“Ding, ding,” the principal comes onto the morning announcements: “During homeroom today, the fall sports meeting will be taking place.  If you wish to participate in a sport this year, please attend this informational meeting.”  Choosing a sport can be challenging.  When an athlete conseders their options, they must ask themselves a few questions.  What will benefit me the most in the long run?  What will be most fun?  What is healthiest?  What am I good at?  All these questions can be simply answered with running.  All sports require a certain amount of physical activity, but running, unlike many other sports played in high school, is a lifelong sport that will pay dividends long into the future.   When considering participation in a sport, running will provide the most benefits to physical health.

Do you know what kills 1,695 people in the United States every day? (Heart Disease Behavior). Heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control website, the best ways to combat heart disease consists of at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day, maintaining proper weight, eating well, and avoiding tobacco (Heart Disease Behavior).  Generally speaking, this list describes the typical runner.  Certainly other sports such as football, soccer, and basketball involve physical activity; however, running is more efficient, both from a cardiovascular and convenience perspective.  In addition, “The American College of Sports Medicine reports that high-intensity interval training, HIIT, can keep your metabolism up for 1.5 to 24 hours after completing the exercise” (Does Running).  How great is that?  After already burning calories and fat during the run, a runner will continue to burn these calories and fat for up to twenty four more hours.  Furthermore, running strengthens bones.  “Wolfe's Law states that, in healthy people, bones respond to stress by reforming to better handle that stress. For runners, that means the weight-bearing bones of the legs, pelvis and spine tend to be stronger than the same bones in inactive people” (Is Running Enough).  Wolfe’s law is a theory that says that a healthy bone will adapt to pressure making it stronger.  Many people believe that running weakens your bones, but countless studies such as the one above prove otherwise.  Football and other start and stop sports are much more likely to cause strains, sprains, tears and other injuries.  Running is proven to limit heart disease, improve health, and strengthen bones.

Despite the compelling evidence that running is a safe, healthy alternative to other athletics, running has a high injury rate.  Running has been identified to have one of the highest injury rates of aerobic exercise.  The injury rate among runners ranges between 37 to 56 percent annually; however, 50 to 75 percent of these injuries are results from overuse which can be easy to avoid (Mechelen).  Someone who does not run often should not go out and run twelve miles without any prior training, they will  just injure themselves.  If a runner devises a training plan that will slowly build up the miles and minutes, injuries will be easily avoided.  Most other injuries occur because of improper footwear and running locations.  Many people buy shoes that they think are “cool” and “sweet” but often times the shoe could lead to an injury.  Some runners need support in their shoes while others cannot have support.  Running on asphalt or an unbalanced surface may also lead to injury.  Asphalt is very hard on the knees and joints, and an unbalanced surface can cause strains and sprains.  Running is not a dangerous sport, but if certain precautions are not taken, injuries may occur.
“All football players over here,” shouts the football coach, “All runners over here,” beckons the cross country coach.  Now the decision should be readily apparent.  Do you want to reduce your risk of heart disease, like the idea of stronger bones, desire to participate in a lifelong passion?  Or you could choose football.  Running provides the greatest benefits towards physical health.