (Just me, okay...)
#6 Shoes
Trying to find shoes for running can be a difficult task. You have to find one that's good for the mileage you'll be putting out in a week and one that fits your feet type (height of arches, width). Not to mention you probably have at least two pairs of shoes if you're an avid runner and/or do races. I personally have three pairs of shoes for running. My training shoes for everyday practice, my spikes for running my 400m in track (I originally bought them for XC but then realized i got blisters if i wore them for 3.1mi because of the pressure points), and finally my flats which were for racing in XC and will be for longer distance in track. Buying all these shoes adds up in price, especially when it's best for your feet to replace them each season (if you wore them often).
#7 Ugly Feet
Ugly feet is bound to happens some time or another if you're a runner. Blisters, callouses, scabs, and missing toenails are not a foreign concept to runners. My ankles (by the achilles tendon) have scars, they are permanently red/purple looking. It happened when I was having a really good day in XC practice on a long run and I was in first for the girls team; my sock slid down but I didn't want to stop for fear of losing my place. The skin rubbed off of my ankle and with practice everyday it's not like it could heal well, which left me with scars.
#8 Struggle of Layers
Maybe I just suck at this but I'm horrible with dressing in layers. I wish i could either be fine with a long shirt and pants or just shorts and a t-shirt. If I wear a sweatshirt when it's cold my core feels hot but my hands are freezing. Wearing pants and a long sleeve would be too warm but if I wore short sleeves my arms would become to cold. OMG, and taking off sweats before the race is almost more nerve racking than actually starting. I can never get my pants off and they always get stuck on my shoes until I have to dance around to get them off. #TheStruggleIsReal
#9 Ripping out Your Earbuds
I'm not someone who has to listen to music while running but I swear every time I use earbuds I end up ripping them violently out of my ears! Plus I can't stand the cord bouncing in front of my face. Many people put the cord in their shirt but I never found away to do that comfortably with my phone in an arm band.
#10 Pain When You Stop
This happens to me in track more than cross country, when you stop running if you don't keep moving your legs burn and/or cramp. I run the 400m (lap around a track) and it is considered a sprint, it's the longest sprint there is in track. There's just something about that distance because it's like an endurance sprint that makes my legs hurt so bad if I stand in one place to long. I have to keep moving or the pain will set in.
Thanks for reading!
P.S. Once again these are personal encounters, so you might not have encountered these issues!
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