“Snow days” don’t really exist when you’re a committed athlete—at least not for high school senior Quinn Schneider. For most 18-year-olds, eight inches of snow means extra time to lounge around at home. But for Schneider, North Carolina’s reigning male cross-country athlete of the year, it was just an opportunity to get an extra workout in before his daily run, reports the Washington Post. After a snowstorm hit his town, Schneider got to work and spent an hour shoveling the snow off his high school track just to avoid running on the treadmill.
Obviously he could have taken it easy, but Schneider was “not going to let the snow be an excuse not to go run today,” he told The Washington Post. So he ran 10 miles—just a small chunk out of his 60-70 miles per week—and ended up with some soreness the next day. But not because of the long run. “The next day I definitely felt the workout from the shovel just in my shoulders and arms and back,” he said. “It’s always important to do cross-training.”
Schneider’s dedication earned some props from his coach—and his dad, who put together a video of the experience.
We understand Schneider’s pain. If you don’t want to stay cooped up inside all winter—but you also don’t want to shovel all that snow—try these tough treadmill workouts that will kick your ass.
The article High School Runner Shovels Snow Off Entire Track Just to Avoid the Treadmill originally appeared on Men’s Health
Alisa Hrustic is the deputy editor at Prevention, where she leads the brand’s digital editorial strategy. She’s spent the last five years interviewing top medical experts, interpreting peer-reviewed studies, and reporting on health, nutrition, weight loss, and fitness trends for national brands like Women’s Health and Men’s Health. She spends most of her days diving into the latest wellness trends, writing and editing stories about health conditions, testing skincare products, and trying to understand the next greatest internet obsession.
