Emily Scott
Professor Kerr
EN 101-23
7 September 2011
Running the Races
Every year, about 35,904,000 Americans run at least 100 days out of the year (Cooper). This is an overwhelming amount of people considering that competitive running is not an inexpensive sport. In fact, the cost of registration for races has increased despite the bad economic times (Barber). There are many different reasons people run. Some people run to lose weight and improve their health, others to support a cause, or be part of a team, and some run to win the race and get that runner’s high. Whatever the motivation is, a runner’s goal is to be fast. Competitive running is a physically challenging race in which runners compete against eachother to see who is the fastest. Competitive running is usually separated into three main races: track races for short-distance runners, cross country races for mid-distance runners, and marathons for distance runners.
Track races are the shortest of the three races. However, there is a greater variety of races and a greater number of races involved in track races. Races on the track can further be separated into three categories: distance, mid-distance, sprinting, and hurtling. Track races range from 50 meters to two miles. The outdoor track is usually 400m but sometimes it is 440yds, which is not a big difference. The indoor track is 5 to 12 laps per mile instead of the outdoor tracks' 4 laps per mile (Jordan). When racing any distance, shoes are a very important part of running. There are many stores that are completely devoted to running shoes. More than 3,350 runners nationwide voted for their favorite independent running store through the Runners World website in 2008 (“Runners”). Sprinters usually wear spikes because they are lightweight and don’t slip on the track. Distance runners can also wear spikes but many distance runners just wear their normal sneakers. Before the cross country season starts, most coaches have runners preparing with lots of strength training (Pucher). During the season, runners work on skills and maintaining strength (Pucher). When you think of a sprinter, you should think of a short, muscular, young person. The average sprinter is shorter than most of the American population (Uth). They also have a lower body mass index than normal populations (Uth). Track & Field/Cross Country has the most participation out of all school sports in junior high and high school in the USA (“Youth Athletes”). Typically, the track athlete is one who has the ability to run very fast for a short distance.
Cross Country races are around 3miles long on a trail or in the woods. Cross country runners typically wear spikes because racers are running on muddy trails. However, these spikes are not the same as track spikes because they are longer and help the runner grab onto the ground more. Coaches tell their athletes how to prepare for the races. Most coaches have pre-season endurance workouts and hill training during the season (“Cross”). As stated before, Cross Country is a very popular sport for junior high and high school students to take part in (“Youth Athletes”). The typical cross country athlete is one who can approach the speed of a track athlete, but can sustain it over a three-mile course.
The average time it takes to complete a marathon in the U.S. is around 4hrs and 35 minutes. A marathon is a 26mile long race but there are usually rest points along the street where runners can grab food and water. Some runners also have support groups that follow and comfort the runner with supplies and motivation. Nearly 80 percent of marathon runners in England ran for charities in 2010 (Robbins). There is no perfect shoe for marathons. Some people wear sneakers or five fingers, while others go barefoot. Spikes are usually not worn because they have no positive effect on a gravel or concrete street. Marathoners use online sources, their experience and their friends’ experiences to guide their training. Some training involves lots of miles all the time with a bit of weight training and sprint workouts (Lentz), while others train by doing speed work in the preseason (Higdon). The average age of male winners running a marathon is 27.5, and the average age for women winners is 28.2 (Clever). A typical marathon competitor can maintain ones’ strength over a long period of time.
Competitive running is a popular sport because of the sense of achievement that every runner gets when passing the finish line. Running is good for your body and mind. These motivations for running are carried throughout the distance, mid-distance, and short-distance races. Competitive running takes lots of training and time but in the end you know that you have done well, whether or not you won the race.
Works Cited
Barber, Chris. “Running is Recession Proof.” Serious Running. September 14, 2011. http://www.seriousrunning.com/blog/events/nyc-marathon-races-entry-fees-running-is- recession-proof/
Clever, Skip. “The 110th Boston Marathon.” September 12, 2011. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/1/1_31/3440.shtml
Cooper, Chris. "An Increase in the Number of U.S. Runners." Writing on the Run. September 6, 2011.
“Cross Country.” Brian Mac. September 14, 2011. http://www.brianmac.co.uk/xcountry.htm
Dikos, Jackie. "Fueling the Runner." Running Times Magazine. September 6, 2011. http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=14385
Higdon, Hal. “Summer Training Program: Cross Country.” September 12, 2011. http://www.halhigdon.com/crosscountry/cross.htm
Holmes, Jago. "Average Marathon Time." Marathon Training Expert. September 6, 2011 http://www.marathontrainingexpert.com/marathon-time.html
Jordan, Tom. "Track and Field." Scholastic. September 6, 2011 http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=5069article.jsp?id=5069article.jsp?id= 5069
Lentz, Doug. "Strength Training for Runners." American Running and Fitness Association. September 6, 2011 . http://www.fitnesssports.com/Strengthtraing.html
Pucher, Frank. “Pre-Season Track and Field Conditioning.” Everything Track and Field. September, 14, 2011. http://www.everythingtrackandfield.com/catalog/matriar ch/OnePiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_441_A_PageName_E_Preseasonconditioning
Robbins, Liz. “Charities Gain Traction in Marathons.” The New York Times. September 14, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/sports/22marathon.html
“Runners Choice Awards.” Runners World. September 14, 2011. http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240---12491-1-1X2X3X4-5,00.html
Uth, Niels. “Anthropometric Comparison of World Class Sprinters and Normal Populations.” Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. September 12, 2011.
http://www.jssm.org/vol4/n4/28/v4n4-28pdf.pdf
http://www.jssm.org/vol4/n4/28/v4n4-28pdf.pdf
“Youth Athletes.” US Track and Field Association. September 12, 2011. http://www.usatffoundation.org/
1.Is there a clear thesis that has a three-part plan of development?
ReplyDeleteYes there is a clear thesis statement
2.Do the paragraph topic sentences refer back to the thesis?
Yes, topic sentences are clearly stated.
3.What is the writer trying to tell you? Is the focus and purpose of the essay telling what something is? Defining it?
The writer is telling general information of each type of writing.
4.Is there anything or any part that you don’t understand?
No, everything is pretty easy to understand.
5.Does any point need to be more fully explained or developed?
Maybe more comparison between the races. Like the objectives of each race.
6.Does this paper explain everything you need to know, or has the writer left something out.
There are probably more things that can be said. The writer has summarized each race method.