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Nicole Smith
Mrs. Lester
Adv. Comp.
11 October 2011
What Problems Do Runners Face?
Many runners usually end up getting hurt by the end of their careers. Many factors cause
these injuries and “depending on the body tissues involved, may indicate myositis (an
inflammation of the muscle), tendinitis, (inflammation of the tendons), or periostitis (an
inflammation of the tissue covering the bone)” (Wright). It may be very surprising to other sports
players that running causes as many injuries as it does because it is a sport that seems so
harmless, but most runners suffer an injury by the end of their careers. Simply running does not
involve any contact, it does not involve any sort of ball that could be a hazard, and it does not
involve any jumping of any sort, but it does cause the kind of stress on muscles that leads to
sprains and fractures.For example, a football player could get an injury by colliding with another
player which could lead to internal injuries, but a runner only has the force of her weight on the
ground to lead to injuries which, more often than not, is a sprain. To try to understand the full
effects that sprains and other problems have on runners, it is important to understand what the
individual injuries are, how the problems impact runners, what solutions there are to the
problems, and what the future looks like for these issues.
One way to understand the full effects of injuries on runners is to understand what each
specific injury is. One common problem that runners experience is an injury called shin splints,
which is “defined as an inflammation of the tissues in the lower leg causing pain with exercise”
(Wright). This problem hurts runners because if the pain of this injury gets too severe, there is a

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possibility that they will have to stop running completely. When runners have to stop running,
they could lose their fitness which means that even when they do get back on the track, they
cannot perform at the same standards they could before they got the injury. Not being able to
perform at the same standards is a problem for runners because it not only interrupts their
training schedule, but it also affects them mentally. They are so focused on making running their
life, so when they cannot do it, they feel as if life is no longer important. Another common
problem that runners face is the problem of being overworked, and “A body is not meant to be
on the go all the time” (“Physical Fitness”). This issue becomes a problem with most runners
because it is very easy to run too much and overwork the body without even realizing they are
doing it. When they do stop working out as hard as they always have, this break makes them feel
like they are not doing enough; therefore, this problem is an ongoing cycle of overwork on their
bodies. A third problem that runners face is overheating because “it is easy to overheat if a
person is active on a hot day” (“Physical Fitness”). Most runners have the motivation to keep
running even when they feel pain which is where overheating becomes a problem in the sport.
Running in places, such as Georgia, where the temperature gets really hot for most of the year is
when overheating is especially a problem. Overall, an understanding of the factors that can
hinder a runner’s success is important for complete enjoyment of the sport.
Another way to completely understand the effects of the issues a runner faces is to realize
how individual problems impact the runner. First of all, to see the impact of shin splints, one
must first understand that “stress fractures are a possibility if activities are strenuous over long
periods of time without proper rest” (Fallon). If runners who have shin splints do not rest
enough, then they could risk getting a stress fracture. Since, as mentioned before, runners do not
have the mindset to stop running when they get hurt, they will end up getting this more serious

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injury and possibly jeopardizing their running career forever. This more serious injury would
also impact a person later in life because the injuries obtained when younger could end up
making the muscles weak, leaving them weak when she is older. Secondly, the impact of
overwork can be seen in a person’s posture and attitude because “overdoing exercise can result
in feeling tired, weak, sore, or irritable” (“Physical Fitness”). This effect is seen on the runners at
Creekview High School because there have been complaints from some of their teachers about
not doing well in classes. If these athletes were not so tired from the work they do at practice,
then they would be more awake and able to pay attention in class. This lowering of grades could
leave an impact on the runners for the future because it is getting harder and harder to get into
college. For this reason, having a lower grade is going to hurt their chances even more. Finally,
the fact that “The symptoms of overheating can include cramps, nausea, tingling and clammy
skin, and can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke” (“Physical Fitness”) shows the impact
overheating can have on a runner. Having a heat stroke from overheating while running can
cause many health issues to a person; it could even possibly lead to death. However, even if it
does not cause death, there would be a hospital bill that would have to be paid just from having
the heat stroke. This hospital bill would have an impact on the whole family of a runner because
a household has enough costs as it is and any other bill would lead to more stress on the whole
family. In the end, there are many ways that every single issue in running impacts a runner.
Sometimes this issue even goes beyond the runner to other people in the runners life which is
serious and should definitely be taken into consideration when one thinks about starting a
running career.

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Thirdly, knowing current solutions to all of the injuries is helpful in seeing the full effects
they have on runners. Firstly, to solve the problem of shin splints, “…protect [your] feet,
strengthen [your] foot muscles, and help prevent injuries by running barefoot every once on a
while” (“Barefoot Running Can Improve Foot Fitness”). By doing this, the runner will have less
of a possibility of stressing a muscle and getting a shin splint. This technique of solving the
problem of shin splints can be proven correct by looking at the limited amount of injuries that
professional runners acquire because “Many… professional runners run a few barefoot miles
each week” (“Barefoot Running Can Improve Foot Fitness”). Since “A person shouldn’t exercise
more than six days a week” (“Physical Fitness”), to solve the problem of overworking, a runner
should make a running schedule a week in advance. With this schedule, the runner can make sure
she gets all the proper work she needs to improve running times, but can also make sure she gets
all the work done in six days. By scheduling in advance, it will be easier for the runner to have
time to switch different work-outs around and see what works best for six days instead of just
running seven days because she may realize she has missed a workout halfway through the week.
Thirdly, to solve the problem of overheating, runners should try to stay out of the heat, but “If
one does, one should drink a lot of water, wear well-ventilated clothing, and pay attention to how
the body is reacting to the heat” (“Physical Fitness”). By staying inside on days that are over a
specific heat index, runners would be able to still do their workouts on a treadmill or other form
of inside running equipment, but they would also be able to be where the air conditioning is. If,
however, it is not possible to stay out of the heat by doing this, then the runners should look up
the symptoms of overheating and be sure to make sure that they are not experiencing any of
them. If they are experiencing one of them, they should stop running which could eliminate the

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problem altogether. As is made very clear, there are many solutions to problems in the running
career, but there are other solutions that might be found in the future.
Finally, knowing what the outlook for these problems is can be very helpful in
understanding how to possibly help runners facing these problems. First off, “Although exercise
is safe for the majority of children and adults, there is still a need for further studies to identify
potential risk” (Fallon). This fact means that there are still scientists and researchers out there
searching for a way to prevent these problems, and other problems that are found, from
occurring. Sometime in the near future all this research might lead to an answer to a problem,
such as shin splints, that has never been uncovered before. Secondly, since everyone pronates,
meaning they “land on the outside bottom of their foot and roll inward” (Mirkin), there may be
another technique invented to help the legs of a runner while running. Pronation keeps a runner
safe and protects them from getting an injury, but sometimes it also causes a problem when a
runner pronates too much because it twists the leg. In the future, there is a possibility that a
runner will come up with a new technique that will help others stop pronation so much and run
another way that will not twist the too much and cause injuries. Thirdly, because of the fact that
“When shopping for running shoes, the height of the arches is important” (Mirkin), researchers
will probably be coming up with a new running shoe that will be made specific for each runner.
A new technology to help make these shoes would be a machine that could tell the exact height
of a runner’s arch, and with this machine, the perfect shoe could be made for each individual
runner. The possibility of an invention like this one being made is very high because of the fact
that it will prevent most problems that runners have with their shoes. All in all, there are many
future outlooks for problems with running that will hopefully make it a more popular sport in the
future.

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As is made very obvious by current research, there are many issues within the career of
running. This point, however, does not mean that running is a career that should be rethought
because even though there are many problems, there are also many ways to prevent the
problems. The future is bright for this career and its problems. Also, some of these issues can be
taken care of by just being a smart runner and making good decisions. For example, staying out
of the heat to prevent a heat stroke is the decision of runners, and if they choose to get in the
heat, then they are putting themselves at risk. There will be problems in any career a person
chooses, but that does not mean that she should not chose that career, and that is the case with
the career of running.

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Works Cited
“Barefoot Running Can Improve Foot Fitness.” Academic Search Complete. USA Today
Magazine, n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/
detail?vid=4&hid=123&sid=13a40c56-3415-4fe0-a0d9-
b9474cb5b7b3%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a
9h&AN=5256333>.
Fallon, L. Flemming. “Exercise.” Source: The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Jacqueline L
Longe and Ed. Deirdre S. Blanchfield. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit. 1249-1252. Gale Virtual
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“Physical Fitness.” UXL Complete Health Resource. Vol. 3. Detroit. Gale Virtual Reference
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VRL&sw=w&authCount=1>.

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Wright, Kathleen. “Shin Splints.” The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Ed.
Jacqueline L. Longe. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit, 2005. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web.
12 Sept. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
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