Running has been a human activity for millions of years. Key events in the history of running include Pheidippides' famous run in 490 BC and the introduction of the marathon event in the 1896 Olympics. There are health benefits to running such as weight loss, improved cardiovascular health, and reduced disease risk. Proper running form includes an upright posture, arm movement, and adjusting stride based on distance. Common injuries can result from changes in volume or pace, or from repetitive stress without recovery.

2. Running….
• What is running?
• Running is to go steadily by springing
steps so that both feet leave the ground
for an instant in each step. That's the key:
both feet are in the air at once.
During walking, one foot is always on the
ground. Jogging is running slowly, and
sprinting is running fast. I'll discuss both
jogging and running in this article.

4. What's the history of running?
Human beings started walking and running some 4-6 million years ago when we evolved and
rose from all fours. Ten thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers like the Tarahumara Indians in
Mexico, ran 15-75 miles a day on the hunt. But it was Pheidippides (490 BC), an ancient "day-
runner," who put running on the map. Pheidippides is purported to have run 149 miles to carry
the news of the Persian landing at Marathon to Sparta in order to enlist help for the battle.
Scholars believe the story of Pheidippides may be a myth (if the Athenians wanted to send an
urgent message to Athens, there was no reason why they could not have sent a messenger on
horseback), yet the myth had legs (no pun intended) and was the genesis of the modern
marathon. It was the first running of the marathon (26 miles 385 yard) in the modern Olympic
Games of 1896 in Athens that commemorated Pheidippides' historic run. Throughout the latter
part of the 19th century, track and field, including running, took a prominent place in the field of
sport. By the late 1800s, children in school were competing in running races. In the 20th
century, it was the famous black sprinter Jesse Owens who, in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi
Germany, shattered Hitler's dream of proving the superiority of the Aryan race by winning gold
medals in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter relay. More American were
spectators of running than they were participants during the era of Jesse Owens, but that has
changed in the past 35 years. Runners like George Sheehan, Bill Rodgers, Jeff Galloway, Alberto
Salazar, and Grete Waitz (winner of nine NYC marathons from 1978-1988 and inspiration to all
women to get out there and run!) promoted running through their athletic success, and now
running is solidly a popular activity for exercise as well as for sport.

5. What are the health benefits of running?
The benefits of vigorous exercise are well described. The American College of Sports
Medicine Position Statement on Exercise is a document chock-full of studies proving
that vigorous exercise yields plenty of health benefits. One of the major points of the
position statement is that there is a dose response to exercise; that is, the more you
do, or the harder you do it, the more benefit you accrue. But this point is not to
discount moderate exercise. You get plenty of benefit from moderate exercise, it's just
that vigorous exercise seems to accrue even more benefit. The ACSM report makes it
clear that "many significant health benefits are achieved by going from a sedentary
state to a minimal level of physical activity; [but] programs involving higher intensities
and/or greater frequency/durations provide additional benefits. For example, it was
shown in one study that individuals who ran more than 50 miles per week had
significantly greater increases in HDL cholesterol (the good fat) and significantly
greater decreases in body fat, triglyceride levels, and the risk of coronary heart disease
than individuals who ran less than 10 miles per week. In addition, the long-distance
runners had a nearly 50% reduction in high blood pressure and more than a 50%
reduction in the use of medications to lower blood pressure and plasma cholesterol
levels."

6. Elements of good running technique
Upright posture and a slight forward lean
Leaning forward places a runner's center of mass on the front part of the foot, which avoids
landing on the heel and facilitates the use of the spring mechanism of the foot. It also makes it
easier for the runner to avoid landing the foot in front of the center of mass and the resultant
braking effect. While upright posture is essential, a runner should maintain a relaxed frame and
use his/her core to keep posture upright and stable. This helps prevent injury as long as the body
is neither rigid nor tense. The most common running mistakes are tilting the chin up and
scrunching shoulders.
Stride rate and types
Exercise physiologists have found that the stride rates are extremely consistent across
professional runners, between 185 and 200 steps per minute. The main difference between long-
and short-distance runners is the length of stride rather than the rate of stride.
During running, the speed at which the runner moves may be calculated by multiplying
the cadence (steps per second) by the stride length. Running is often measured in terms of
pace[ in minutes per mile or kilometer. Fast stride rates coincide with the rate one pumps one's
arms. The faster one's arms move up and down, parallel with the body, the faster the rate of
stride. Different types of stride are necessary for different types of running. When sprinting,
runners stay on their toes bringing their legs up, using shorter and faster strides. Long distance
runners tend to have more relaxed strides that vary.

7. Running injuries
Many injuries are associated with running because of its high-
impact nature. Change in running volume may lead to
development of patellofemoral pain syndrome, iliotibial band
syndrome, patellar tendinopathy, plica syndrome, and medial
tibial stress syndrome. Change in running pace may
cause Achilles Tendinitis, gastronomies injuries, and plantar
fasciitis. Repetitive stress on the same tissues without enough
time for recovery or running with improper form can lead to
many of the above. Runners generally attempt to minimize
these injuries by warming up before exercise,[21] focusing on
proper running form, performing strength training exercises,
eating a well balanced diet, allowing time for recovery, and
"icing" (applying ice to sore muscles or taking an ice bath).

8. Benefits of running
While there exists potential for injury while running (just as there is in
any sport), there are many benefits. Some of these benefits include
potential weight loss, improved cardiovascular and respiratory health
(reducing the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases), improved
cardiovascular fitness, reduced total blood cholesterol, strengthening of
bones (and potentially increased bone density), possible strengthening of
the immune system and an improved self-esteem and emotional
state. Running, like all forms of regular exercise, can effectively slow[ or
reverse. the effects of aging.
Running can assist people in losing weight, staying in shape and
improving body composition. Running increases your metabolism.
Different speeds and distances are appropriate for different individual
health and fitness levels. For new runners, it takes time to get into shape.
The key is consistency and a slow increase in speed and distance.

9. While running, it is best to pay attention to how one's body feels.
If a runner is gasping for breath or feels exhausted while running,
it may be beneficial to slow down or try a shorter distance for a
few weeks. If a runner feels that the pace or distance is no longer
challenging, then the runner may want to speed up or run farther.
Running can also have psychological benefits, as many
participants in the sport report feeling an elated, euphoric state,
often referred to as a "runner's high". Running is frequently
recommended as therapy for people with clinical depression and
people coping with addiction.A possible benefit may be the
enjoyment of nature and scenery, which also improves
psychological well-being (see Ecopsychology#Practical benefits).
In animal models, running has been shown to increase the number
of newly born neurons within the brain. This finding could have
significant implications in aging as well as learning and memory.

10. Running events
Running is both a competition and a type of training for sports that have
running or endurance components. As a sport, it is split into events divided by
distance and sometimes includes permutations such as the obstacles
in steeplechase and hurdles. Running races are contests to determine which of
the competitors is able to run a certain distance in the shortest time. Today,
competitive running events make up the core of the sport of athletics. Events
are usually grouped into several classes, each requiring substantially different
athletic strengths and involving different tactics, training methods, and types of
competitors.
Running competitions have probably existed for most of humanity's history and
were a key part of the ancient Olympic Games as well as the modern Olympics.
The activity of running went through a period of widespread popularity in the
United States during the running boom of the 1970s. Over the next two
decades, as many as 25 million Americans were doing some form of running or
jogging – accounting for roughly one tenth of the population.[62] Today, road
racing is a popular sport among non-professional athletes, who included over
7.7 million people in America alone in 2002.

11. Limits of speed
Footspeed, or sprint speed, is the maximum speed at
which a human can run. It is affected by many factors,
varies greatly throughout the population, and is
important in athletics and many sports.
The fastest human foot speed on record is 44.7 km/h
(12.4 m/s, 27.8 mph), seen during a 100-meter sprint
(average speed between the 60th and the 80th meter)
by Usain Bolt.

12. Distance meters Men m/s Women m/s
100 10.44 9.53
200 10.42 9.37
400 9.26 8.44
800 7.92 7.06
1,000 7.58 6.71
1,500 7.28 6.51
1,609 mile 7.22 6.36
2,000 7.02 6.15
3,000 6.81 6.17
5,000 6.60 5.87
10,000 track 6.34 5.64
10,000 road 6.23 5.49
Running speed over increasing distance
based on world record times

13. 15,000 road 6.02 5.38
20,000 track 5.91 5.09
20,000 road 6.02 5.30
21,097 Half marathon 6.02 5.29
21,285 One hour run 5.91 5.14
25,000 track 5.63 4.78
25,000 road 5.80 5.22
30,000 track 5.60 4.72
30,000 road 5.69 5.06
42,195 Marathon 5.69 5.19
90,000 Comrades 4.68 4.23
100,000 4.46 4.24
303,506 24-hour run 3.513 2.82

14. Events by type
Track running
A man running with a baton during a relay race.
Track running events are individual or relay events with athletes racing over
specified distances on an oval running track. The events are categorized
as sprints, middle and long-distance, and hurdling.
Road running
Road running takes place on a measured course over an established road (as opposed
to track and cross country running). These events normally range from distances of 5
kilometers to longer distances such as half marathons and marathons, and they may
involve large numbers of runners or wheelchair entrants.
Cross country running
Cross country running takes place over open or rough terrain. The courses used at
these events may include grass, mud, woodlands, hills, flat ground and water. It is a
popular participatory sport, and is one of the events which, along with track and
field, road running, and race walking, makes up the umbrella sport of athletics.

15. Events by distance
Sprints
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and
field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running
competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic
Games featured only one event – the stadion race, which was a
race from one end of the stadium to the other.[65] There are
three sprinting events which are currently held at the Olympics
and outdoor World Championships: the 100 metres, 200
metres, and 400 metres. These events have their roots in races
ofimperial measurements which were later altered to metric:
the 100 m evolved from the 100 yard dash, the 200 m
distances came from the furlong (or 1/8 of a mile), and the
400 m was the successor to the 440 yard dash or quarter-mile
race.

16. Middle distance
Middle distance running events are track races longer than
sprints up to 3000 meters. The standard middle distances are
the 800 meters, 1500 meters and mile run, although the 3000
meters may also be classified as a middle distance event. The
880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the 800 m
distance and it has its roots in competitions in the United
Kingdom in the 1830s.The 1500 m came about as a result of
running three laps of a 500 m track, which was commonplace
in continental Europe in the 1900s.
Long distance
Examples of longer-distance running events are long distance
track races, marathons, ultra marathons, and multiday races.