It’s my annual hurdles post which only means track season is coming up to the finish line! Read More
Hurdle Stretching
It’s that time again – hurdle season and so my workout routine amps up. The most important thing about running hurdles is the warm up with stretching. There is a series of hurdle stretches that I teach my student athletes before they even run on the track. Then after stretching, come the hurdle drills. These are quick and target specific parts of the hurdle running technique. After all that, student athletes are ready to hurdle. I could get all technical in this blog post, but if you’re really interested in learning how to hurdle let me know or if you want a list of the hurdle stretching routine.
I’ve been running hurdles since freshman year in high school and I love the event. I still run hurdles at practice because I want athletes to see how to actually hurdle. Most people think you just jump hurdles, but hearing that just makes me cringe. You don’t jump hurdles, you run them. Safety is also very important. If athletes aren’t careful or lose concentration, then some serious wipe outs can happen. I remember I was running sprint mini hurdles way back in high school and I tripped during a set and totally scraped up my legs and face against the track. It hurt so bad! I just got back up, got cleaned up at the nurse (after I stopped crying) and went right back to practicing.
I’ve been contemplating retiring after this season and although it’ll be bittersweet, I will always love hurdles and seek out tracks with them to keep running them myself. On that note, I’m hoping this will be the best hurdle season yet and hopefully it’ll get warmer outside so we can run on the track instead of the hallways at school. I do have some photographs of me running hurdles, but I’ll save those gems for a possible post season post because even though I’m not competing, I wear my competitive face all the time when running 🙂
Jambu c/o: Shoes (option) // Nike: Sports bra (option), top (option) and leggings // Ray-Ban: option
Photography: Eleni of Limani Designs
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Coach
My readers know me as Peggy or HAMR, but most people (my students) know me as Ms. K or Coach. Coaching and obviously teaching, is a big part of my life. Most people get to go home after work and do whatever they do, but two out of three seasons a school year I coach; cross country in the fall and track in the spring. I actually like coaching a lot; specifically, coaching hurdles.
It all began freshman year in high school. I was a very little freshman who had no clue about running hurdles. That first year on the team, I had a lot of fun with my friends even though I never really got coached, but I was hooked on hurdles. Sophomore year, we got a new coach and he saw something in me that I didn’t know existed. For the next three years, he pushed me to be the best athlete, hurdler and person I could be. I looked forward to track practice more than anything. I seriously became a different person on the track and built my self-confidence. I went into teaching because I was bilingual (moving to the Chicagoland area when I was four) and because of my track coach. He gave me my first coaching job freshman year in college and paid me out of his own pocket. I can’t thank him enough for influencing my life and shaping me into who I am today. To this day, I’m still good friends with Coach V (it’s hard to call him by his first name still) and adore him, his wife and their beautiful kids.
So as you can see, coaching is more than just coaching a sport. It’s about making those connections and lifelong memories. I hope I inspire my student athletes just as my track coach inspired me. And yes, I can still run the boys’ high hurdles.
Thanks V.
P.S. This is my off-duty coaching look. I promise to post what I actually wear to practice and meets. Especially, those fashionable instances when it’s freezing and I’m wearing a million layers and can’t feel my toes kind-of look.
Dress (old): Kensie (Poshmark closet) // Jacket (old): Gap (similar) // Shoes (old): BCBGeneration (want these) // Sunglasses: Ray-Ban // Earrings: Kate Spade
Photography: Limani Designs