Core Chemistry Honors Caroline Sorensen
Current Events 10/27/09
The Human Body is Built for Distance
Long-distance running has contributed to the evolution of humans. Christopher McDougall, an avid runner who has had his fair share of injuries, has studied and compared urban marathons to the marathons ran by the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico. The Tarahumara tribe runs sextraordinary distances on the Earth’s ground with nothing on their feet except thin-soled sandals. Mr. McDougall explains that the injuries runners have experienced from running in commercialized marathons are because of being over exhausted from training and the lack of exceptional running form from new high-tech running shoes. For example, approximately 40,000 people are scheduled to run in the New York City Marathon this coming Sunday, November 1st, which consists of 26.2 total miles of running on the cement. Some studies show that 90% of the runners in training have already had injuries. However, the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico run marathons on their homeland, such as the Canyon Trails, for even longer distances such as 50 miles, and injuries are much less common than in the U.S. Since the human body did not evolve to run on hard pavement with padded shoes, injuries are a bigger factor today. It has changed the biochemical’s of running. Thus, people such as the Tarahumara tribe run the way the human body evolved to run, and have many less injuries then those runners in commercialized urban marathons.
The information given in this article effects athletes around the world because it relates to the human body. However, cross country or marathon runners should take particular interest in the facts stated in this article. For example, students on the cross-country team in my school are able to learn from this article how they can prevent injuries. In order to decrease the risk of getting injuries from running, people should train over long periods of time, including brief walking breaks. Also, running on a variety of surfaces in shoes with less cushioning can help restore the human body to natural running form.
This was a very interesting and relevant article to modern day. I enjoyed learning about human evolution associated with long-distance running. Although I personally do not run cross country, I know many people who do, and this article affects them and their training routines. The next time I witness a marathon in New York City, or watch one on TV, I will take notice of the posture of the runners. I think these facts about training for marathons should be shared with all long-distance runners.
This article review was analyzed and evaluated in a way that was easy and read and comprehend.I thought that the topic of this article was very interesting as it relates to many people who enjoy running in general. I also thought the use of examples were great, the use of examples made it helpful to understand and there was a fantastic comparison used with the Mexican tribe and commercial marathon runners in America. This comparison was the basis of the article and showed great execution when I read it.
ReplyDeleteThough Caroline has incorporated many good aspects to this article review, I was a tad confused about the chemical theory that supported it. There was some scientific evidence used throughout this article but I felt that it was a little lacking in that area.
I was impressed by Caroline's paragraph about how this article relates to our everyday life and how we have evolved. Overall this article was extremely impressive and well written and I felt that I learnt a lot.
Outstanding Job Caroline!!!
By Olivia Estes
Jackie Faselt Blog comment
ReplyDelete10/28/09 Chem
I think Caroline did a very good job summarizing her article. The summery was quick and to the point making it easier to understand. The article is on an interesting topic which also makes it enjoyable to read. I also think Caroline did a good job connecting this article to the readers, for example people who run as a sport can benefit from reading this. To improve this all she needed to do was fix a few spelling corrections. Also Caroline could have gone into more depth about the ancient runners and their lives. I will defiantly keep this in mind next time I am running for a sport. Knolenge about running can really help to prevent injury.
Chris Marasco
ReplyDeleteChemistry Blog
There were many well presented points in the article review of The New York Times article, The Human Body is Built for Distance. The comparison of urban marathon runners and the Tarahumara tribes of Mexico was enlightening. The article pointed out the problems with the running shoes athletes are wearing today, compared to the bare foot runners of the past. The necessity of proper training to avoid injury provided another great insight into the importance of being prepared before engaging in athletics. It was also interesting to learn of the hazardous consequences of running on pavement.
Two areas of improvement for this article would be to include a recommendation of what types of shoes or brands would be appropriate to wear while running. It would also be helpful to know whether it is harmful to engage in running after sustaining certain injuries.
I learned many interesting facts from the article review of The Human Body is Built for Distance. One of the most informative pieces was that there were positive suggestions on how to help restore the human body to natural running form. The article has specific significant importance for me as an athlete, while I am not a runner, I do often run to keep in shape for the sports I play, going forward I will try and stay off of concrete whenever possible.
lex Adrian Blog Comment
ReplyDelete10/28/09
Chemistry
Caroline did an outstanding job at reviewing this article and then transforming it into an understandable summary. She wrote this summary so well and I could comprehend the entire writing. I specifically loved the way that Caroline connected her facts to the current time. For example she talked about how running today on hard pavement with padded sneakers is more susceptible to injuries and she connected that to the Marathon that will be happening in the next few weekends. Her examples were fantastic and her choice of articles was very good. My only suggestions is that she made a few minor spelling and grammar mistakes but nothing severe. Also I would suggest that she could add a few more examples next time about how we could change our running habits and what we could do to try and prevent these injuries today. Overall this summary was really well written and her I was impressed that she found an article about sports and chose this article because pretty much everyone can relate to this and take something out of reading this article. All of that made her summary much for enjoyable because it effects us today.
Good Job!
❀Alex Adrian
I think that Caroline’s review of the article “The Human Body Is Built For Distance”, was very well written. She did a I fantastic job at making her summary short but also having it sum up the article perfectly, which made it more interesting to read than a chore. Another part of the review that was well presented was that it gave the perspective from someone who doesn’t run, which makes it easier to relate to for other people who don’t run because then they can see what others think about the article but cant relate. Caroline also made her review very clear and easy to read which was refreshing. Although she did give her thoughts on the article from a perspective of someone who doesn’t run, one thing that she could have done to improve her review would be to give an example of how even if you don’t run there are still things that have the same cause and effects as the type of running this article explained. Another thing that could have been made even better in the review would be if she left us with a line at the end of the article that would stick with us and inspire us about the article. Lastly I was fascinated to learn that the type of running we do at school is in fact not as healthy as we thought, its still good to run but I never would have guessed that the high tech running sneakers are actually going to cause more injury than they will keep from injury.
ReplyDeleteBravo Caroline!
I think that Caroline’s review of the article “The Human Body Is Built For Distance”, was very well written. She did a I fantastic job at making her summary short but also having it sum up the article perfectly, which made it more interesting to read than a chore. Another part of the review that was well presented was that it gave the perspective from someone who doesn’t run, which makes it easier to relate to for other people who don’t run because then they can see what others think about the article but cant relate. Caroline also made her review very clear and easy to read which was refreshing. Although she did give her thoughts on the article from a perspective of someone who doesn’t run, one thing that she could have done to improve her review would be to give an example of how even if you don’t run there are still things that have the same cause and effects as the type of running this article explained. Another thing that could have been made even better in the review would be if she left us with a line at the end of the article that would stick with us and inspire us about the article. Lastly I was fascinated to learn that the type of running we do at school is in fact not as healthy as we thought, its still good to run but I never would have guessed that the high tech running sneakers are actually going to cause more injury than they will keep from injury.
Bravo Caroline!
whoops didnt mean to post that twice....
ReplyDeleteThree things that were well presented in this review were that Caroline compared out lifestyle to that of a very different culture, how our lifestyle, including our running habits, can affect us, and that running, which is considered healthy, can become unhealthy. I have noticed it is less stressful to run on the beach or grass than on cement. Two things that could have been better were what Caroline meant by injuries, since I was confused whether she meant long term or just tripping. Also,Caroline noted near the end that she would take note on posture, when i didn't see anything about that before. One great thing i learned was that cushion isn't always the best for your feet, and since I have an ankle condition, this will help me greatly in the future
ReplyDeleteI think Caroline did a very good job of reviewing this article. One thing she presented very well was how she related the running to our lives and how it effects us. But she also made it easy for someone who doesn't run to understand this review. Finally it was great how she told us what to do to prevent injury and how to make running easier on our bodies.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I think she could have done better was that she could have told us what running on pavement does to our body and the specific injuries that often occur.
This was a very good review overall. I think Caroline did a great job. One thing I learned about this article was that it is better for our bodies to run on a soft surface with a thiner shoe than to run on pavement with a soft shoe.
Brewster Warble
I thought that caroline did a very good job of presenting the article. She did a great job of picking a subject that relates to our every day lives. Another thing she did well was she wrote the article in a simple matter and was therefore easy to understand. Another thing that she did well was connect it to everyday life not just pick an article that relates to it. This weekend there will be a marathon and it relates to the article. Although the article was very well written and explained i do think that it would have been interesting if it was explained how we can prevent these injuries. Overall I think Caroline did a great job and the best part is i can apply this to my everyday life. Right now I am in the offseason and I have begun training for lacrosse. I now know to try and avoid running on concrete for in the long run it could cause injuries.
ReplyDeleteCaroline did a very good job reviewing this article. I liked how she chose an interesting topic that captured our attention. She chose a good example that proved her point well. I thought it was good that she used on big example instead of a few small examples.
ReplyDeleteI thought some of these shoes were made to help prevent injuries. I think she could have gone broader on what types of injuries are gained from running on the pavement. I think Caroline did a great job. I had no idea that running on pavement was bad for your body. Also I think that if this point is proven then tracks at school and around the world should be made softer so that all around injuries are prevented. It was good that she chose a current topic considering the New York Marathon was this weekend. GOOD JOB CAROLINE!
I really enjoyed how Caroline was able to tell about how even the most simple of runners are healthier than that of more technologically advanced. I liked reading the comparison of how 90% of the runners in the New York City Marathon have already had injuries, while the Tarahumara tribe runs longer marathons and receives less injuries. I enjoyed learning how the Tarahumara tribe has less injuries through the way they have learned to run.
ReplyDeleteI suggest that you could have talked more about the types of injuries that these marathon runners are getting. Also, you could have described in more detail why running with high tech shoes is a hazard to the way people run.
I was very impressed by how you related this article to our own life, and described in detail how we should prevent running injuries through different ways of training.
This was review was well written and was easy to comprehend. The article wasn’t full of scientific terms, which made it easy to read and understand. Caroline did a great job at grasping the important elements of the article. I found this article to be quite interesting. It is hard to believe that running technology such as, high-tech shoes, have not helped lessen the amount of injuries, but increased them. I also found it interesting that the surface a runner runs on effects their body. I was little confused about the chemical theory because I felt as if it was mentioned and then left out. I also thought that she could go a little more into detail about runners in ancient times that would be a nice addition. This article and review were very interesting and I will make sure to keep this in mind next time I decide to go for a run.
ReplyDeleteOverall Nice Job Caroline. :)
I think this was a really well written review. I like how Caroline gave a lot of examples and instances how it could affect your life personally. Also, there were a lot of details, which made it easier to imagine and make sense of in your head. Finally, this article was easy to follow but still captured my interest. Though this article was exceptionally written, it could’ve been better by including some more ideas on how to prevent these running injuries. Another point is how the chemical theory behind this was briefly mentioned but not explained. Overall, I think this was a really great review… well written, easy to follow, but still very interesting.
ReplyDelete