Running

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The term running sports summarizes all sports in which the natural human running movement, mostly technically optimized for a certain distance, is in the foreground.

Runner in the city marathon (Salzburg)
Running study

overview

Although there are numerous sports such as B. swimming , the exercise of which means less risk of wear and tear for the musculoskeletal system , running is a "natural" sport for humans due to the history of development ( evolution ) . There were already running competitions at the ancient Olympic Games , but only in the short distances. Even if there were long distances as messenger runs in antiquity, the original marathon run from Athens to Marathon (or from Athens to Sparta) was initially messenger runs, so people ran back and forth in the stadium to avoid lapping them. Even in the Middle Ages, endurance runs were organized as messenger runs. In the 19th century, pedestriantism as an ultra-long distance first established itself in England and the USA . The six-day race on foot preceded the six-day race by bike. It was your own fault who took a break. An average of 120 hours was run and distances over 1000 km were not uncommon, women also reached distances over 600 km. It was only over a hundred years later that the Greek Janis Kouros surpassed the records of that time (precisely measured by indoor tracks). In modern sport, running is part of athletics and is represented by numerous disciplines in the modern Olympic Games. In popular sport there are also numerous track running competitions, but almost only very ambitious recreational runners take part. A renaissance has been taking place in running on a large scale, however, starting in the United States since the mid-1980s in the form of road running competitions that are steadily increasing in number and size . Every year tens of thousands of runners, from world record runners to casual joggers, take part in the marathon competitions in New York , Berlin , London , Chicago and Boston . Very different training systems for endurance running have developed over the past three centuries.

Characteristics of the different distances

Short haul

Runs up to 400 meters are known as sprints . The feet are not completely rolled off , the runner pushes off with the balls of the feet at maximum speed ( forefoot walking ). The decisive factor is the high acceleration after the start . The Achilles tendons and calf muscles are particularly stressed. A well-trained person can usually keep his maximum speed above about 80 meters. Runs over 100 and 200 meters are therefore decided almost exclusively by speed . The highest average speed is achieved because of the start phase in the 200-meter run. The 400 meters, on the other hand, are considered to be particularly difficult, as the oxygen reserves in the muscles are used up in the second part of the route, but the speed must be maintained. The runner turns “blue” (see acidosis ).

Middle distance

Between 800 and 1609 meters (one English mile) one speaks of middle distance . These distances are also run with an oxygen deficit in the anaerobic area and continuously with the maximum possible oxygen turnover (VO 2 max) . In this area, the average speed decreases rapidly. The distance of 800 meters is particularly problematic. The last 400 meters are usually run exclusively in the anaerobic area. As a result, the circulatory system can be exposed to very high loads at the target. The route of 1500 meters is very different in terms of load; at the finish, the possible feeling of nausea from the 800-meter route does not occur.

Long haul

Runs over 2000 meters to 42.195 kilometers ( marathon ) are called long distances . With runs of this distance and duration, it would no longer be possible to maintain muscle function with an accumulation of lactic acid by running in the anaerobic area. The run takes place in the "aerobic area", i. H. The energy conversion (chemical → kinetic) in the muscles takes place entirely through the oxidation of initially exclusively glucose . The bloodstream is able to remove all combustion products - especially lactic acid. Energy is also obtained from fat molecules after just two minutes . The proportion is initially low, but it grows steadily and becomes dominant after about 90 minutes of endurance exercise. The glycogen stores are then used up. Everyone has enough fat reserves to be able to run several marathons in a row, but when you burn fat ( lipolysis ), compared to glycolysis, less energy can be converted with the same oxygen turnover. For this reason, it is important for long-distance success to increase glycogen stores and eat properly while running . This is the only way to guarantee an even supply of energy. In the world's top range, the marathon is just finished with a dominant glycolysis component. Despite the gradual increase in the proportion of lipolysis compared to glycolysis, there is often the subjective impression of a sudden change, which is often described by runners as “running against the wall” or “meeting the man with the hammer ”.

Ultra long distance / mountain run

Jungfrau Marathon 2004 (Eiger Glacier)

Running over longer distances than the marathon is called an ultramarathon . The longest run in which the stopwatch is not stopped during the night is over 3,100 miles (approx. 5000 kilometers) and lasts 51 days ( Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race ). The ultra variant mountain marathon is also popular (see above all the Swiss Alpine Marathon in Davos ).

The mountain run is a running competition with large differences in altitude. Typically a mountain or a prominent height is the goal of the run or is reached before the goal as an intermediate station. The route often runs on paths and mountain paths, sometimes also on the road.

Distance-independent running techniques of popular sport

In addition to the running style specialization on these routes, there are less performance-related running techniques such as jogging , in which you run a trot with short steps , which - especially if you run the wrong running technique such as the hindfoot - can put strain on the knees , but can also be kept circulatory over long distances. Walking - in principle normal walking , that is, one foot always has to be on the ground - and Nordic Walking (walking with short cross-country skiing sticks) complemented running (in this order) as trend sports.

Recreational runners often get together in running clubs .

physiology

The body's energy expenditure when running is in the order of 4.2 kJ (= 1 kcal) per kilogram of body weight and per kilometer of distance. A runner weighing 80 kg converts additional energy of approx. 5,000 kJ / h (= 1,200 kcal / h) at 4 min / km (15 km / h). 70 to 80 percent of this is converted into heat. Sweat or water provides evaporative cooling of approx. 2,500 kJ / l (= 600 kcal / l), so that the runner sweats out one to two liters of water per hour. Since the human body can only store small amounts of water, it is important to ensure that there is sufficient fluid intake when running. The recommendations for this are clearly contradicting one another.

Running technique

Running to get around is seldom required these days due to technical aids. While every healthy person can master the basic technique, the basic knowledge to optimize running technique is missing. There are three running techniques:

The hindfoot or heel run is the most common (75%). Around 15% of runners have their first contact with the ground with the metatarsus, 10% with the forefoot .

Small steps reduce the strain on the musculoskeletal system. The torque that arises with every step is balanced with the arms. If you keep your arms rigid, your torso and thus your spine have to compensate for the rotation. The torque can be reduced by placing feet close together.

Beginners and infrequent runners in particular believe that they do not have to get used to any particular type of running. This is wrong, however, because a healthy running style prevents injuries no matter how much you run. An economical running technique is particularly important for ambitious runners: thanks to increased efficiency, the runner saves energy and can run faster with the same amount of effort. However, it is difficult and time-consuming to change your running style. The longer an athlete has already established a wrong movement, the more difficult it is to learn a new movement pattern.

The correct touchdown position directly under the body's center of gravity is therefore the most important thing when running economically. If the foot is placed in the right place relative to the body, the vertical movement is minimized and the recoil elasticity of muscles and connective tissue can be used effectively for propulsion. The recoil elasticity is an important source of power, which gives propulsion without additional energy expenditure.

Another important aspect is the inward turning movement of the foot with every step ( pronation ), which is a natural cushioning movement that is different depending on the position of the foot and should be considered when choosing the right running shoe to prevent injuries.

Therefore, the right shoes ( running shoes ) are important for efficient and symptom-free running, although some running world records were set by barefoot runners between 1960 and 1985 .

Risks and Benefits

Risks, dangers, common mistakes

  • The most common and worst mistake in running is sticking your foot out before touching down to take the longest possible stride. This forward swinging of the lower leg wastes a lot of energy and in many ways increases the risk of injury.
  • Running training can cause previously unrecognized physical damage - e.g. B. in the case of a heart defect - sometimes fatal effects emerge.
  • Some infectious diseases that have not been cured can lead to serious relapses, permanent damage and, in exceptional cases, even death if you restart training too early.
  • Many beginners overwhelm themselves at the beginning. This mistake often leads to injuries , but almost always to a “pinch” somewhere in the musculoskeletal system up to fatigue fractures, for example of the fibula, and the associated first forced break from training. This misconduct is promoted on the one hand by mass media propagated "In six months to the marathon" programs, on the other hand by the fact that on the one hand the muscles adjust to the running training after a short time, so an increase in the training quota seems possible, on the other hand it is almost independent of the load , the first problems occur for at least six weeks if you may already be overloaded. It has also been proven that joints , ligaments and tendons adjust much more slowly to the stress. The intensity of the stress - especially on the knee joint - should by no means be underestimated. When running on the flat, stresses occur that can amount to three times the body weight. This means that a 75 kg runner feels more than 2250 N (220  kp ) stress on his knee per step on the flat  .
  • A mistake of young beginners is to train too young for long distances (half marathon and over) and to participate in such competitions. However, you can train speed especially at a young age. Endurance training, on the other hand, is precisely where it is particularly stressful. A look at the DLV's best list shows how the average age at the time of entries increases with the length of the route . At the same time, the runners registered there are often the same over different distances who have switched from short distances to long distances with increasing age , but who have always benefited from their short-distance training at a young age.
  • Monotonous endurance training using the same training methods, the same route lengths and route profiles as well as the same means of training promote improper behavior and injuries.

Positive health effects of running training

history

The first historically documented running events took place in ancient Greece . Literary mentions can already be found in the Homeric epics Iliad and Odyssey . Vase pictures show that the running style in the sprint - probably to increase the momentum - included a long stretching out with the arms , while running over longer distances similar to today.

Running disciplines in ancient times

  • Stadium run : The oldest discipline in which the participants simply had to run lengthways through the stadium . The distance varied depending on the venue and ranged from 167 meters ( Delos ) to 192.24 meters ( Olympia ). According to Hippias von Elis , from 776 BC BC to 728 BC Chr. The stadium run the only competition at the Olympic Games ; the individual Olympiads were usually named after the stadium winners. The number of participants was correspondingly large, which is why preliminary runs were necessary even then.
  • Diaulos : Run over the distance of two stadiums, in which the participants turned around a post ( kampter ) and returned to the starting line. It is unclear whether there was only one kampter for all runners (risk of collision!) Or whether everyone had their own.
  • Dromos hippios ("horse run"): A run over four stadiums, which was never part of the Olympic program, but was one of the equally important sports festivals in Corinth and Nemea . The distance was roughly the length of the racecourse, hence the name.
  • Dolichos : Long distance run over 7 to 24 stadiums, depending on the venue. In Olympia there were 20 stadiums, so 3.84 kilometers.
  • Gun run: A run in which the participants usually had to wear full armor, but at least with a helmet and shield .

Although it takes its name from the Greek city of Marathon , there was no marathon running in ancient times . Rather, he goes to an idea of Michel Bréal and Baron de Coubertin back of this discipline at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 introduced and thus to that of Plutarch originating forecast anknüpfte, after which a messenger named Pheidippides after the battle of Marathon 490 v. BC brought the news of the victory over the Persians to Athens at a run and collapsed dead after his arrival.

Olympic running disciplines

World record speed plotted against the distance to be run

For the world records of the individual disciplines see World Records in Athletics

Relationship to other sports

The Sprint at different distances is part of athletics . Endurance running on medium distances between 5 kilometers and a marathon is part of the triathlon and the duathlon . In the summer biathlon , the sprint and individual races run 4 kilometers (women 3 kilometers), interrupted by two shooting bouts, and in the mass start and pursuit 6 kilometers (women 5 kilometers), interrupted by four shooting bouts. Other related sports are orienteering and cross-country running . Many team sports (e.g. soccer , handball , basketball and hockey ) require a running technique that is somewhere between sprinting and endurance running.

Speed ​​depending on the distance to be run

The plot 1 / v over ln (s / m) is closer to a straight line. This is especially true for the - larger registered - Olympic disciplines.

According to Pete Riegel , you can calculate the time it will take you to do a certain route with appropriate training from the time for another route using the following simple formula, where is the route for which the time is known and the new route. The exponent 1.07 results from the course of the world records. It may have to be adjusted for an individual. For a sprinter it tends to be bigger, for an endurance athlete it tends to be smaller.

literature

3-89124-051-1, 201 pages.

Movie

Web links

Commons : Running  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wikibooks: Running  - Learning and teaching materials
Wikivoyage: Running  Guide

Individual evidence

  1. ^ John A. Lucas (1968): Pedestrianism and the Struggle for the Sir John Astley Belt, 1878-1879 , in: Research Quarterly for Health, Physical Education and Recreation 39: 3, 587-594.
  2. ↑ Arnd Krüger : Many roads lead to Olympia. The changes in the training systems for middle and long distance runners (1850-1997) , in: N. Gissel (Hrsg.): Sportliche Leistungs im Wandel. Hamburg 1998: Czwalina, pp. 41-56.
  3. ^ Mile - Introduction. Introduction of the IAAF: 1500 meters and the mile as a classic medium-distance distance. IAAF , archived from the original on July 28, 2012 ; accessed on March 10, 2012 (English).
  4. ↑ Ralph Schomaker: Brooks Running Academy - drinking recommendations. Brooks Sports , archived from the original on March 26, 2015 ; Retrieved November 28, 2010 .
  5. ↑ Running shoes: They cushion and guide, support and hold , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of April 4, 2013, accessed on July 17, 2015.
  6. ↑ Ignite the inner turbo. Sportwelt Verlag , archived from the original on October 10, 2010 ; Retrieved June 12, 2010 .
  7. ↑ A healthy running style has to be learned. Sportwelt Verlag , archived from the original on October 10, 2010 ; Retrieved June 12, 2010 .
  8. ^ Christian Gäbler: The "tragic overload triangle". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014 ; Retrieved March 11, 2010 .
  9. ↑ Hubert Beck: The big book of the marathon . Copress Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 978-3-7679-1045-4 . P. 104.