When I began my running activities for Outdoor Education, I thought that all I had to do was just take off running as hard and fast as I could for as long as I could. I also wondered that other than safety rules, because everyone should always be safe no matter what they do, why any "rules" or "tips" were needed for running. The reason I thought this way is because humans and animals run naturally. I learned quickly that just because something may come natural may not always be easy or safe unless rules, tips, and techniques are followed. For the first month of my running, I tended to lean forward and not breathe much. I decided to watch some videos about running online and I noticed that most people were standing straight up instead of leaning
forward. I never realized how out of breath I felt or how much I "held" my breath until I started actually paying attention to my own techniques while running. Breathing is an automatic, natural thing that many people do not think about. It is better to breathe deeply because when I paid more attention to my breathing, it helped me not get "short-winded" as often. Good breathing also helps relieve stress and is used in yoga/pilates exercises too. I am good about not swinging my arms much because I could hit myself hard or worse, I could hit someone who may be near me. I never want to hurt others or myself. I run on the levy, so when I run uphill, I carefully climb at a slower, more controlled pace. I never run downhill because not only is it dangerous, but I was injured when I was about 7 years old because I ran as fast as I could downhill and I slipped and badly hurt myself. During the first week, I was "pounding" the ground because I thought running hard and fast was the way to do it. It caused my feet and ankles to be sore as well as my legs. I still have to work on my hands. I still tend to clench them into fists, rather than touch my thumb to the top half of my index finger. I am good about lifting my legs high when I sprint and when I run distances, I keep my knees low. Keeping my hips forward has never been a problem. I noticed that my ankles work hard when I push off to run. I know that my calf muscles are working, because I can feel them working and they are more developed. I can see why it is better to look forward rather than down because I do not want to run into someone or something, especially if I am approaching traffic. I am still learning how to put these techniques into my running activity. Because of these tips and techniques, I feel that I am doing the activity in a safer manner. I am not as tired and my muscles do not hurt anymore. Running tips and techniques are safety-related and should be learned and followed by everyone.
I have always loved sports and the competitiveness that comes along with them. In so doing, I have decided to eventually become either a high school or college coach at some point in my life. Subsequently, I decided to interview the Vilonia High School Cross Country Coach, Coach Sisson. As I walked into her office, I instantly noticed all of the trophies and team photos from all of the past years of coaching. She is also the school nurse so her office has first aid equipment intermingled into the trophies and team pictures. While I set up my notes and questions for the interview on one of the desks in her office, she was finishing up a diagnosis of one of the high school students who felt sick. After her patient left, I quickly started the interview in order to waste no time. She began with how she got involved in coaching. The Vilonia School District expressed their interest to her as being the next cross country coach several years ago. She was widely known for her passion for running and she gratefully accepted the position and has been a coach for numerous years now.
I am now officially in my Senior year of Cross Country , and am close to the end of my season. My first race of this year though was a big accomplishment for me, because I hadn`t been able to run. When I ran that race though it made me just so happy I was able to finish it, I was`nt happy with the time, but there is always time for improvement. I was glad to be racing again and being apart of the team again. I believe that my injuries were a barrier in my way, but they did not stop my sports career.
Many people argue that cross country is one of the hardest, most physically challenging sports there is out there. A lot of people shudder at the idea of running two or more miles on hilly, steep, muddy and rocky trails. The funny thing about that is that is not even the worst part. In order to run two to four miles in races, one must prepare. “How do you prepare your body to run this long?” one might ask. That is where my argument comes in. Being a cross country runner of four years, I have seen, done and heard of a plethora of ways and strategies to become a successful cross country runner. Some are outlandish, ridiculous and just plain out stupid; but some are also rewarding, beneficial and worth the hard work. Personally, I feel like having a good strong balanced diet, learning how to pace yourself and maintain a positive, motivational attitude and the key ingredients in being a successful cross country runner.
Sports are not for everyone. I tried a variety of sports throughout my childhood but I was never really athlete material. I am as slow as a turtle and I have little to no hand-eye coordination, but I gave each sport a try. It was truly a shock when I decided to run cross-country since I had no speed whatsoever.
I signed up to run track in the spring and went to summer conditioning for cross country. That’s when my coaches, teammates, and myself noticed that my running has improved significantly from when I first started. I knew that I had to work hard my senior year to achieve my goals for running. Running is a mental sport. The workouts I had to do were brutally painful and I had stay positive throughout the run because I know the training I had to do will help me during a race.
Attempt to run, or runs with stiff posture, you may notice little to no bending at the knees while the child runs, this is normal
...t running as a legitimate activity for citizens to part take and enjoy as a part of an active healthy lifestyle.
Running is a very simple task, all it is is rapid leg movements, along with arm swinging, through long strides while on foot. To be considered an act of running, both feet must be held off the ground at regularly spaced brief intervals. Believe it or not, there is actually a lot of physics behind running. There is the speed of the runner, the length of each stride the runner takes, the energy you use and how to save it, and then you have the pendulum law.
A hike through Camden Hills State Park will allow one to see the aged and looming American Beech trees, scattered throughout the forest populated along with Eastern White Pines and Big Tooth Aspens. Many may not know of the bitter yet beneficial tea that can be made from the White Pine's needles, or that the dandelions at your feet can be picked and used in many different recipes. Once the trek to the peak is made, many people from a wide variety of locations may be found picnicking, socializing, or just relaxing and taking in the view, all of whom have a mutual respect for the outdoors.
First reason runners should not wear shoes is less collision. Runners who run without shoes usually land on the ball of their feet. Runners who strike on the fore- foot strikers. The research say that reports of reduced injuries in barefoot populations.
Recorded videos were used to analyze the movement patterns of the runners. The participants were an elite (male) and a novice runner (female). The elite runner used a standard track field while the novice used a treadmill in a standard gym. The result showed that the elite runner had a longer stride than the non-expert due to his long legs. The novice runner required less force to move her body than the elite runner. The expert had longer stride resulting in longer step length which made him move faster than the novice. As the feet of both participants touched the ground the expert had a higher ground reaction force than the non-expert. The elite had a higher cadence than the non-elite because his legs moved faster. During stance phase, they both have one foot on the ground and as their foot first hit the ground they both slow down. However, the novice was slower because the elite had a faster speed making him spend less time in the
The use of the six principles of training by a 100m sprinter would greatly improve the athlete’s performance. This is because the progressive overload, specificity, reversibility, variety, training thresholds and warm up/cool down principles all greatly affect the performance of any athlete. The principles of training can be employed in order to improve all aspects of fitness, from flexibility to strength and aerobic endurance.
-Second, hip rotation also helps the runner to have a more natural and smoother run and again reduces the energy required to move the runner’s center of mass.
such as racing for a ball, jumping for a catch. Aim to keep your body
We finish what we start. This was the motto that kept me going during the strenuous training period for a marathon. But prior to that, I must confess, I wasn’t an athlete. I was never interested in playing sports, except for recreational badminton. During gym class, I would walk three quarters of the time when it time for the dreaded mile run. I preferred staying indoors and sitting on the couch and watch movies. The first time I had heard about a marathon training program, called Dreamfar, in my school, I thought to myself, what kind of crazy person would want to run a marathon? Never did I realize, eight months later, I would be that crazy person.