Running on Game Day

Saturday morning, my boyfriend and I went for a run. While my roommates were stretched out on couches watching football, we were stretching on the front lawn of my two-story brick house. We planned to run through my university’s campus, normally a peaceful path. But not that day. Saturdays are game days.

While the Florida Gators prepared to battle the Tennessee Vols later that afternoon, we were fighting our way through orange- and blue-colored crowds that consume campus like wildfire during most Fall weekends. For about 50 minutes we weaved in and out of tailgating students, alumni and tents. We cut through beer-guzzling Gator fans and around grills heaped with hot dogs.

Mostly, I run to relax, and the charged atmosphere before a University of Florida football game is anything but soothing. However, it is interesting, fun, full of free stuff and loud-- a nice replacement soundtrack for my dead iPod. Anyhow, I learned two things that day. Game Day running makes you feel really good about yourself. I personally felt like a beacon of fitness running around beer drinkers and hotdog eaters, later scarfing down a healthy breakfast of yogurt and granola when I got home. And secondly, always take steps to hydrate before you run. Our campus tailgators are fairly friendly, but request a cup of water and they may come up empty handed. Beer here, beer there, beer everywhere. Case in point: Around mile three, feeling the symptoms of heat cramps, we slowed to a walk near CBS's sports news broadcast by tables that hand out free stuff. We were offered hand sanitizer, koozies, computer use and an oven mitt. But no water. In a pinch, I stopped at an on-campus library's water fountain and got some of my groove back. So runners, keep your hydration on track but don't cut out crowded areas when you run. They might just add some color to your mileage.