Cross country practice can be tough, but cross country meets are tougher. When I run in a meet I need every ounce of willpower I have to keep going and fight to the finish. Your legs hurt, your lungs hurt, you’re tired. In the end, however, it’s all worth it.  At the finish of the race your teammates are waiting for you, and more importantly — in the mind of an extremely tired runner– water. Water quenches your thirst that has been steadily building for the past 20 minutes. While the terrifying thought that water may not be available, or provided, at the end of the race, has never happened. There are, thankfully, hydration alternatives available to athletes. Coach Lahti and Athletic Director Tiberg have all bases covered for South Shore cross country runners.

Every single runner in cross country this year was provided with a water bottle. These are not just any water bottles: The caps have built in valves that prevent leaking. Water bottles were not the only new thing we got in cross country, we also got  energy bars, protein bars, and gatorade powder. A car needs fuel to run, and so do humans. The energy bars provide us runners with a nutritious pre-run snack. Once in the run, you have to endure some challenging obstacles. It may rain, it may snow, but you just keep running. Your legs might decide they don’t feel like moving anymore, or your lungs feel like they have relocated, but you keep running. Once you finish the race and the exhaustion has cleared away, a great way to build yourself back up is to eat a protein bar, which we can now easily do. The gatorade powder is a convenient way for you to get a tasty drink that can be held in the new water bottles.

As a runner, I can attest that these new additions are very much appreciated. They can be utilized in practice and in meets. Plus, the bars are tasty and the bottles are handy! Running is tough, but what you get out of it is always worth it in the end.