Perfect weather for a run: Cal track and field set for All Comers Meet 1
The running world is a matrix of contradictory advice: Should you stretch before, or after a run? Does coffee improve running speed? Are lightweight shoes better than highly cushioned trainers? Should you eat a high-carbohydrate or a high-protein meal the night before a race? Is it normal for your nipples to bleed during a marathon?
The running community seems to have reached only one consensus: 50 degrees and partially overcast is perfect running weather.
Fortunately for Cal’s track and field athletes, the forecast is perfect for Saturday’s All Comers Meet 1 at Edwards Stadium. All Comers Meets aren’t exactly team competitions — they are opportunities for individual athletes to practice for higher stakes meets later in the season. Several athletes have already forced their way into the school history record books; many of them will strive to move up on the all-time lists over the course of the season.
While sprinters, throwers and jumpers got their toes wet at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational held in Albuquerque last weekend, Saturday’s meet will be the season opening competition for Cal’s distance and mid-distance squad.
Hot off of their cross country season, the Bears took time to rest, recalibrate and rebuild. Much of January has been devoted to building a strong training base characterized by easy effort, high mileage weeks with speedwork in fartlek-style workouts. The base-building phase is arguably the most important training of the season, as it allows athletes to build a foundation of strength that will prevent injuries once the season heats up.
But building a base can be tedious — distance athletes are surely stoked to get some speed back in their legs at All Comers Meet 1.
Events will start bright and early at 8 a.m. In perfect weather, Cal’s track and field athletes have little reason to not set high standards for the 2022 season.
Sarah Siegel covers track and field. Contact her at ssiegel@dailycal.org.