When I coached in college, I shoveled the outdoor track regularly. Unless the track was covered in ice or there was way too much snow to shovel, we had at least lane 1 clear. Sometimes the athletes would help do some, but mostly myself and an assistant coach would do it.
Run on the roads man..
One coach got about 10 plastic shovels and got his team to do it, but you need to be careful about going to deep. Make sure you do it before people walk on it because that packed snow will just turn to ice. You shouldn't really get all the snow off the track because you could damage it. But if you get most of it, the sun will melt it the next day.
The Elmhurst college coach up at Elmhurst IL shovels the track in the winter. I showed up my first week working out there expecting to have to run on the icy roads, but was able to get a great workout in.
Jay Johnson also does it out in Boulder on snowy workout days at Fairview track.
I can't for the life of me see why anyone would shovel a track rather than just run on the roads. Try a mall parking lot after the Christmas Rush if the roads are bad. The only time we've ever shoveled a track was in the early spring when it was 45 or 50 degrees and the snow was too deep in spots to allow for a quick melt. If it got us into "outdoor track" season a few days early, then it was worth the effort.
There are no malls with covered parking around here.
We had 10 inches of snow on Sunday and a snow day on Monday. On Tuesday, the track was still completely covered, so I took a shovel out there during my plan period and went to town. I cleared two lanes fully for 200 meters and then made a single-lane path the rest of the way. Once the kids got out there and started their workout (200s w/ 200 jog), I cleared the track all the way around for three lanes. It was a beast of a project and took over 2 hours total.
Today I had an email from my AD saying that under no circumstances is anyone to ever use a shovel on the track. Oops.
Sure. I cleared a path in lane 1 of a 400m oval once. My son helped me. No prob.
ray L wrote:
I can't for the life of me see why anyone would shovel a track rather than just run on the roads.
If it got us into "outdoor track" season a few days early, then it was worth the effort.
One of these two thoughts is wrong. I'm guessing the first.
Outdoor parking lots at strip malls are usually plowed very nicely. Just go early in the morning, so you don't have to worry about traffic.
Lazy bum.
Shoveling a quarter mile of snow.
Pick one.
SUU clears the entire thing after every snowstorm apparently...according to their instagram
There's also not an indoor track for miles there! They often go to St. George, an hour away, for workouts where it is lower altitude and warmer.
whsxc wrote:
Needed to do a workout the first day of my senior track season. Day before had the entire team come out and help me shovel. It took forever even with a ton of people and I got in trouble for it, but got the 10X400 in. It was a ton of work though.
Your personal 10x400m workout was so important that the entire team helped you?
Duuuuuude I sneak into Wesleyan indoor track all the time, its not that hard.
Once shoveled a high school track and some guy came out of the school and yelled at me. Was using a plastic shovel, did not think I was doing any damage.
We used to snowblow our entire track so we could host an early meet.
We had 50 guys on the team, each person would take a few shifts and we would do the entire thing in a week or so. Just a regular snow blower.
You can set snow blowers a little high so they leave a thin layer of snow that melts quickly... No damage to the track.
When you live in Alberta Canada, the closest indoor track is 100 miles away, your coaching a gal who is collegiate National Champion, and the roads are so slippery and icy that speed work is impossible; the need to shovel a track is obvious. With an exceptionally heavy snow year we have at least 18 inches of snow on the track (in the thinnest places). It takes me one hour to shovel 15 meters. Get lots of people to help is a great idea. But, does anyone know any methods of snow removal with a machine that might make it easire. Fortunately everyone up here is far to ignorant to think it might damage the track.