I recently completed my fourth Half Marathon, the Rock ‘N’ Roll Virginia Beach.

There were a few things I noticed while running that I would like to throw out there for everyone… at least from my perspective, an amateur on the course.

1.)  

If you feel the need to spit anything out of your mouth, please take one second and glance behind you to make sure someone is not going to be in the path of it after it exits your mouth. That would be fantastic! This is coming from a receiver of a said projectile within the first mile of the race. Trust me it does not set a good precedent for the rest of the miles.

2.)  

When running with groups, friends, or anyone other than yourself, please don’t spread yourselves across the entire course.especially if the course narrows at certain points. There is almost nothing more frustrating during a race, after getting into the stride, than needing to stop or slow down because you have a group of four or five that are spread out across the entire course.

3.)  

If you do need to stop for any reason, except of course an injury, please don’t come to a complete stop in the middle of the course. There is most likely someone running behind you. This is one of those etiquette moments you can take into your normal life as well. When walking on the street, when driving, anything where you’re in motion and there might be someone behind you,stopping abruptly is probably not the best thing to do.

4.)  

To me, this is probably the most important point. When entering a race, please do your best to accurately enter your time when signing up. There is no reason that less than a mile into the race, after starting in a lower corral, should I encounter roughly 10 to 15 people already walking. I understand that things happen, but accurately placing that time when signing up for your race makes for a much more enjoyable run for everyone. Needing to bob and weave to get through can mess up overall times.

With all of that being said, I wish everyone would get out there and do a few more races!  I hope I will see you out on the course for any of the local upcoming races or community runs!

Jared Fiedler is a J&A Racing ambassador for the 2019/2020 racing season and is very excited to be a part of the team! Jared is a chiropractor and acupuncturist originally from Selinsgrove, PA, but moved to the area in 2013. He graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Nutrition, and New York Chiropractic College with his doctorate in Chiropractic as well as a masters in Human Anatomy and Physiology. He received a Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner certification in 2018 which sets him apart from nearly every chiropractor in the area. He started running again in his mid 30’s as a dare from one of his patients, and good friends, to compete in a half marathon. Ever since then, he has had the racing bug. He always races the clock, works to improve with each race, but most importantly always runs with a smile and cheers on people running around him. He is attempting to run 3 1/2 marathons in under 2 hours this year, and plans to shoot for a full marathon next year!