Ultra Running Research Paper

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.

Both track and cross country display running in many different, but similar ways.  Both are great sports at keeping people active and happy. According to active.com, running can raise your levels of good cholesterol while also helping you increase lung function and use. In addition, running can boost your immune system and lower your risk of developing blood clots. Being active in track and cross country can also help with losing weight, because it's one of the best ways to burn calories.

In sixth grade I quit the school band in the middle of my third year to join Running Club. The goal of Running Club was to run a 5k after weeks of practice and I accepted the challenge. Throughout the duration of training, I would find the long runs consistently demanding and a test to my motivation to persevere in the club. One of the coaches, Miss. Ames, was my teacher from the previous year and she ran with me during practice. She constantly encouraged me to push myself a little more every run and to keep practicing. I was frustrated with my performance, but Miss. Ames continued to encourage me. Nevertheless, preparing for that 5k was an eye-opening and an overall amazing experience.

Running a marathon at only 17 years old taught me that the strongest supplements a person needs are determination and motivation. The largest development of mindset and the confirmation of my future career came from when I chose to vicariously run 26.2 miles for the person who inspires me the most; my mother. When I was younger, my mother ran the Chicago Marathon twice. After her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2013, she still continued to attempt to run and walk despite her immense pain. She eventually was unable to run, until I worked with her to build strength for jogging. She then started walking and jogging as much as possible. Inspired by her, I decided to run the Towpath Full Marathon in October of 2015, after six months of training.

I had heard about the running club about being advertised through via email. I wanted to see what it was always about because I’ve been wanting to get back in shape. So, I decided to go to the meeting to try it out to see if this would be something that I want to do. The meeting was supposedly held outside of Rinker in the pit. I was actually very excited to go that day because of the anticipation piling up as the time got closer.

Walking up to the starting line always gives me butterflies in my stomach. Looking over in the other lanes, seeing family and teammates alongside the track, waiting for the official to shoot the starting gun all adds to the feeling. Running track fills me with multiple feelings and pushes my physical limits.

“Every serious marathoner should do Boston, to experience the close to a million spectators, the three generations of families out cheering, the little kids handing you water or orange slices. The whole city really appreciates the runners.” -Neil Weygandt. The Boston Marathon. A marathon that is an American tradition and has been ran for the last 119 years. It is one of the major parts of the Boston and American year. It is a part of which makes America great. The strength it takes to finish the marathon is exemplary of the American strength. We are a strong country and it’s going to take a lot to break us. These are all of the major reasons running the Boston Marathon is on my bucket list.

If I am not in shape, I am not going to do so well. So while it is cross country season I watch what I eat. That is why we run over the summer so I can get better at running. When I run in the summer I run some days slower than others like 1.5 miles faster, and 2-2.5 miles slower. I do that because if I run too fast like spriting i will lose all my energy, my side will start to hurt, I might feel like I am going to fall over. But as long as I am running i will stay in shape. The real purpose of running is not to win a race, the real purpose is to test the limit of the human

Long distance runners are already a special kind of crazy. Why would people want to go out for a 50 kilometer run on a Saturday morning? Why would someone ever even think about running 100 miles over two days? I couldn’t tell you… All I can say is that people do, and these runners are often statistics junkies.

Accordingly, not only is this sport physical, but it is mental. Mentality plays a big part in running, it is all about a mindset. If the consciousness is convinced a personal record is not going to happen. Then it is automatically going to drag an athlete’s time down. The runner’s mindset has to be positive; because honestly everybody has to be their own cheerleader when running. There might be a couple teammates, but it is all up to the mental strength in someone’s body to push through. One reason why people might think runners are insane is because we have a thirst for unrecognized or under appreciated accomplishments. It is really up to your mentality “ [because] only the brain can speed up the muscles. ” (Fitzgerald 1). As anonymous once said “everybody has their family or friends to cheer them on and reward them with compliments on their skills in a different sport, but runners do not have praise which everyone else,” Bottom line, constant injuries make it difficult for a runner. They have to recover and run to compete. Also, the never ending distance makes running ruthless. Furthermore, mentality is the biggest and hardest thing to have in this sport. Cross country is not just a sport; it is a

Marathon running has been associated with a number of physiological lapses that occurs when the body and the organs can no longer sustain itself. Specifically ultra-marathon running especially in the heat. Exercise in the heat is a physiologically challenging for the function of the cardiovascular (González-Alonso & Calbet 2003), thermoregulatory system (Johnson 2010; González-Alonso et al. 2008; González-Alonso 2012). Thus exposure to prolonged exercise in the heat that increases the body temperature increases the risk of heat illnesses (Armstrong et al. 2007) such as acute heat exhaustion/syncope which range from acute to chronical which can eventually lead to death such as heat stroke. Heat also impairs the capacity of performance, subsequently,

One type of workout runners complete consists of several short intervals that include 100, 200, 300, and 400 meter intervals. “The purpose of short interval workouts is to increase raw speed, stride power and running economy. They are beneficial even for marathon runners, whose race pace is substantially slower than the speeds that can be sustained over such short distances” (Fitzgerald 1). In order for athletes to win races, they must have a swift sprint at the end of a race, and practicing short intervals improves an athletes fast twitch muscles. Middle-distance intervals are another type of workout that every running athlete should complete and has different benefits than short-interval workouts. The main benefits are the, “the resulting increase in aerobic capacity, lactate recycling capacity and fatigue resistance will enable [athletes] to sustain faster speeds for longer periods of time” (Fitzgerald 2). When all the athletes on the Calabasas High cross-country team complete middle-distance intervals, they gain endurance and it shows on future races. Without these workouts, the runners tire out quicker and do not improve five kilometer times. For athletes who run extremely long races such as 10Ks or half-marathons, prolonged intervals are pivotal for achievement. Long intervals benefit athletes because, “this pace is close to lactate threshold pace for many runners

Doing anything new to your body runs (get it?) the risk of energy. But do not let that discourage you, even if you never complete a marathon, training for it has enormous benefits for your health and if done right, can be a great way to achieve a healthy life style. Of course though, you want to stay healthy.

Do you love running in marathons? Of course, you do! You love the feel of the wind as you run and there’s the uplifting cheering of the crowd. It feels like there’s nothing stopping you. But you only thought so.

One of the major advantages of long distance running is that it improves the overall quality of your sleep. It also positively affects your sleeping patterns. Regular long distance runners sleep faster and deeper for longer intervals of time without waking up. It is also known that individuals who run long distances are less likely to develop insomnia or other sleep related