Every Runner Argumentative Essay

Once an athlete starts running they never want to stop. Distance running is addicting, with competition that is different from any other sport, athletes will never want to stop improving. In distance running everything you do can affect your performance; including diet, running form, what race you participate in, and how you approach the course. What foods an athlete chooses to consume can drastically affect the way a runner’s body can perform. Before a race an athlete should try to focus on eating refined carbohydrates and low-fiber fruits and vegetables, and avoid eating whole grains, caffeine, and fatty foods. Experts recommend; zucchini, olives, grapes, yogurt, white pasta, and bagels as healthy, and easily digestible, options before

Race strategy is how the athlete plans on approaching the course. Every athlete has their own race strategy based on their own strengths and weaknesses. In races such as the 5k and 10k, a fast first mile is crucial to placing well. Therefore a faster start, a better chance of placing competitively. Although you need to start out fast studies show, “Every runner, no matter how talented or well trained, will perform terribly in any race longer than 400 meters if he or she starts at a full sprint and holds nothing back,”(Art of Pacing). As the race length increases the less crucial it becomes for a fast start and the more important it becomes for a consistent speed. This consistent speed is called pacing. Each runner has their own pace unique to them. A runner’s pace should not be too easy nor too difficult that the athlete will not be able to run at that speed for miles. A good way to make sure this does not happen is running in packs. Running with others will help the runner stay consistent and also keep the athlete motivated to continue running. Although running in packs has its benefits, it can also lead to what is call a pecking order. Pecking order is, “where a runner is afraid to pass a teammate or opponent,” (Race strategy). When an athlete runs with a group that’s pace is too slow for them, they will start to slow down as well. Instead of speeding up and finding another pack to run with, the runner gets scared that they will not be able to run with the next group. Thus creating a pecking order. If the athlete continues with this pecking order they will never be able to improve. An athlete can avoid having a pecking order by running at their own pace, and always striving to get to the next group of runners. Every race course is set up differently. Some courses are set up along mostly flat ground where others will have more uphill and less downhill, and vise versa. The way an athlete approaches the hills will