Running Safety Guidelines

RUNNING AND SAFETY - Cross Country is a unique sport where the streets, trails, parks, and hills are our training venues. Along with this comes - Running and Safety

➢ Athletes must always pay attention to potential obstacles “on the road” from curbs, cracks, holes, rocks, fire hydrants, water, etc. etc. Athletes must always look 5 to 10 feet ahead of them to view any potential obstacles and avoid them.

➢ Athletes wearing “earbuds”, headphones, etc. must always have 1 ear totally free from any listening device so that they can hear instructions of coaches, hear other athletes, listen for cars, etc.

➢ Athletes Must Always Abide By the “Rules Of The Road” When a sidewalk is present… All athletes must run on the sidewalk. If a sidewalk is not present, athletes must run single file, preferably against traffic to see oncoming traffic. If a white line exists on the shoulder of the road, athletes must run inside the white line.

➢ Athletes must cross streets at crosswalks or at street intersections. Athletes are advised to not follow athletes in front of them crossing streets….All athletes must stop at each intersection to make sure it is clear of traffic prior to advancing across. Athletes are not allowed to “jay jog” / jay walk across streets randomly.

➢ Athletes must always be aware of the dangers of vehicles and pedestrians on and off the streets. This includes but is not limited to automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc. Athletes must always pay attention to their surroundings.

➢ Always report any threatening, abnormal, even weird incident to your coach ASAP.

➢ Athletes must not trespass on or through private property. This includes yards, fences, orange groves, etc. Athletes are not allowed to stop and use garden hoses from houses or pick oranges from groves. Athletes have been advised that trespassing is against the law and picking oranges is considered a theft.

➢ If an athlete gets injured during a run, even if it is minor, please report it to your coach by the end of practice and definitely before you go home.

➢ NO athlete runs alone!

➢ All athletes must pay close attention to hydration. It is more than just drinking water after practice. Athletes must drink before, during, and after practices…combining water and sports drinks to get the proper electrolyte replacement needed to train in the heat. Athletes should bring a water bottle to every practice and competition. Water Coolers will be provided at every practice. Athletes may also work out with water bottles in their hands and most runs have water stops incorporated into them.