Cross country runners like it cool

TIFFIN - Clear Creek Amana cross country runner Ally Loren prefers running in brisk weather.

'I like it when it's colder, around 50-60 degrees usually, maybe even 40,” she said last month during Clear Creek Amana's meet at Kickers Complex in Iowa City. 'As long as you warm up well and keep your sweats on for a while, you don't have to worry about muscles getting stiff or tense.

'When it's hot out everything is essentially death. (I) can't wait for it to get colder.”

Stiff muscles are a challenge every runner faces and must overcome to run to the best of their abilities.

After warming up and doing some sprints, there might be a little down time before the race actually begins. This is prime time for muscles to get cold and stiff.

To avoid this, runners have a variety of tricks like wearing their sweats and jumping up and down. Another thing they'll do to keep their muscles warm is slap their legs. It may sound crazy, but it is actually extremely beneficial to the runner. Slapping your legs before an athletic event will not only increases blood flow and keeps muscles loose and ready run, but also is believed to slow lactic acid buildup. Lactic acid is acid in your legs that builds muscle. Every time you're running, squatting or doing any type of leg workout and you feel that burn, that's lactic acid doing its job by turning fat into muscle.

Runners across the state will enjoy cooler temperature today when they run in regionals (girls) and districts (boys). Clear Creek Amana is at a Class 3A meet in Solon.