Jogging routes provide scenery and a place to get fit

With copious amounts of work like exams, long and grueling speeches, and papers galore, students are bound to crack at some point.

To keep from reaching a breaking point and save yourself from a series of tears, Mount Pleasant has many trails and paths to run and relieve stress.

Bodies hold day-to-day stress and releasing what has built up throughout the semester is crucial to overall health. Working out at the Student Activity Center or going for a quick trail run are activities that are highly beneficial.

Running not only relieves stress, but also alleviate depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people often experience their first signs of depression during their first year away at college. Some may confuse these symptoms with the average student stress.

Deerfield Nature Park, located just off campus on Remus Road, has eight miles of running and bicycle trails that students can indulge themselves in year round from 8 a.m. to dusk.

Since the trails are right off campus, it provides easy access for students who are interested in going on a trail run or even a nature walk between classes or when taking a break from studying.

The American College Health Association National College Health Assessment found, based on a nationwide survey, that 30 percent of college students felt so stressed and depressed that it made it hard for them to function through their daily routines.

Statistics show that depression and stress in college students is highly common and is on the rise. It is up to students to find time during their day to step away from the work and allow the body to relax.

“I got involved in running through my RA who is president of CMU Club Running,” freshman Mary London said. “We run a three-mile course and I suggest it to anyone who needs a break from school work to clear their head.”

The trails of Deerfield Nature Park provide not only eight miles of running or biking for students, but also provide beautiful scenery of tall trees and forest around every bend.

Some students may not be able to run eight miles of trails, so the Deerfield Nature Park has divided the eight miles into 11 different paths that connect to one another and all have mile markers located on the trail.

The shortest trail, Two Oaks Crossover, which is 0.17 miles, is a trail that new runners enjoy because of the short distance and scenery. For long distance runners, Wildwood Pathway is 2.54 miles of winding trail that wraps around the park.

While the trees and forestry may be scenery that most people love to run around, there are also different paths that travel around a small lake. The Lewis Pontiac Trail is a short distance run of 0.21 miles, but allows the runner to pause and look over the lake.