Marathon Running Essay Example for Free

Marathon Running Essay Runners come in all shapes and sizes. I have seen 300-pound men and women at the start of a race and in contrast the chiseled muscles of the elite runners. The reasons for running are as various as the runners themselves. Some run for weight lose, mental or physical health, competition, and charity. There are many physical health benefits for running; â€Å"Human bodies burn about 2,000-2,500 calories a day in normal activities. Running 5 miles a day can burn an additional 500 calories. † If this same formula holds true, a person completing a marathon will have burnt close to 2,600 calories. However, how fast a person doesn’t correspond with how much weight they may loose while running. â€Å"For example, a 220-pound person running an eight-minute mile burns 150 calories, while a 120-pound person running at the same pace burns only 82. Every person’s body requires an excess of 3,500 calories in order to gain a pound or a deficit of 3,500 calories in order to lose a pound. Thus, 180-pound person who runs 5 miles each day will lose about 5 pounds a month. However, as his or her weight goes down, he or she will burn fewer calories per mile† according to a study conducted at Vanderbilt University. According to Runner’s World editor Hal Higgdon. â€Å"Running can also have many psychological benefits. Most significantly runners typically report being happier and feeling less stressed than their counterparts who do not run or exercise regularly. Running actually has the ability to alter an individuals moods because hormones called endorphins are released while running. These hormones create a sense of euphoria often referred to as a runner’s high and can result in an improvement in the runner’s mood. † With these endorphins being released into the runner’s body, running can be very addictive. A man or woman can feel like they’ve been turned into Michael Jordan and anything, even running 26 miles, is possible. Running a marathon and the distances to train are also almost spiritual. When I run I am able to solve my companies, personal, families, and the whole worlds problems. I have come up with some of the most life altering and affirming choices in the sunrise of an 8-mile run. Running is also a great stress reliever while running I am able to focus on the road and the miles as they build. I am able to forget about the office, family, or other concerns. There are 26. reasons why a marathon is hard. To put this distance in perspective if you were to drive your car at 60 mph it would take a half an hour to drive that distance. But while running the marathon there is no downtime. You’re the machine, says physical therapist Jim Wharton of New York-based Wharton Performance, which trains world-class athletes. The debate about the difficulty of the marathon, doesn t center just on the physical aspects. Motivation, confidence and mental toughness are necessary, says Stephen Russo, director of sports psychology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health System. Running is painful; it’s tedious, and exhausting. After a few miles our bodies scream for us to stop and rest. When the body screams stop that is when the mind takes over and you keep running. Through my experiences in running and race competitions I can say a marathon is not something that can be described it is something must be experienced. In a marathon the participant will be competing against hundreds and in larger races thousands of other hopefuls. In many marathons time restrictions are placed on which the marathon will end. -8 hours after the marathon has began, barricades will be removed and the race rout will be dismantled. If a runner is unable to finish in the allotted time the race officials may take them to the finish line and will not allowed to finish. However during those 6-8 hours a runner can run, jog, or walk any distance they want. When Khalid Khannouchi won the London Marathon last year, he didnt do any walking: He set a world record of 2 hours, 5 minutes and 38 seconds. For elite athletes like Khannouchi distance running is a way of life. Marathoners seem either to be training or getting ready for the next workout. You wake up every morning and you know what you have to do. You have long mileage to accumulate. Sometimes youre already tired from your last two or three workouts. You still have to wake up, have the motivation and go outside and do the training. † Khannouchi said. For me running is not simply about the weight loss or the constant inquires of family, friends, and co-workers who ask, â€Å"How many mile(s) did you run today? † When I run I am only accountable to my trusty stopwatch and myself. The marathon is my Everest. I will be back. Standing there with hundreds of other runners in tank tops and short on a cold fall morning, waiting for the starter pistol. I dont run for the medal or the crowd I run for me. I run despite the 9 times out of 10 it will hurt, but I keep going. I run for that one time that it doesn’t and I am able to finish my run and look down at my stop watch and be excited about a new personal best time, if only a few seconds. I run because I know it will hurt but I keep going and I won’t give into the pain. I am an athlete. I am runner.

Wal-Mart: Good for American Cities and Towns Essay -- Business Analysi

Wal-Mart has been a staple of America since July 2, 1962, when Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City store. Within a few years, Wal-Mart Discount City stores began to spread across the country. In 1968, it opened its first stores outside Arkansas, in Sikeston, Missouri and Claremore, Oklahoma. Sam Walton found success in offering consumers options and variety. Since that first store opened, Wal-Mart has now entered the grocery business and now the company controls about 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business. This says a lot about a man who began his retail career after working just 18 months at J.C Penny. Sam Walton found success early on with offering variety, and options when no one else was. Consumers want more for their dollar and Wal-Mart has centered their focus on this idea, and has not apologized for that fact. In fact, Wal-Mart’s sole existence relies on the consumers search for the lowest priced goods. Wal-Mart has transferred itself from a simple variety store into Wal-Mart Supercenter and has other chains which include Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market and Sam’s Club. Wal-Mart Inc. has found a way to offer options to the consumer not classically offered in grocery. By offering options such as an optical center, one-hour photo processing lab, Tire & Lube Express, and even in some cases hair and nail salons, pet shops, and pharmacies, Wal-Mart has taken steps to break the mold and offer consumers options that other stores cannot and has done a good job at that. With these types of options you could be in a Wal-Mart Superstore for hours and complete all of your afternoon shopping. This idea isn’t lost on Wal-Mart Inc., now offering the ability to get a money order from the ATM shows also why Wa... ...s prices gasoline cheaper then local competitors. Wal-Mart also has donated more than $1.5 million national BackPack Program, The Nation’s Food Bank Network will deliver backpacks filled with nutritious, protein-rich food to school children in need. With the money raised thousands of backpacks filled with much needed food for school children to take home. It has helped to rasie funds and build awarness it the problem of hunger, with a â€Å"Be A Part Of The Solution To End Hunger† campaign. Wal-Mart Inc has done a great job at bringing together what is local to the area and what isn’t and bringing to many small towns. So when a Wal-Mart stands up, it isn’t just Wal-Mart Inc who benefit, but the community. REFERENCES http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal-Mart http://walmartwatch.com/ www.walmartfacts.com/ http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

Adventure on an Island

‘’John and Alice, for your exemplary performance in your year-end examinations, we are going for a little family holiday. ’’ said James Brown, father of John and Alice Brown. ‘’Where? Where? ’’ asked the children excitedly. ‘’We’re going to a place that offers unlimited peace and quiet. That place is Bermuda. And while you’re there†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ James spoke at length about proper etiquette and how it would affect them. Although it was quite boring, it would have benefitted them if they had paid attention instead of playing rock-paper-scissors. On the ship en route to Bermuda, the children lived like there was no tomorrow. They piled food on their plates with a lot of everything they liked. Sure enough, they couldn’t finish it. So they quietly poured the remnants of their unfinished food overboard. As they did this, a snippet of their father’s speech came back to them. ‘’When there is a lot of food, take only a little. If it isn’t enough, go back and take some more. This is much better than taking a lot and then throwing it away just because you can’t finish it. ’ ‘’It’s not like we are going to do this for the rest of our lives,’’ reasoned the children. ‘’It’s only the first time. Dad doesn’t have to know. ’’ Sadly, this wasn’t the only misconduct the children committed. They also took things offered by polite stewards and stewardesses without saying thank you. Laden with food and drink, the chi ldren were too lazy to properly dispose of the plastic wrappers from their snacks. Instead, the two irresponsible children burned those wrappers. ‘’Don’t ever burn things, especially plastic. Plastic is extremely toxic. Whatever you do, don’t burn it. ’’ ’’We’re actually saving space and helping people,’’ thought the children. ‘’ Don’t they burn plastic in incinerators? If we don’t burn them, these plastic is going to end up in landfills, which take up a lot of space. Yes, we’re doing a good thing. ’’ And soon after doing this, the two children fell asleep. The two children soon woke up to terrible heat on the island. ‘’Hey! Why is the sun so hot all of a sudden? ’’, wondered the children. Being clever children, they had the answer in no time. ’’It’s global warming! ’’ said Alice. ’The ozone is thinning because people burn plastic and†¦.. ‘’ she stopped in mid-sentence. ’’Oh dear, we just did it on the ship! ’’ said John. ‘’Oh, never mind John. What’s done is done. Why don’t we explore the island? ’’ On their way, they saw a small lake full of dead fish. Curious, the two children decided to investigate. The pond was saturated with rubbish! It wasn’t only rubbish but with bits of rotten food. ‘’Look at the rubbish! Wasn’t that the fried chicken we couldn’t finish? And aren’t those the bits of salad? What have we done? ’’ Shortly after that, they saw some gulls. Instead of white and grey, the gulls were black and some kind of liquid dripped from them. As the children came closer for a better look, they saw that the patch of sea that the gulls have previously risen from had a thick layer of oil above it. It was the last straw for the two. ‘’Enough! We can’t take anymore! ’’ cried the children. ‘’From now on, we’ll follow our father’s advice and never be wasteful! ’’ And that was when they woke up. Still thinking the terrible discovery was true, the children ran to their parents, confessed and apologized to them. ’ What nonsense! ’’ said James Brown. ‘’We are still on the ship, not an island! You two must be having a bad dream. Something to do with your overeating, I shouldn’t wonder. But it was a very good thing you two summoned up the courage to own up. Remember your dream so that you will never go wrong. ’’ And s o the Brown siblings learnt their lesson and changed their mindset towards the environment once and for all. Mother Nature is not infinite, the children learnt. Although she may be all-powerful, she still needs help. Let us take good care of the environment.

Free MBA Program †No-Cost Online Business Courses

A free MBA program may sound too good to be true, but the fact is that nowadays you can get a well-rounded business education free. The internet has provided a way for everyone around the world to learn more about any topic theyre interested in. Some of the best colleges, universities, and business institutions in the world offer free business courses that can be completed at your convenience. These courses are self-guided, which means that you study independently and at your own pace. Will the Free MBA Program Result in a Degree? You will not receive college credit or a degree when you complete the free courses detailed below, but you may get a certificate of completion after finishing some of the courses, and you will definitely get started on the education you need to start or manage a business. The skills you pick up could also be of value in your current position or in a more advanced position within your field. The idea of completing an MBA program without earning a degree may seem disappointing, but remember, the essential point of an education is to gain knowledge, not a piece of paper. The courses shown below have been chosen to create an MBA program that provides a general business education. Youll find courses in general business, accounting, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, leadership, and management. Accounting Understanding basic accounting procedures is important for every business student, whether you plan to enter the accounting field or not. Every individual and business uses accounting in day-to-day operations. Take all three courses to get a well-rounded view of this topic. Introduction to Accounting:  This introductory course from the U.S. Small Business Administration provides an overview of accounting. The course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Choose from a text-based or video-based option.Bookkeeping Course: This free online bookkeeping course is a text-based course that covers basic bookkeeping topics, such as balance sheets, cash flow statements, and debits and credits. You should participate in all course activities to cement knowledge and then test yourself with post-lesson quizzes.Principles of Financial Accounting: This University of Alaska course delves deeper into financial accounting. Lectures are delivered via slides. The course also includes homework assignments and a final exam. Advertising and Marketing Marketing is important for any business that sells a product or service. If you plan to start your own business, work in management, or pursue a career in marketing or advertising, it is essential to learn the psychology of advertising and marketing processes. Complete all three courses to gain a thorough understanding of both topics. Marketing 101:  This free business course from the U.S. Small Business Administration offers an overview of marketing with an emphasis on reaching a wider customer base. The course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.Principles of Marketing:  Provided through Study.com, this free online course includes a series of nearly 100 short video lessons. Each video covers a specific topic and includes a post-lesson quiz.Advanced Marketing: This free MBA course from NetMBA provides detailed text-based lessons on a variety of marketing topics. Entrepreneurship Whether you plan to start your own business or not, entrepreneurship training is an important part of a general business education. This knowledge can be useful for everything from branding to product launches to project management. Explore both courses to learn about the different aspects of entrepreneurship. Introduction to Franchising: This U.S. Small Business Administration course introduces students to franchising and provides tips on choosing a franchise. The course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.Starting a Business: This free entrepreneurship course from MyOwnBusiness.org covers key start-up topics including writing a business plan, building a business, and operation management. The course includes instruction, quizzes, and other learning materials. Leadership and Management Leadership skills are extraordinarily important in the business world,  even if you dont work in a supervisory capacity. Taking courses in leadership and management will teach you how to manage both people and the day-to-day operations of a business, department, or project. Take all three courses to gain a full understanding of management and leadership principles. Principles of Management: Study.com provides an extensive video-based course focused on business management. The course is divided into short easy-to-digest lessons, each with a post-lesson quiz.Leadership Lab: This free leadership lab from MITs Sloan School of Management consists of videos, lecture notes, assignments, and other learning materials.Business Management and Leadership: This free MBA course from Master Class Management is a mini MBA program that results in a certificate of completion. MBA Program Electives Business electives are a great way to further specialize in a topic that interests you. Here are a couple of electives to consider. You can also search out your own to focus your studies on something that interests you. Business Law: This introductory business law course from Education-Portal.com consists of short video lessons. You can test your knowledge at the end of each portion with post-lesson quizzes.Strategic Human Resources Management: MITs Sloan School of Management  offers text-based lecture notes, assignments, and a final exam focused on  human resource management strategies.   Get Real Course Credit If you would rather take courses that result in some sort of certificate or even a university recognized degree without enrolling in business school and paying a sizable tuition bill, you may want to consider looking at sites like Coursera or EdX, both of which offer courses from some of the top universities in the world. Coursera offers certificate courses and degree programs that start as low as $15. Admission is required for degree programs. EdX offers university credits for a small fee per credit hour.