Turf Over Land In the world of high school running, there are two types of runners: cross country runners and track runners. I am both, as I have been in cross country since seventh grade and track since first grade. I know how it feels to train and compete in both, and I have come to a conclusion that track & field is way better than cross country. In cross country, the season is much longer than track. To non-runners, the season is about 3 months long. However, in the eye of a runner, summer training makes it even longer by at least 2 months! Summer practices are usually Monday through Saturday for about 5 hours. I don’t think people want to wake up at 7:30 in the morning to go on a long run and do weight training after. The track season is much shorter with shorter practices. For distance runners, the pace is much faster than in cross country, but the distance is shorter. For Sprinters and Hurdlers, like me, workouts are much shorter and only Monday through Friday. As far as the length of meets, track meets are longer than cross country meets, track meets have many more events than cross country meets. In my opinion, placing in track is easier than placing in cross country, because in track meets there are only 9 runners per heat, and usually there are 2 to 4 heats. On the other hand, cross country has from 200 to as much as 700 people racing at the same time! Imagine that, running with 700 people, cluttered and being shoved and pushed while running. Not the best feeling in the world. Sometimes you get “spiked”, other runners tend to kick you or step on you with their spikes. Usually runners use plastic spikes, but there are some runners that use metal spikes, and at times they use it in a way to help them cheat, by “spiking” ... ... middle of paper ... ...t used to running long distances. It’ll take even longer for a person to get used to racing long distances. Running/jogging long distances and actually racing long distances are two totally different things. Cross country also requires more energy than track. In track you get recovery time in between your races, but in cross country you run the 3.1 miles altogether with no breaks. In conclusion, cross country is way more inferior to track & field. There are many reasons why, that is if you have the same opinion as mine. Truly if I wouldn’t think that cross country is pre-season training for track, I would probably care less about it or be less committed to it. Works Cited Lovetorun17. “Track vs. Cross Country (yes, there is a BIG difference!).” October 24, 2012. http://runfreeforever.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/track-vs-cross-country-yes-there-is-a-big-difference/
First, a trip to the track takes longer than a street race, since the closest track in the southwest suburbs of Chicago is an hour away. Going to the track is a hassle versus the get set, ready, go drag race down the street. Simply, street racing is nearby and does not disturb anyone as the contest usually takes place in the dead of the night or in the wee hours of the morning. Secondly, legal racing at a circuit track costs hundreds of dollars. Drag strips are shorter, most commonly a quarter of a mile, than the longer circuit tracks, but the entrance fee is about twenty dollars, which adds up over repeated visits. On the other hand, street racing is free and in 20 seconds, a winner emerges from the duo. Lastly, racing at a track puts enormous stress on a car. By driving fast for extended periods on a track, consider the brakes and tires shot since both will need replacement from tracking over 200 miles per hour. In addition, launching a car from a dead stop at a track versus from a rolling start, as in street racing, is more difficult and can easily ruin the car. Although street racing is not as organized as track racing, impromptu racing has the advantages of availability, affordability, and economic
A sprinter runs for the finish line, a basketball player dashes toward the hoop, a baseball player sprints for home plate, and a soccer player dashes toward the goal. All of these sports have one thing in common: the players are all running towards a goal. Everyone is running at one point or another in his or her lifetime. Whether someone is running toward a specific dream or away from a horrific nightmare, running is a part of life. Profuse amounts effort must be put in the run to get to the finish line.
The training in these sports is an enormous difference. In cross country a runner trains by going miles upon miles each day to build their stamina, as a sprinter this is far from my favorite part. This is a sport where an athlete has to have the will to stay true to a course instead of cutting and cheating themselves the training they will soon need. Cross country is a mentally tough sport, an athlete has to have the mindset that they will be able to go that distance. While in track the athletes also train to build their stamina, it is a different aspect they need it for. This is a sport with no shortcuts, but knowing I pushed myself as hard as possible in those short, intense workouts. Both of these sports consist of lengthy stretching to stay as healthy as possible for the real purpose.
Cross country is not a hard sport, contrary to popular belief. People often think that you have to be born with the stamina needed for running four or five miles at a time. There are so many different things people think is necessary, like running sprints, heavy miles or lifting weights and building strength, but in reality these things are minor. Although being physically fit is idealistic, it is not the most important thing needed to be successful because having a well-balanced, nutritious diet, pacing yourself and setting a strategy, and having the right positive attitude can put you in the shape to be a successful cross country runner.
Track and field during the victorian era was very similar to present day with many of the same events.Track and field's line of events is from ancient athletic festivals in Greece and the British Isles. Both the original Olympics in ancient Greece and the Celtic Tailteann Games date back to around the ninth century BCE. These games played host to the best athletes throughout the world, who competed in running, jumping, and throwing events in addition to wrestling, archery, and the greeks had swimming.. Professional track and field had no regulation, with many athletes making a living by their skill and talent. There are multiple stories of sprinters who would travel from town to town in disguise, pretending that they had no talent in racing and then persuaded many local people to compete with them and sometimes spectators would place bets against them. Often the races would be handicapped events, meaning the locals were given a rough 5–10 yards' head start in a 100-yard dash. During this way the athletes were able to make a substantial living. Long distance races were also very common, often the races were promoted heavily for extra money. Though cheating happened frequently, the professional sport still had...
There are even steps for cross country runners who aren’t as good as everyone else. The most important step in my opinion is to master walking without anyone seeing you. By doing this it lets people think that you hadn’t walked at all so they will think that you have more endurance than you actually do. Next when you do walk, fast walk. That way your pace isn’t as slow, therefore; it makes it even less noticeable that you walked. Lastly don’t compare yourself to anyone else in the race. You are doing what you can do they just may have been running for a lot longer than you. Set a goal of how fast you want to run and really work towards it. A good thing
With all these misconceptions and stereotypes towards the track athletes it can be hurtful at times for them because they’re being told blind assumptions which can lead to anger. Though some of the track athletes fit the different stereotypes, they shouldn’t be given these labels for doing what they love because they work and train hard everyday all for the passion of the sport track and field.
running, and do the same to cool down."A warm up prepares your body for exercise by gradually incrementing blood flow and raising core muscle temperature," verbalizes Jerry Napp, Tampa Bay running coach. "The cooldown may be even more consequential. Ceasing suddenly can cause leg cramps, nausea, dizziness, or fainting."The Exception: It takes less than 10 minutes to rev up on warm days.5. The 2-Day Rule If something hurts for two straight days while running,take two days off.Two straight days of pain may signal the commencement of an injury. "Even taking five days of consummate rest from running will have less hit/effect on your fitness level," verbalizes Troy Smurawa, M.D., team medico for USA Triathlon.The Exception: If something hurts for a fortnight,even if you've taken your reposal days, visually perceive a medico.6.
Track and cross country are both running sports with many similarities. Both sports are team sports, but can be an individual sport too. There can be harsh weather conditions during these sports seasons. Track and cross country both use spikes (a type of shoe) which help them grip to the ground while running. Practices and workouts are pretty similar. The competitions in track and cross country are called meets and are a lot of fun. Some people wouldn’t expect track and cross country to have a lot of similarities.
If asked, most people could tell you that the Iditarod is a dog race in Alaska, and maybe some could even tell you that it started with a dog team carrying a polio vaccine to Nome in a blizzard, but most couldn't tell you what the Fur Rendezvous or the Open North American are. That’s because it’s a completely different category of racing that no one really knows about. Sprint racing is shorter, faster, and in my biased opinion more exciting. My opinion is biased because I run sprint races. My parents have run, and won the Open North American, and “Fur Rondy”. Sprint races vary in length and size of the teams. From small four dog teams of sixty pound dogs built like Usain Bolt who sprint for four to five miles, to thirty mile races with teams of sixteen to twenty four dogs that are built with lanky muscle and heads that won’t
My sophomore year had begun and I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to do track this year. Last year I played football in the fall and soccer in the spring. Not really enjoying it, the decision was made to play " real futbol" (soccer) in the fall, leaving the spring sports season open. My friend kept telling me how fun track was, so I decided to give it a try.
Jesse Owens once said, “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, and self discipline, and effort.” Running track was always a dream of mine. Since I was a little girl, I always loved to run around the house, backyard, shopping store, everywhere. I had a lot of energy in me when I was little and my mom would call me a “busy body.” I struggled finding something I was good at that I actually enjoyed. My coach motivated me to run hurdles because she said I was tall and lanky. I had the body of an hurdler. Also it was something positive and kept me active while doing something I loved.I was determined to make this dream come true. Not only run track in grade school, but to be the best at my events and become the best and have numerous gold medals from the Olympics.
Running was never easy for me. As a young geeky boy, my skin barely saw the sun. My pale thin physique showed that I rarely exercised or even ate. Nonetheless my interest for sports was beyond extensive. My love for football had commenced when I watched Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns bring home the national championship, and from then on my athleticism blossomed… well sort of. It all began with playing on my high school freshmen football team. After seeing limited playing time primary only on special teams, I exploited it as motivation in the summer. Vowing to always try my hardest and to never give up, no matter how hard the circumstances were. Accordingly, it turned out rewarding when all that extra work and perseverance bestowed me with the starting job in only my 2nd year.
Everybody has at least sprinted a short distance on a track or have run at least a lap on a track for a period of time. Many people that have play sports have experienced sprinting or long distance running. Some sports like basketball, baseball, football and sprinting event in track require short burst of speed. While sports like cross country or some events for track and field require endurance for these events. In the Olympics for example there are many differences between sprinters and long distance runners. These differences include physical differences, motion, and different workout plans between sprinters and long distance runners.