Extreme Distance Running Too Much Of A Good Thing

In the 1970's, thousands of people took to the road with a new trend of exercise----running. It was fairly easy; just put one foot in front of the other as fast as you can and go as far as you can. Feel the burn in your chest? The sweat trickling down your face? The throb in your knees as your foot pounds into the ground with every step? Well then, you're exercising! You’re running! Since then, running has become a dominant factor in sports and fitness; a factor so prevalent that the number of musculoskeletal injuries due to running has also increased over the last quarter century. These chronic injuries are usually due to overuse, improper training techniques, or a combination of the two.

Michael Fredericson, M., *, Tammara Moore, PT, Muscular Balance, Core Stability, and Injury Prevention for Middle- and Long-Distance Runners. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am 2005, 16, 669–689.

Athletes are always trying to improve their performance and skill in sports. This can harm themselves by overtraining, adopting eating habits that damage them physically or psychologically, and using steroids or illegal supplements banned by the NCAA. Sports injuries are often the result of overuse or trauma to a part of the body. Several risks like injuries include heat illness and dehydration, concussions, and trauma-related deaths. These illnesses include heat syncope, muscle cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and exertional hyponatremia. These illness can end one's career in a blink of an

"Runners are the 'healthiest sick people in the world'", according to ultrarunner Jeff Robbins. In an email that I received from him he added, “One of the problems with the ultras is that you are always stressing things to the limits. Therefore problems tend to crop up. Half the fun in this sport is learning to deal with adversity no matter how it comes." Injury is a runner's most dreaded and aggravating obstacle. Sometimes no matter how much the mind wills it, the body cannot go on without causing itself permanent damage. Pushing beyond these limitations will eventually cause the body to rebel and self-destruct. There are preventative measures that can be taken to stop these

The running phenomenon has blended into society in many different aspects of our lives. This does not only include track and field, but also cross country, road-racing, and jogging for health and leisure. Many Americans make running an essential part of their day. Running is not only good for your heart and lungs, but it is very beneficial for relieving stress, keeping your metabolism high, and keeping you trim and muscular. Another expanding characteristic of running is using it as a social experience. It is a part of people’s routine to meet with friends and to catch up with one another.

Running is much more than it seems. People view it as a way to get in shape, lose weight or even just a hobby. It is much more than that, running is a dumbed down version of a psychologist. Two miles in, a lifetime to go, came directly from what someone's mind wants them to believe during a run, it wants them to quit, cut it short. Why would someone keep going if the only reward they could maybe receive is a shiny piece of metal or to lose a few pounds? Why would someone go to practice and push themselves to the point of exhaustion, get up, and do it again everyday? For most, this would be absurd, but a select few realize the undercover benefits that come with this kind of self induced trauma.

Mr. Smith states that “athletes undertake serious health risks by simply walking onto the field or straddling a bike” which is true and athletes know the

Participation in high intensity sporting activities is widely considered to be a contributor to positive cardiac health. However, for a portion of the athletic population, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) poses a serious risk (Chatard, Mujika, Goiriena, & Carre, 2016). Although considered rare with estimates of one death every three days in the United States (Pigozzi, Rizzo, & Maffulli, 2009), the impact of the often-fatal event resonates through society due to the young age of the athlete and the immediacy of the decline of the perceived healthy person (Chatard et al., 2016).

including running on a treadmill to exhaustion were performed on fifteen participants to record their maximal heart rate and oxygen consumption. Participants ages ranged from 8 to 28 years, and body fat percentages from 14.9% to 33%. After the first tests were completed and the participants allowed their rates to reach normal levels then endured simulated 30 minute motocross races to measure biochemical and functional alterations caused by the racing heat. The results of that test displayed that every one of the participants spent at least 87% of the

In every sport, an athlete’s health plays a vital role in the manner in which he or she participates in it. Over time the body can take a toll, which can lead to sudden symptoms or even some that are not noticed until much later in life. The manner in which an athlete responds to this can vary in many circumstances. This paper goes through the various injuries an athlete can come across and the effects each one can have. Symptoms can be physical and even psychological which can lead to the question: Is it worth the hit?

Piper, Steven, and Brynne Stainsby. "Addressing the risk factors and prevention of sudden cardiac death in young athletes: a case report." Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 57.4 (2013): 350+. Academic OneFile. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

This article is about the fast growing technique of endurance running, which has evolved over the years significantly. Although it may seem like a bit trendy and popular, this particular type of running has its pros and cons. Due to the fact that endurance running includes a various amount of repetitive ground impact forces, it is not unlikely for one to develop a stress injury to the lower leg. In order to decrease the risk that comes along with endurance running, preventative measures should be enforced. When running some of the most common injuries that one may be at risk for are patellofemoral pain syndrome, tibial stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, and Achilles tendonitis. But in this article, a new study suggests that Barefoot running contains the potential to promote the healing process, increase performance, and decrease injury rates. Still to this day disagreement exists as to whether barefoot/minimalist running stimulates healing, increases performance and decreases injury rates.

strength training on run... : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Retrieved November 26, 2014, from http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2002/08000/Effects_of_concurrent_endurance_and_strength.18.aspx

Spectators at sporting events come to watch athletes compete at their best during a game or meet. However, there is more to sports than just “playing the game”, “running the course”, “performing”, or whatever the case may be. Athletes understand how important sport specific workouts are; cross country is one sport that focuses on this. Most people think that “all you do is run”, although running is indeed the task, it takes a combinations of different workouts to build up an athlete’s body in order to be race ready. It is beneficial for cross country runners to do workouts that focus on speed, strength, and endurance.

What goes up must come down. That's why running is a high-impact activity. Each time they land, runners subject their bodies to a stress equal to about three times their body weight. In just one mile, a typical runner's legs will have to absorb more than 100 tons of impact force. It's a testament to the human body that running can be safe and enjoyable.