My high school is oppressing runners...

Flagpole wrote:

1) Actually humans have evolved to understand that clothes provide protection from the elements.

2) If you need more Vitamin D, drink some milk or take a supplement. Getting skin cancer under the guise of wanting to get vitamin D so you can run with your shirt off is not a good idea.

3) Major reason people, especially teenagers, run without a shirt -- they don't want a farmer's tan. Own that.

Yeah guys want a good tan or to show off their body.

I think that if they aren't allowed to run with no shirt then the town should be that way everywhere. Can't be out with no shirt on your front lawn or backyard or at the local beach or lake or pool.

Flagpole wrote:

Running on the roads is ridiculous, so I hope the school is firm with that.

The shirt thing I never got. You can't race without a shirt. Just wear a freakin' shirt. I don't care really about this one though, but the not running on the roads thing should stand. We hear all too often about a runner who was killed by a car. Stay off the roads.

Everything here ^ is wrong. Not that difficult to find safe enough steets to run on in most towns. Who wants to run back and forth on a straight boring trail?

Now the shirt. At over 50 degrees, I run without a shirt every time I run. (I start with the shirt and when I get hot I take it off and wrap it around my hand.) I dont care if you have some prudish problem seeing me without a shirt either. How on earth is it offensive to anyone? You embarrassed to be human?

R1200 wrote:

Now the shirt. At over 50 degrees, I run without a shirt every time I run. (I start with the shirt and when I get hot I take it off and wrap it around my hand.) I dont care if you have some prudish problem seeing me without a shirt either. How on earth is it offensive to anyone? You embarrassed to be human?

Most ADs have a rule against going shirtless so I'm going to have to side with Flagpole here.

That said, it doesn't stop the boy's team from frequently taking their shirts off during track workouts at my school. I don't mind though because it gives me the OK to tell my girls that they can go shirtless too. If the boys can go shirtless, the girls can go sports bra - yay equality.

get better shirts wrote:

If your coach is willing to work with you on this, another option would be to only hold official practice on workout days. If Tuesday is an easy run day, the coach can just say "we're not practicing on Tuesday. Get in an hour run on your own. The locker room will be open for you to use as you see fit." Then you can just get together on your own to do the run.

That will not work as school rules still apply in that situation. They would have to meet at someone's house and not approach school property!

Flagpole wrote:

Running on the roads is ridiculous, so I hope the school is firm with that.

The shirt thing I never got. You can't race without a shirt. Just wear a freakin' shirt. I don't care really about this one though, but the not running on the roads thing should stand. We hear all too often about a runner who was killed by a car. Stay off the roads.

In a crowded city I agree with you on the roads. However in small towns it's possible to run in the streets w/o traffic. In big cities they have paths and sidewalks.

luv2run wrote:

Vanilla Rain wrote:

With summer beginning to heat up distance runners, even when off of campus, are being forced to wear shirts. And we are no longer allowed to run on roads, even though we are near the middle of nowhere and the only other place to run besides campus is a straight 2 mile bike trail.

Would it be wise to address the AD with our concerns or should we just stay quiet, dealing with the grueling heat and boring bike trail (which is not shaded by the way)?

Any help advice would help. Thanks.

Oppressed? Come on.

The road thing is a legit concern.

It is true that there are a few teams that do all their training on an oval or track. Usually those teams are dominant. Look up Joe Newton on the internet. There have been other cities too. Mason City, IA and Staples-Motley, MN used to be dominant. However it's not fun to run that way and very few of those kids go on to run in college.

You can be creative with your workouts and regular runs though. How about walking to a place you can run? Meet at a park?

The above is the intelligence of many AD's.

I know of a school that had a kid get killed by a car while out running. They did not name their invite after him. I know of another school who had a kid die while falling off a cliff. They named their meet after him.

So go figure.

Vanilla Rain wrote:

With summer beginning to heat up distance runners, even when off of campus, are being forced to wear shirts. And we are no longer allowed to run on roads, even though we are near the middle of nowhere and the only other place to run besides campus is a straight 2 mile bike trail.

Would it be wise to address the AD with our concerns or should we just stay quiet, dealing with the grueling heat and boring bike trail (which is not shaded by the way)?

Any help advice would help. Thanks.

I've had lots of bad experiences with athletic directors and was one myself for a short time. It's unfortunate that AD's know so little about distance running. However I would not want to be an AD even though they get paid well. It's a thankless job for the most part.

Doping works wrote:

You ever watch a summer football practice? Half the time they aren't exerting any energy and they break every 15 min for water.

Kids today. Early 80', we were allowed to have water before AND after practice. That was it. Once the helmets went on, no water. Of course, that is probably why most of our lineman were about 170 pounds.

I find it hard to believe that this topic generated as much serious discussion as it has. Was this whole thing just a joke? How does a HS AD have any impact on whether, when, where, or how anyone runs? When I was in HS I was unaware of an AD, any rules about me running, or any punishment for breaking said rules. Why would anyone care whether or not they are 'prohibited' from running on a road shirtless - something I did almost daily at the time. Was I 'banned' or something? Probably, but I neither knew nor cared. Why do all of you?

Vanilla Rain wrote:

With summer beginning to heat up distance runners, even when off of campus, are being forced to wear shirts. And we are no longer allowed to run on roads, even though we are near the middle of nowhere and the only other place to run besides campus is a straight 2 mile bike trail.

Would it be wise to address the AD with our concerns or should we just stay quiet, dealing with the grueling heat and boring bike trail (which is not shaded by the way)?

Any help advice would help. Thanks.

First off, quit whining. You should have taken your concerns/gripes/whines to your coach and the AD FIRST instead of crying on an anonymous internet message board. Boo friggin hoo.

Second, you school has rules for a many reasons. Common decency, liability, safety, etc. You are a product of the social and physical environment you live in. Get used to it.

Third, use your head for something besides a hat rack. THINK. How can you do the variety of workouts you believe you need without compromising the rules you must adhere to as a member of the school team? How about doing some independent running on your own time? Do a hill or road run in the morning before school. Hit the roads for a long run on the weekend.

By being both creative and compliant, you can achieve your training goals without looking like a crybaby clubhouse lawyer.

And wear a shirt even you are running on your own. It will remind you of your commitment to your school and your community. Your neighbors' property taxes are footing the bills for your public schools. Learn to say thank you now and then.

Vanilla Rain wrote:

With summer beginning to heat up distance runners, even when off of campus, are being forced to wear shirts. And we are no longer allowed to run on roads, even though we are near the middle of nowhere and the only other place to run besides campus is a straight 2 mile bike trail.

Would it be wise to address the AD with our concerns or should we just stay quiet, dealing with the grueling heat and boring bike trail (which is not shaded by the way)?

Any help advice would help. Thanks.

First off, quit whining. You should have taken your concerns/gripes/whines to your coach and the AD FIRST instead of crying on an anonymous internet message board. Boo friggin hoo.

Second, you school has rules for many reasons. Common decency, liability, safety, etc. You are a product of the social and physical environment you live in. Get used to it.

Third, use your head for something besides a hat rack. THINK. How can you do the variety of workouts you believe you need without compromising the rules you must adhere to as a member of the school team? How about doing some independent running on your own time? Do a hill or road run in the morning before school. Hit the roads for a long run on the weekend.

By being both creative and compliant, you can achieve your training goals without looking like a crybaby clubhouse lawyer.

And wear a shirt even you are running on your own. It will remind you of your commitment to your school and your community. Your neighbors' property taxes are footing the bills for your public schools. Learn to say thank you now and then.