NO SWEAT!

My wife has always been the ultimate cross trainer.

For nearly 40 years, I have been grinded out the miles through running, she has taken a much more practical approach to training.

She runs, lifts weights, practices yoga, power walks, and logs miles on the elliptical, usually cranking the machine to the steepest incline.

During most of these endeavors, she is bothered by sweat pouring down her face, or hair flying into her eyes.

Recently, she solved those problems by purchasing several headbands from the Ohio Fitness Garage, https://ohiofitnessgarage.com/collections/headbands, an American company that sells a variety of products, and has now designed a perfect, non-slip headband.

The Ohio Fitness Garage headbands are not your headbands of the last century. They come in widths of one-half or one inch, are made from a non-slip silicon that keeps the headband firmly in place, no matter what the activity. The headband holds hair back during workouts, preventing obstruction of vision.

After her first workout wearing her new Ohio Fitness  Garage headband, my wife was extremely pleased that the headband did not slip and her hair was held in place.

One size fits all, and the headbands are machine washable.

Ohio Fitness Garage headbands are sold in multipacks of two or four, depending on the width, and they are reasonably priced.

Visit the Ohio Fitness Garage, https://ohiofitnessgarage.com/collections/headbands, and check out these high quality headbands. With the Holiday season approaching, these headbands are an ideal gift for the active women in your life.

CAL STATE GAMES

We love running and runners.

We enjoy passing on our knowledge and expertise to our youth, with the hope that they, too, will appreciate the joy of running.

Recently, I received a message from a father of two young men, ages 8 and 14, who have distinguished themselves as accomplished runners.

Dad would like to further their running experience by taking them to the Cal State Games competition on July 18 and 19.

Being a father of four children, the costs associated with attending are a bit prohibitive.

I'm a great believer in "Paying it forward," in order to keep good young people in our sport.

Check out the following links, and lend a hand if you can.

http://www.gofundme.com/calstategames

http://www.calstategames.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n51CzmDzd5I

https://www.youtube.com/user/MrVpk6

SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF OUR SPORT

This week, despite frigid temperatures, the high school track and field season began here in northeastern Pennsylvania. Athletes have been practicing for about three weeks, but snowy and icy conditions forced most teams indoors, so when the first meets were contested on Tuesday, they were little more than intense workouts, means of allowing coaches to gauge their talent pool.

Track and field ranks as the world's oldest sport. The ancient Greeks held games at the base of Mount Olympus as a means of honoring the gods they believed resided there. Sprint races, javelin and discus throwing were some of the events we contest in our track and field meets, some 2700 years later.

From lithe distance runners to burly shot put hurlers, a track meet is like a three-ring circus, featuring sprints, hurdles, horizontal and vertical jumps, distance races, and throwing events.

And unlike many other sports, there's no subjective evaluation in track and field. No one can argue that, "He's a better hitter," or "She's a better 3-point shooter." If you run faster, jump higher, or throw farther, you are, statistically, the best.

Track and field athletes work very hard to perfect their crafts, but since it is not a "money generating" sport, it is often ignored or poorly funded. With the exception of the University of Oregon, few stadiums are filled for track meets.

This spring, make it a point to attend a track and field meet. Support the young men and women who do what you do. Encourage the distance runners to train year-round.

They may be high school students, but they are the future of our sport, of which there is no retirement age.

HEALTHY KIDS

One thing you'll notice if you run enough races: They're getting older!

At many small, local races, runners in their 40s in 50s often dominate the awards platform.
Also, at some local competitions, the 20-25 and 25-29 age divisions sometimes have NO participants.

Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of us "older" runners, but we need to pass along our love of our sport to the youth.

Couple this with the alarming childhood obesity rate in both America and the world, and it's clear we need a call to action.

Thankfully, in my little corner of the world, concerned runners and coaches, like Doctors Jason and Jennifer Burgess, are promoting the sport of running to our youth in a fun manner. Below are a couple of examples of programs they have become involved with.

As described on the website: http://www.healthykidsrunningseries.org/, The Healthy Kids Running Series was created by Jeff Long, Founder and President of Pattison Sports Group, to provide kids with a positive, educational, and fun experience in the world of running. To combat the increasing rates of child obesity in America, Jeff designed a running program that would motivate kids to be healthy and active and provide a fun environment to improve their self-esteem. Jeff believed the program would encourage kids to adopt a “Get Up and Go” attitude.

The Healthy Kids Running Series is a five week running program in the spring and fall for kids from Pre-K to 8th grade. Each Race Series takes place once a week and offers age appropriate running events including the 50 yard dash, the 1/4 mile, the 1/2 mile and the one mile run. Kids compete each week of the Series for a chance to earn points and at the end of the Series the top boy and girl with the most points in their respective age division receive a trophy. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you run because all participants receive a medal and gift bag for their achievements courtesy of our sponsors!

Join us as we encourage kids to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle, help increase their self-esteem, and make new friends!

The Miners Track Project is a local USATF club located in Minersville, Pennsylvania, created to develop young athletes from first to eighth grades. You can check it out at: http://www.minerstrack.com/, and Drs. Burgess will be happy to pass along information that will assist you in developing similar programs in your area.

As we "old folks" can attest, this sport is a lifetime endeavor. There is no retirement age. Besides, retirement is something you do from work. Let's pass our love for our sport to the youth, so they can enjoy a healthy life for many years to come.