Archive for October, 2010

Running the Long Distance of a Marathon or Half Marathon

We all have run the pseudo marathon held at our schools on the annual sports meet. It is real fun running around the school field with your friends, laughing and joking, and those few kilometers do not even tire you. But then have we ever thought what exactly a marathon is?

The definition of marathon states that it is a long distance running event with the set official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles and 385 yards). This race is run as a road race, which means it is run on a set course of road rather than tracks or fields.

The history of marathon is very interesting. The name and the event, as the legend states, are in commemoration of the fabled Greek messenger, Pheidippides, who ran all the way from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated. Though there are still doubts over the authenticity of this running event, the name has stuck.

When the modern Olympics were reinstated in the 19th century, the organizers were looking for an event which would compliment the ancient glory of Greece and also become popular. The marathon was the ace they were looking and the first ever modern Olympics in 1896 featured it for the first time. Since then, the marathon has become one of the major event at the Olympics.

An offshoot of this running event is the half marathon. The distance of half marathon is 21.97 kilometers, half of the distance of a marathon. Recent studies have shown that participation in half marathon has been increasing steadily. It is one of the fastest growing sporting events in the US. The major reason for this is that a half marathon provides a challenging long distance to run, yet it is not as demanding in terms of physical fitness and training requirements. Also most people tend to run a half marathon before running the full one to mentally and physically prepare their bodies.

For people desirous of running a marathon, it is advisable to start by running a half marathon. Training correctly for this is very important. You should build his stamina and endurance slowly and gradually. A disciplined regime is required including a balanced allocation of time to both training and rest.

Ideally, the training should start at least three months before running the half marathon. Four days of long distance running and three days of total rest in a week is the ideal routine. Also, the intensity of training should decrease gradually in the last couple of weeks before the race so as to allow the body to recover from all the stress, because an overworked body will be more prone to injuries. And it’s just as important to consume a healthy diet and keep your body hydrated before, during and after the race.

One must respect the body and its limitations, so plan accordingly. Plan well so you can go ahead and run the long distance to finish that race!!!!

Running Health Benefits, Types of Running Competitions

Running is defined as the means of terrestrial movement on foot in an agitated manner. And for the early man, running was very beneficial for life, as hunting was done on foot and you had to run to save yourself from other hunters.

But that’s not the only way to define this aerobic exercise called running. Running is the feeling of lightness, the feeling of power bursting through the body and giving a feeling of euphoria, commonly known as the runner’s high.

In today’s world, running has become one of the most celebrated sports and brings with it a galore of running health benefits too. Although there is always a risk of a sports injury, the benefits of running outnumber the risks by a humongous margin.

Some of the major running health benefits are as follows:

  • assists weight loss
  • is a key component of fitness
  • improves your cardiovascular health
  • increases metabolism, body mass & endurance
  • reduces your risk of heart disease & other diseases
  • can slow down the effects of aging, sometimes even reverse it

Running also has a lot of psychological health benefits, such as feeling a sense of elation while running. Also, while out on a run you’ll be in the beauty of nature and scenery.

Running competition has been a part of all major sporting events all over the world. It is a contest to determine the fastest and at times, the strongest too. Running competitions have existed for most of man’s history and forms the core of athletics even today.

There are many types of running competition, depending on various factors. But they can be broadly classified on the basis of two parameters.

First parameter for running competition events is by type. Running races can be grouped into categories on the basis of these types:

  • track race ~ running takes place on circular track & runners cover a specified distance
  • road race ~ running takes place on an established course of road & distance is predetermined, which are usually longer in distance
  • cross country race ~ running takes place on open ground & rough terrain where participants have to cover a distance that often includes hilly areas & woodlands

The other parameter for running competition is events by distance. Running a races can be categorized on the basis of the distance covered in these races:

  • sprints ~ run a very short distance on a track or field, speed being the primary factor, e.g. 100 meter dash
  • middle distance races ~ this run is longer than sprints but not more than 3 kilometers in distance, e.g. 1000 meter race
  • long distance races ~ running that encompasses very long distances & are usually run as road races; stamina & endurance play a pivotal role in these competitions, e.g. marathon, half marathon

The health benefits of running are numerous and determining which type of running, competitive or not, that conforms best to you as a individual reduces your risk of injury, while enhancing your fitness level.

Overview of Martial Arts Styles, Martial Arts Belts, Martial Arts Weapons

How many times have we seen a Bruce Lee or a Jackie Chan perform an insanely complex set of moves, punches and kicks taking on twenty people at a time, and coming out untouched from that massacre? The reaction is that of plain and simple awe. Mouths gaping open and minds imagining oneself doing the same things. So what exactly are martial arts all about???

Martial arts, which literally mean the arts of war, are a systematic code of practices teaching the art of combat. But the very essence of martial arts is to use it only to defend oneself and others from physical threat.

Martial arts have been prevalent in all the parts of the world and the origins cannot be traced to one specific place. Thus, there are numerous styles and variations of martial arts. While each of the martial arts styles has unique features, the one underlying common thread is the systematic discipline and the motive.

Different martial arts styles vary in their techniques of combat. Styles like taekwondo, Kung-Fu and karate use punches and kicks extensively in combat. On the other hand styles like judo, aikido and wrestling focus more on grapple holds and locks to neutralize the opponent.

Some of the well known martial arts styles are:

  • JUDO – Having origins in Japan, Judo is one of the oldest forms of martial arts focuses comprehensively on sparring techniques, both on ground and while standing up.
  • KARATE – the origins of karate are in Japan. The style relies heavily on different forms and patterns. One of the distinguishing features is that it emphasizes a lot on the attitude of the practitioner and develops it as well with the physical abilities.
  • KUNG-FU – Kung-fu originated in China and is the most extensive and difficult form of martial arts. This style incorporates a lot of techniques from animals and Chinese philosophies. Deep meditation and physical fitness is an integral part of this art form.

The system of martial arts belts is nothing but a ranking of the student according to his competence level. Japanese judo was the first one to introduce colored belts to denote ranking. Later on martial arts belts were adopted by all major styles.

The standard hierarchy of martial arts belts is white, yellow, green, brown, and black with white belt denoting the lowest level and black, the highest. Although some karate schools also use the system of white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, and black.

Although all these arts rely heavily on human body for combat, it also plays host to a lot of martial arts weapons. In times of war and other emergencies, it is not practical to combat physically thus there are numerous martial arts weapons to assist in situations like these. Some of the famous and commonly used martial arts weapons are:

  • Stick weapons – Nanchaku, Yawara
  • Swords – Katana, Ninja to, Nagamaki
  • Knives – Bali song, Machete, Karambit
  • Projectile weapons – Fukiya (Poison darts), Shuriken

Not only is martial arts beneficial in combat, it is a great addition to your fitness regime because of all the training necessary to perfect its various moves.

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