# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Karuna & Lina - 22_23_Value of Life Book Tableau and Presentation.docx

# data[].attributes.body
Activity: Choose the final question from the Maslow's hierarchy chart to answer AND answer #6 again for this section.
Question 5: Can one have the needs of a higher level met without the needs of a lower level being met? How?
We feel that it is possible to have the needs of a higher level met without the needs of a lower level being met, however it is not sustainable.
Question 6: Lauren is finding ways to reach her growth needs by being a running coach. With the deficiency needs, she is able to climb up to growth needs and achieve higher levels. Reflecting on her journey of running, she achieved self actualization and transcendence.

# data[].attributes.body
https://littlewingathletics.org/coach/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Lauren Fleshman has eight years of experience as the head coach of Littlewing Athletics, and has worked with athletes from 800m up to ultra-marathon.

# data[].attributes.headline
Relationship Between Negative Running Addictions And Eating Disorder Patterns

# data[].attributes.subject
Relationship Between Negative Running Addictions And Eating Disorder Patterns

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8708838/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Lauri Byerley, Academic Editor

Abstract

Current studies show an increase in the risk of eating disorders in runners. Since it is known that abusive exercise can be both a cause and a consequence of such developments, the main objective of the present study was to examine the risk and possible relationships between negative running addiction (NRA), as measured by the reduced and validated SAS-40 scale, and the tendency to be a compulsive eater (measured by YFAS 2.0), anorexia nervosa (AN), and/or bulimia nervosa (BN) (measured by EAT-40). This study highlights the novelty of researching the level of influence of NRA on each defined eating disorder. Method: A total of 167 Spanish-speaking federated runners in cross-country and track running (42% women and 58% men), with an average age of 24 years and an average BMI of 21 kg/m ², responded to an online questionnaire that asked about sociodemographic data and the Spanish versions of the SAS-40, YFAS 2, YFAS 3, and YFAS 4. Through a quantitative methodology using logistic regressions-the coefficient of determination and Pearson's correlation coefficient-we created a sample analysis that related the significant items of the DSM-V to the results of the questionnaires administered, as well as their relationship with the practice of the sport in question and various variables of the environment. Results: The rates of CE, AN, and BN were 65, 11.4, and 16.2%, respectively. The tendency towards CE increased with a lower weight (r = 0.156, p < 0.05), not having been overweight in childhood (r = 0.151, p < 0.05), and being a long-distance runner (r = 0.123 p < 0.05). The risk of AN increased with the absence of menstruation for more than 3 months (r = 0.271 p < 0.01), having suffered from childhood obesity (r = 0.213 p < 0.05), and being underweight (r = 0.064 p < 0.05). The risk of BN increased with having suffered from childhood obesity (r = 0.194 p < 0.05), having a higher weight (r = 0.140, p < 0.05), and practicing athletics, especially the relay modality (r = 0.044 p < 0.05). Conclusions: A considerable number of runners are at risk of suffering from some type of eating disorder. A significant relationship was observed between long-distance runners and the risk of eating disorders (AN, BN, and CE), and the association is stronger for CE than for AN and BN. Lastly, childhood experiences (such as being obese/a healthy weight) were notorious for increasing the risk of eating disorders. Further studies are needed to research each particular parameter and the relationships between the possible levels of dependence on exercise. Level of evidence: Level III, cohort analytic study.

Keywords: runners, eating disorder, negative running addiction, compulsive eating, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa

1. Introduction

1.1. Exercise Dependence in Competitive Athletes

Studies on the benefits of sport suggest that sport is prophylactic for any psychological disorder [ 1, 2]. However, individuals who perform competitive sport may present compulsive exercise behavior that becomes harmful at high levels, such as the feeling of guilt for missed workouts and not reaching set goals, among others. [ 3, 4]. Broadly speaking, a predominance of negative exercise dependence of 0.5 to 3.5% was observed in the general population [ 3] and was up to more than 50% among competitive athletes [ 4].

Long-distance runners, in general, are those who need a higher level of motivation compared to those who practice sports for shorter periods, or that require less endurance [ 5]; this is called super adherence (high commitment to running and high motivation). In this case, commitment to running is shaped in competitive athletes mainly by the number of days they trained for, as well as by calculating the number of kilometers they ran in a week [ 5]. However, this commitment is sometimes taken to limits that are detrimental to quality of life, leaving social activity, work, and even health aside. This can generate withdrawal syndrome, anxiety, and irritability when training is missed, giving rise to what is called negative running addiction (NRA). NRA is manifested to a greater degree in long-distance runners [ 6] and competitive athletes due to their greater commitment to training in order to achieve the desired records [ 6, 7]. Initially, NRA was associated mainly with men, but in recent years, studies have found that both sexes experience it [ 5, 6].

Despite being a long-known phenomenon, it is not included in the main diagnostic classification systems (the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization). Even so, exercise addiction shares features with various mental and behavioral disorders that are present in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V), such as (1) tolerance, with an increase in the amount of exercise to achieve the desired effect; (2) withdrawal, with negative effects from the absence of exercise, such as irritability, anxiety, and/or sleep problems; (3) lack of control and failure in attempts to reduce or cease exercise practice; (4) intentional effects, with an inability to conform to an established routine; (5) excessive dedication to exercise preparation, performance or regain; (6) the reduction in other social, occupational, and/or recreational activities; (7) the continuation of said practice despite knowing that it causes problems.

It should also be mentioned that there can be two variants of NRA-primary addiction, with the absence of eating disorders; and secondary addiction, in which this factor is included, such as in anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, and where excessive exercise is performed to control energy expenditure [ 7, 8].

1.2. Relationship between Negative Running Addiction (NRA) and Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and/or Bulimia Nervoso (BN)

About 400,000 people in Spain suffer from an ED, and it is the third cause of chronic disease in adolescents, according to data from the Spanish Association for the Study of Disorders [ 7]. Runners are a group at high risk of suffering from this type of disorder [ 8, 9, 10].

The relationship between NRA and AN is mainly observed in sports that are especially dependent on thinness and weight [ 11, 12]. This pathology may arise due to two main factors-(1) the high demand for physical and sporting control can lead to this ED [ 11, 13]; (2) people who present a risk or unequivocal manifestations of NRA decide to engage in sports in which thinness is an indispensable requirement (as a way of disguising the disorder) [ 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16]. It was observed in recent studies that individuals with AN who over-exercise manifest higher levels of anxiety, depression, and perfectionism [ 17, 18].

Other research on the relationship between NRA and compulsive eaters (CE) suggests similarities in the etiology of excessive exercise and attitudes toward disordered eating behaviors [ 19, 20, 21, 22]. There are also studies reporting that perfectionism and obsessive compulsive disorder cross-sectionally predict compulsive exercise knowledge [ 16, 23].

The WHO determined that the predominance of binge eating disorders is highly observed (up to 30%) in restrictive diets [ 24]; moreover, it should not be forgotten that competitive runners present diets with these characteristics.

Currently, progressive research on addictive behaviors regarding sports practice and EDs highlights that (1) the predominance of compulsive or excessive exercise in patients with EDs varies from 39 to 45%, and can be as high as 80% in the restrictive subtype of patients hospitalized with anorexia nervosa [ 22, 23]. More specifically, the rate of excessive exercise is 44.4% in patients with AN, 20.6% in those with BN, 20.8% in those with eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS), and in 43.5% of those with a lifetime diagnosis of AN and BN [ 15]; (2) the predominance of EDs is higher among elite athletes, higher in women than in men, and higher among athletes competing in thinness- and weight-focused sports [ 11]; (3) compulsive eating is a type of disorder that has a high predominance in endurance sports [ 11, 13]; (4) there is evidence of a relationship between nutrition and mood disorders [ 25]; (5) the reduction in NRA symptoms (or exercise) is associated with the reduction in EDs [ 21, 26].

The main objective of this study was to analyze the degree to which federated runners have a behavior with a higher risk of developing one of the three most frequent types of eating disorders (ED)-AN, BN, and CE-and, specifically, to observe which variables are the most influential on this manifestation.

2. Methods and Data

2.1. Participants

For the selection of participants in this study, we chose a sample that was highly representative, as it included 218 professional athletes in any modality of running who train in the Sports Association of Almería (Spain), a local government entity in which non-professional federated runners are promoted and perform under supervision.

The sample error would have been ±3.7% ( p = q = 0.5) for a 95% level of confidence. A total of 167 federated runners from Almería voluntarily completed a questionnaire through a secure online data collection website (Limesurvey). All participants signed the informed consent form.

A total of 97 answers from men and 70 answers from women aged between 18 and 30 years were obtained from this sample ( Table 1 ).

Table 1

Mean

Standard Deviation

Range

Gender

Follows alternative diet (vegetarian, vegan, etc.)

Primary discipline practiced

2.2. Assessment Instruments

The measurement of sports addiction was performed with the Sports Addiction Scale 40 (SAS-40), which was reduced to 15 items and validated in Spanish [ 3].

The following five factors were measured: F1-dependence; F2-lack of control, F3-loss of interest in other things; F4-continuity; and F5-concern. The 15 items were distributed in a coherent manner conforming to the typical features of addictive behaviors [ 7, 27].

The tendency towards the development of an ED was measured as follows:

The risk toward compulsive food consumption was measured with the reduced version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) [ 28]. It was translated into Spanish [ 29] and the scale applied the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Related to Food Consumption. The threshold for a YFAS 2.0 was reached by passing 2 or more of the 11 criteria set out in the DSM-5, so that the greater the number of matching items, the greater the tendency towards such a pathology.

The tendency or predominance towards AN or BN was measured through the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-40). In this case, the total score allows us to observe behaviors similar to AN and BN, taking as an example the criterion for the analysis of compulsive eaters with the approval of 2 or more of the 11 criteria proposed by the DSM-5 [ 30].

2.3. Procedure

The study was carried out with all the runners federated in the Association of Sports and competing in an athletics modality in the province of Almería (Spain).

Prior to the conduction of the questionnaire, its voluntary, anonymous, and confidential nature was explained to the participants, as well as the content of the research. Subsequently, they were given precise instructions for the completion of the questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed using the Limesurvey application.

2.4. Data Analysis

With this sample of runners, using the functions of the SPSS-26 statistical program, we performed basic descriptive analyses, such as the mean, median, minimum and maximum standard deviations.

Additionally, binary logistic regression (stepwise with strategies forward selection) to find the relationship between the binary dependent variables: compulsive eaters (yes/no), anorexia nervosa (yes/no) and bulimia nervosa (yes/no), and the independent variables: sociodemographic: gender, age, BMI, regular menstruation (in women), child obesity (model 1); sports modality (model 2): relay race, medium distance and large distance; and degree of dependence on sports practice (model 3): dependency, lack of control, loss of interest, continuity, and concern.

Pearson's correlation coefficient and the coefficient of determination to check the degree to which variables (independents) influenced the development of each type of ED (variables depends) studied. The adjusted P value is the significance level to 5% and 1% using the Wald methods.

3. Results

Regarding the risk of developing behaviors with risk of tendency towards each type of ED observed, 97.1% of the people surveyed showed a compulsive eating behavior and 65.9% of them had the three highest scores (the development of 9 or more actions out of the 11 considered) ( Table 2 and Table 3 ).

Of the participating runners, 97% also showed a risk of developing anorexia nervosa. Of these, 11.4% scored high (the development of 9 or more of the 11 actions proposed) ( Table 2 and Table 3 ).

As for bulimia nervosa, 100% of them were in the dangerous range of developing the disorder, and a total of 16.2% scored high (the development of 9 or more actions out of the 11 proposed) ( Table 2 and Table 3 ).

We then used Pearson's correlation coefficients to contrast the common variations of each model analyzed and the scores of the different grouped variables and scales used. Table 4 , Table 5 and Table 6 show the correlations obtained.

In relation to the sociodemographic and physical variables ( Table 4 ), it was found that the most influential variable for having a CE disorder with a negative relationship was having a low BMI, followed by not being obese during childhood. In addition, we observed that women with this disorder, unlike AN, tended to have regular menstruation.

When we added the type of running as an independent variable, we observed that being a long-distance runner was the variable that showed the greatest risk of developing CE.

Finally, in analyzing the type of dependence on sports practice, we observed that the level of "F5-concern" (the highest level of NRA) had the strongest relationship and significance, that is, the greater the manifestation of addiction to sport, the greater the risk of developing a CE disorder.

To sum up, with regard to the development of CE, the following statistically significant correlations were obtained: (1) low weight (r = 0.156, p < 0.05), (2) not having had obesity in childhood (r = 0.151, p < 0.05), (3) long-distance runner (r = 0.123, p < 0.05), and (4) high NRA (r = 0.182, p = 0.01).

In analyzing AN ( Table 5 ) and taking into consideration the sociodemographic and physical variables, we observed that the most influential factor on the predominance of suffering from this disorder was having suffered from childhood obesity. This was also negatively related to BMI. The absence of menstruation was observed to be a significant consequence of this disorder.

When including the type of run practice as an independent variable in the analysis, we discovered that, as with any of the variables, this disorder could manifest significantly, as it was somewhat more predominant in runners who compete in middle- and long-distance races.

In analyzing the degree of dependence on sports practice, we extensively observed that when runners scored at the F1 level of the NRA scale (level of healthy commitment to practice), it was unlikely that they would manifest the behaviors tending towards this ED. The higher the score on the AN scale (F5 = concern), the more behaviors they developed that were associated with the risk of suffering from AN.

In summary, with respect to the manifestation of risk behaviors for the development of AN, the following statistically significant correlations were obtained: (1) absence of menstruation (r = 0.271, p < 0.01), (2) having suffered from childhood obesity (r = 0.213, p < 0.05), (3) underweight (r = 0.064, p < 0.05), (4) runners (in general, relays: r = 0.007, p < 0.05; middle distance: r = 0.026, p < 0.05; long distance r = 0.035, p < 0.05), and (5) elevated AN (r = 0.236, p < 0.01).

When analyzing the behaviors related to the risk of suffering from BN as an ED ( Table 6 ), we observed that, according to the sociodemographic and physical variables, the most significant variable was having suffered from childhood obesity. In addition, BMI had a significant positive relationship with the tendency toward BN.

When we included the type of running as an independent variable, we observed, as with AN, that this ED could be significantly prevalent, and was slightly more common in runners who raced in relays.

Finally, in analyzing the degree of dependence on sports practice, we found that all levels were significantly related to the risk of manifesting BN-related behaviors, with an especially high significance and levels obtained by runners who showed high levels of NRA (F5 = concern).

To sum up, the most significant values for developing behaviors tending towards BN were (1) having suffered from childhood obesity (r = 0.194, p < 0.05), (2) high weight (r = 0.140, p < 0.05), (3) runners (in general, relays: r = 0.044, p < 0.05; middle distance: r = 0.037, p < 0.05; long distance: r = 0.023, p < 0.05; (4) high NRA (r = 0.191, p < 0.01).

4. Discussion

The main objective of the present study was to examine the predominance and possible relationships between sports addiction and the risk tendency of developing an eating disorder. In addition, as a novelty, we aimed to research the level of influence of SA on each defined eating disorder (CE, AN, and BN) and to check whether there were independent variables that boosted these developments.

4.1. Excessive Physical Exercise as a Risk Factor

The results show that runners are significantly related to the risk of suffering from eating disorders, and those practicing middle- and long-distance races are the most at risk of this phenomenon. It should be taken into consideration that all the runners analyzed were federated competitors. In this regard, numerous studies showed that individuals who practice competitive sports present compulsive cognitions towards exercise and can reach detrimental levels, triggering an NRA [ 31, 32]. This is an important factor in the probability of developing an ED and, in our case, justifies the high similarity of risk behaviors obtained in this study. The reason for this correlation is the idea that excessive body weight limits performance in competition [ 10, 12].

4.2. Relationship between the Predominance of ED and NRA

Numerous recent studies support the idea that the predominance of compulsive exercise in patients with AN and BN is used as a means of weight control [ 32, 33, 34]. These data may support the idea that people with a tendency to suffer from an ED prefer athletics as a means of justifying their thinness and exercising control over their weight.

Another aspect to highlight is the positive correlation between the development and/or danger of having a CE disorder and a low BMI. This is a new finding since, unlike the indication from the current literature and the DSM-V diagnostic manual (in which the correlation is assumed to be high), this was not the case in the population analyzed (federated runners). The explanation for this phenomenon could be inadequate diet, excessive exercise, stress from competing, or all of these factors combined.

In general, the results obtained in this research show that the higher the level of NRA, the greater the risk of suffering from AN, BN, and/or CE.

4.3. Physical and Demographic Characteristics, NRA and ED

No differences were found with respect to age, possibly because the entire sample analyzed was within a small range.

There was also no significance observed with respect to gender. In this case, we did not obtain results similar to those of previous studies that showed a higher prevalence in females [ 33, 35, 36]. In our case, this is likely due to the fact that we analyzed runners in which both genders were required to have low-fat body mass and low weight.

Having a high weight in childhood was positively related to a greater development of risk behaviors of presenting AN and BN and negatively related to CE. These data indicate a need for weight control since childhood obesity can develop into obsessive attitudes and behaviors, finally leading to the development of these EDs. On the other hand, the fact that CE disorders do not share these data may indicate that these runners are not concerned about weight, and that the disorder may be more likely to develop due to competitive anxiety or the physiological factors of supercompensation for a deficient nutrient intake.

4.4. Sports Modality and ED

As we observed, practicing competitive athletics is considered to be a risk factor for suffering from an ED, and practicing long-distance running scored higher.

In the case of CE, we can consider a physiological cause (beyond the psychological one) for the risk of suffering from this disorder. Practicing long-distance running and being underweight can trigger compulsive food consumption when the nutrition and/or supplementation are inadequate and unsuitable for the phase of training and/or competition in which the runners find themselves.

For AN and BN, the fact that the risk of suffering from these disorders is positively related to having had obesity in childhood offers relevant data on whether the practice of this sport was chosen to maintain low body weight levels. This contrasts with the results of numerous studies that related the practice of excessive physical exercise to the substitution or purging of episodes of overeating [ 35, 37, 38]. It is even generally agreed that EDs are not only derived from sporting demands, but that runners with a tendency to suffer from them may choose these sports as a justification for their behavior.

5. Conclusions

The predominance of EDs in athletics is a growing problem among those who practice running as a sport. The results of our study also show that the compulsive practice of this sport can increase risk. Therefore, we can confirm that practicing athletics competitively creates a risk of suffering from EDs, with long- and middle-distance running presenting the greatest risk. More specifically, the higher the manifested level of NRA, the greater the risk of AN, BN, or CE.

The present study is consistent with the diagnostic criteria of the pre-DSM-V editions for AN with respect to the presence of amenorrhea. However, this parameter does not necessarily have to be a confirmatory factor for ED; a lack of menstruation can be a consequence of other factors, such as physical or emotional stress or the intake of anovulatory drugs. Therefore, if we analyze the BMI, we can obtain more information, in addition to making a comparison by gender. Taking into account that athletes, in general, have low BMI levels, the tendency of those who are at risk of AN can be a reliable indicator when they have lower levels.

With regard to CE, we considered that it is necessary to continue studying and analyzing the sports population since, as mentioned above, these may be due to both physiological and psychological aspects. In the physiological order, for example, the origin lies in the inadequacy of nutrients and energy.

In view of the abovementioned, we see the need (1) to incorporate a psycho-educational component in the training of runners who are dedicated to competition to address distorted beliefs and cognitions about exercise and nutrition; (2) to abide by the idea of maintaining a regulated training (with its phases of rest and activation), as excessive exercise can trigger injuries, decrease performance, etc.; (3) to include nutritional education and/or nutritionists specializing in this sport; (4) to provide coaches with sufficiently effective tools to detect the danger and/or presence of an ED.

Author Contributions

Study concept and design, M.M.H., Á.A.G. and J.C.C.O. Data acquisition, M.M.H., Á.A.G., J.C.C.O. and D.S.G. Analysis and interpretation of data, M.M.H., Á.A.G. and J.C.C.O. Preparation of manuscript, M.M.H. and J.C.C.O. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, M.M.H., Á.A.G., J.C.C.O. and D.S.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

Funding was received from the Laboratory of Social and Cultural Anthropology (University of Almería).

Institutional Review Board Statement

The project was supported by LASC (UAL) (Laboratory of Social and Cultural Anthropology) (HUM-472) and AEA (Association of Almeria Studies) (G04704482) in the framework of the agreement made between the two for the Promotion of Heathy Sport in 2019.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all individuals involved in the study by reading and accepting the premises before proceeding with the questionnaire. Data protection and the maintenance of anonymity were ensured for the project participants.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Footnotes

Publisher's Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

2. Jodar I.M., Vives L., Garcés de los Fallos E. Evaluación de los Beneficios Psicológicos del Ejercicio Físico: Evaluación de Niveles de Ansiedad y Depresión en la Población de Mujeres y sus Relaciones con la Práctica de Actividad Física. Universidad de Murcia; Murcia, Spain: 2004. [ Google Scholar]

4. Cuesta-Zamora C. El Papel del Ejercicio Compulsivo y la Inteligencia Emocional en los Síntomas de Trastorno de la Conducta Alimentaria en Preadolescentes y Adolescentes. 2019. [(accessed on 31 January 2021)]. Available online: https://ruidera.uclm.es/xmlui/handle/10578/22159

7. Asociación Española para el Estudio de los Trastornos . Guía de Práctica Clínica Sobre Trastornos de la Conducta Alimentaria. Ministerio de Sanidad; Madrid, Spain: 2006. [ Google Scholar]

13. Herero J.A.M. Adicción al Ejercicio Físico. Máster en Prevención y Tratamiento de las Adicciones. Universidad de Salamanca; Salamanca, Spain: 2016. [ Google Scholar]

30. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; London, UK: 2020. [ Google Scholar]

Articles from Nutrients are provided here courtesy of Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Relationship between Negative Running Addiction and Eating Disorder Patterns in Runners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Current studies show an increase in the risk of eating disorders in runners. Since it is known that abusive exercise can be both a cause and a consequence of such developments, the main objective of the present study was to examine the risk and possible ...

# data[].attributes.body
Activity #1
1. The main conflict of this book is how to be a healthy and strong runner as a young woman running in a system designed for men. The issue is person vs. society.
2. This is way more significant in real life because this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed so runners can be healthy while still achieving their goals.
https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2014/11/4/mind-body-and-sport-eating-disorders.aspx#:~:text=Performance%20consequences&text=Because%20of%20inadequate%20nutrition%2C%20student,the%20capacity%20to%20manage%20emotions

Activity #2
- Question #1: We feel like everyone/all human lives have the same value. However, the societally-perceived value of people changes and gets higher as individuals achieve more from the pyramid.
- Question #6: In the running world, Lauren is gaining more "value" by competing in high level varsity competitions. This is allowing her to receive more recognition in the running world and achieve higher levels of the pyramid. However, she needs to be careful the lower levels of the pyramid such as physiological and safety needs are still being met. If she doesn't do this, she might reach a limit, leading to the pyramid collapsing making it so she can no longer achieve higher levels of the pyramid in the future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Participation in sports has a number of positive effects on student-athletes. They tend to live healthier lives than non-athletes, and they gain skills in teamwork, discipline and decision-making that their non-athlete peers may not.

However, some aspects of the sports environment can increase the risk of disordered eating (and eating disorders). That means student-athletes and those who oversee athletics must be vigilant to detect signs of trouble.

Disordered eating and eating disorders are related but not always the same. All eating disorders involve disordered eating, but not all disordered eating meets diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder.

As first conceived, the term "disordered eating" was a component of the female athlete triad - a syndrome that also includes decreased bone mineral density and osteoporosis - and defined as "a wide spectrum of harmful and often ineffective eating behaviors used in attempts to lose weight or attain a lean appearance." The term was later supplanted by "low energy availability" to reflect the role insufficient energy plays in accounting for all physical activity, as well as to fuel normal bodily processes of health, growth and development.

Eating disorders are not simply disorders of eating, but rather conditions characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating or an eating-related behavior that significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning. The eating disorders most often diagnosed are:

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by persistent caloric intake restriction, fear of gaining weight/becoming fat, persistent behavior impeding weight gain, and a disturbance in perceived weight or shape.

Bulimia nervosa is recurrent binge eating, recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain (for example, induced vomiting and excessive exercise), and self-evaluation unduly influenced by shape and weight.

Binge-eating disorder is recurrent episodes of binge eating without compensatory behaviors but with marked distress with the binge eating.

Why student-athletes are at risk

Prevalence. Eating disorders occur in all sports, but not equally in all sports. As in society, eating disorders in sport occur more frequently in females than males. One area in which research findings are more definitive is for "lean" sports for which a thin/lean body or low weight is believed to provide a biomechanical advantage in performance or in the judging of performance. Women in these sports are considered to be at the highest risk.

Genetics. Epidemiological and molecular genetics studies suggest a strong genetic predisposition to develop an eating disorder, and that these disorders aggregate in families in part due to genetics. Family and twin studies have found heritability estimates of 76 percent for anorexia nervosa and 83 percent for bulimia nervosa. Not all individuals with a genetic predisposition develop the disorder, as other factors are involved.

Sociocultural factors. Before genetics-related findings, the primary explanation for the development of eating disorders involved sociocultural factors. Certainly, from a sociocultural perspective, most individuals are exposed to societal or cultural pressures regarding weight or appearance, but again, not all will develop an eating disorder. Most who do are female, and the disorder's onset often occurs during adolescence.

A simple conceptualization is that genetics sets the stage for the disorder, but sociocultural pressures can precipitate it. Once the disorder begins, sociocultural pressures usually assist in maintaining the disorder. Also, from a sociocultural perspective, eating problems can begin or worsen during transition periods, which makes freshman student-athletes particularly vulnerable.

Additionally, student-athletes may experience more stress than non-athletes because they deal not only with the transition away from home and pressures related to academic demands of college but also the pressures associated with sport participation. Eating problems are often the way individuals deal with such stressors.

Sport-related factors. Just as society and culture emphasize the "thin ideal," similar pressures exist in the sport environment regarding being thin/lean and its purported positive effect on sport performance.

This emphasis on reducing body weight/fat to enhance sport performance can result in weight pressures on the student-athlete from coaches (or even teammates) that increase the risk of restrictive dieting, as well as the use of pathogenic weight loss methods and disordered eating. Even the student-athlete's perception that her coach thinks she needs to lose weight can heighten weight pressures and increase the risk of disordered eating.

For some student-athletes, revealing uniforms can increase body consciousness, body dissatisfaction, and the use of pathogenic weight loss methods. One study found that 45 percent of swimmers surveyed reported a revealing swimsuit as a stressor. Another study in volleyball found not only that revealing uniforms contributed to decreased body esteem but also distracted players and negatively affected sport performance.

The relationship between body image and body dissatisfaction in female student-athletes is more conflicted and confused than in the general population. Sportswomen have two body images - one within sport and one outside of sport, and disordered eating or an eating disorder can occur in either context or both. Additionally, some female student-athletes are conflicted about having a muscular body that facilitates sport performance but may not conform to the socially desired body type and may be perceived as being too muscular when compared to societal norms regarding femininity.

Coaches have considerable influence with their athletes, and it appears that their relationship with their student-athletes - and more specifically their motivational climate - can influence the risk of disordered eating. A relationship between coach and athlete characterized by high conflict and low support has been associated with increased eating pathology among athletes. Additionally, an ego/performance-centered motivational climate (vs. a skills-mastery climate) that some coaches use has been associated with an increased risk of disordered eating.

Another risk to student-athletes relates to aspects of the sport environment that make identification of disordered eating/eating disorders more difficult. In society and sport, athletes are often expected to display a particular body size or shape that becomes characteristic of a particular sport, such as distance runners being thin. Such "sport body stereotypes" can affect coaches' perceptions of athletes, and athletes who fit the "thin" stereotype are less apt to be identified as having an eating problem. Identification by coaches is sometimes influenced by sport performance, and student-athletes are less likely to be identified if their sport performance is good.

Finally, eating disorder symptoms (such as dieting, weight loss and excessive training) may be misperceived as "normal" or even desirable in the sport environment, and personality characteristics/behaviors similar to those of eating disorder patients (such as perfectionism and excessive training) may be misperceived as "good athlete" traits.

Treatment. As a special subpopulation of eating-disorder patients, student-athletes need specialized approaches to treatment. However, treatment per se is not different; that is, standard treatment approaches (such as cognitive behavioral therapy) work as well for athletes as for non-athletes.

Recommended treatment differences relate to treatment staff. Treatment professionals working with student-athletes need experience and expertise in treating eating disorders and athletes, but more importantly need to understand and appreciate the importance of sport in the life of a serious student-athlete.

Student-athletes often resist treatment for the same reasons as non-athletes but also for additional ones related to sport. Some resist because they assume they will gain so much weight that it will negatively affect sport performance. They may resist due to a concern that having a mental health problem will result in a loss of status or playing time. Some fear that being in treatment for a mental health problem will displease significant others (like family, coaches and teammates).

Also, student-athletes sometimes resist treatment because they fear their treating professional(s) will not value the importance of sport in their lives. Given these common reasons to resist treatment, motivation for treatment and recovery is particularly important. Regarding treatment motivation, research investigating factors that facilitated student-athletes' recovery from their eating disorder found the desire to be healthy enough to perform in sport to be most helpful.

Where do we go from here?

Given the prevalence of eating disorders in the college and sport populations, athletics departments are encouraged to develop a treatment protocol for student-athletes with eating disorders. Included in that protocol should be guidelines regarding how affected student-athletes are identified, managed and referred for evaluation and treatment by sport personnel. Sport personnel charged with these responsibilities should be trained by health care professionals with experience and expertise regarding student-athletes and eating disorders.

The protocol should also include recommendations regarding education for both student-athletes and sport personnel. Education is the first step in prevention, but more is needed in the form of a program designed to change student-athletes' attitudes and behaviors that are associated with disordered eating/eating disorders. Some NCAA schools already employ such a program.

Early identification of "at risk" and affected student-athletes is most important. Eating disorders can be more easily treated early in the process. More importantly, timely and appropriate treatment can prevent medical and psychological complications of these disorders, thereby decreasing the risk to the student-athlete and decreasing time away from sport.

Coaches and other sport personnel are encouraged to improve their identification skills, as well as their skills in making an appropriate referral for an evaluation and treatment. Such training can be made available to coaches, athletic trainers and other sport personnel, and can be endorsed and strongly recommended by sport administrators. Such training opportunities are even more important for smaller colleges that may have fewer treatment options available on campus.

The primary risk for developing disordered eating/eating disorders involves the emphasis on a lean body and its purported relationship with enhanced sport performance. Coaches and others in the sport environment are urged to recognize that such an emphasis on weight or leanness puts the student-athlete at greatest risk for developing eating problems.

Finally, the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment must be eliminated. Those with influence in the sport environment can play a key role by recommending and encouraging timely and appropriate mental health treatment for their student-athletes.
Ron Thompson is a consulting psychologist for the Indiana University department of athletics and co-director of the Victory Program at McCallum Place, which offers a specialized eating disorder treatment staff to meet the unique needs of athletes. Thompson has served as a consultant on eating disorders to the NCAA and on the Female Athlete Triad with the International Olympic Committee Medical Commission. He can be reached at rthomps2@sbcglobal.net.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Participation in sports has a number of positive effects on student-athletes. They tend to live healthier lives than non-athletes, and they gain skills in teamwork, discipline and decision-making that their non-athlete peers may not. However, some aspects of the sports environment can increase the risk of disordered eating (and eating disorders).

# data[].attributes.headline
Why Sports Were Not Designed With the Female Body in Mind

# data[].attributes.subject
Why Sports Were Not Designed With the Female Body in Mind

# data[].attributes.body
https://time.com/6261404/sports-female-body-inclusivity/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sports Were Never Designed Around the Female Body

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The unrealistic ideals placed on female athletes are not only ignorant, but also deeply harmful, writes Lauren Fleshman.

# data[].attributes.body
Activity #1
List 5 questions you would love to ask the author and explain briefly why you would ask them this?
1. Overall, did you enjoy your running experience?
2. Was your dad your biggest supporter, and was he a positive or negative role model?
3. Have you ever changed your eating habits because of peer-influence?
4. Was there ever a runner role model you looked up to?
5. Have you ever had a coach who recognized the importance of recognizing runner's needs?
We would ask these questions because we are curious and concerned about her running experience.

Activity #2
Choose another question from the Maslow's hierarchy chart to answer AND answer #6 again for this section.
- Question #3: When they have lower needs fulfilled they are able to go up the pyramid and meet growth. When they loose they loose their deficiency needs they move down the pyramid.
- Question #6: Similarly to last week, if you compromise your deficiency needs for growth needs, you are going to move down the pyramid.

# data[].attributes.body
Activity #1: Choose an aspect of setting that you think is significant to the book (time, period, place, etc.) and research This setting and discuss how it impacts the speaker or other characters in the book. Pin one source + a response to the above question.

We chose the aspect of women’s rights and the continuous struggle for equal rights even after Title IX. The author has reflected how sports weren’t designed to train women in a healthy and effective way, but were instead designed for men. The article below talks more about this topic.

https://kinesiology.csp.edu/sports-coaches-and-trainers/a-brief-history-of-women-in-sports/

Activity #2: Maslow’s Hierarchy Chart, choose a different question 1-5 + #6 to answer.

Question #4: Externally perceived value would lower if higher up needs aren’t met and internal views of yourself/happiness would probably be lower as well since you’re not receiving your basic needs.

Question #6: How might this chart relate to your book right now?

People need to stay hydrated, enable to stay healthy, and need to eat healthy in order to stay fit. It also relates to how it seems that Lauren doesn’t feel completely happy with herself unless her esteem and belonging/love needs are met.

# data[].attributes.headline
An Article About the Epidemic of Women's Distance Running

# data[].attributes.subject
An Article About the Epidemic of Women's Distance Running

# data[].attributes.body
https://lane9project.org/2020/01/07/the-epidemic-in-womens-distance-running-and-what-it-did-to-me/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by Emma Zimmerman

Amelia Boone , multi-time obstacle course world champion has just left treatment and gone public about her twenty-year battle with an eating disorder. She has broken four bones in the last three years. In 2018, Hannah Fields , professional middle-distance runner for Brooks, took a three-month hiatus from training to receive treatment for her eating disorder. When Sarah Sellers took second place at the 2018 Boston Marathon, Americans wondered how this woman had appeared out of nowhere. She hadn't. She was once a standout Division I runner who had stopped running after restrictive eating led to several stress fractures. , once deemed "the fastest girl in America," recently publicized the abuse she received from Nike coaches-the forced weight loss that resulted in the destruction of her physical and mental wellbeing.

It's the dirty little secret of women's distance running-perhaps not so secret anymore: eating disorder culture runs rampant. In 2007, the Norwegian School of Sports Science found that, in sports that emphasize leanness, of female elite athletes had clinically diagnosed eating disorders. But it's not just the product of abusive coaches or Nike's unmatched power. In reality, eating disorder culture saturates all types of running programs and all levels of the sport.

Still, many coaches and athletes hold inadequate understandings of what eating disorders truly are-mental illnesses that arise from a combination of factors, including genetic predisposition. Unfortunately, athletes' eating disorders are often treated as purely weight loss problems or food issues , and a condition they have chosen. Yet, someone who has developed an eating disorder may not notice their own warning signs until the illness has taken complete control of their mind. For the many female runners who struggle with eating disorders, obsessive thoughts and anxiety remain long after a healthy weight has been restored. Perhaps most striking, eating disorders rank second only to opioid addictions as the mental health disorders with the highest mortality rates.

When I began running Division III cross country in the fall of 2014, I was entirely burnt out from my high school running experience. Throughout high school, I had watched myself gain weight and become slower-an experience familiar to many young, female runners. Unable to perform at my previous level, I carried a deep sense of shame that at times spiraled into depression. Most of all, I felt confused. No one ever explained to me that this was a natural experience for female athletes during puberty, and that if I stuck it out the healthy way, and didn't fight the changes, I would eventually run fast again.

Over 1,000 miles from my Connecticut town, at a college in the middle of Iowa, I was ready for a new start. While I had always enjoyed eating "healthy", in college I could make all food decisions for myself. What started as balanced choices, quickly turned into majority vegetables, which quickly turned into only vegetables and protein, which quickly turned into no starches and absolutely no added sugars. As my training grew harder, my times got faster, my eating habits grew increasingly regimented, and I grew skinnier and skinnier. By my second year of college, I had lost significant weight on an already thin frame.

At the same time, obsession ruled my daytime hours, as well as the many nighttime hours when I lay awake and stared at the ceiling, thinking of my morning alarm, crunch, stretch, blend kale and protein smoothie, walk to class, morning routine. Despite the concerns of my family and friends, I convinced myself I didn't have a problem. How could I? On the surface, I was doing well-a straight-A student and the first scoring runner on my team. I was running times I had never dreamed of in high school. Still, the disorder took over my mind until I believed overwhelming anxiety and obsession were inherent to my success.

By the last races of my second-year cross country and indoor track seasons, my body had reached a depraved state. I found myself sick with viruses, each lasting two weeks as I

refused to eat better or lighten up on training. At the indoor track conference meet, I ran the slowest 5k I had run since high school before collapsing on the side of the track. I was supposed to double in the 3k that weekend, but my coaches gave my bib to a teammate instead. I was in no position to race.

My eating disorder ebbed and flowed throughout college. But I could always feel it under the surface, lying in wait for the next opportunity where I could pull it out and use it to cope with whatever stressor confronted me. Throughout this time, I held a deep fear that I would be responsible for a culture of eating disorders on my team. If another teammate-predisposed to mental illness-saw my success, would it throw her into obsession too? Would she believe she must be skinny to run fast?

I opted out of my third-year track season to spend spring semester abroad in Costa Rica. But, in this faraway country, I had no 7am lift, no smoothie blender, no dining hall, and no 4:30pm practice. Instead, a heavy pit surfaced deep inside my stomach-the fear that I would gain weight, lose fitness, and slow down before my senior year. In San José, my host mom cooked me mixed rice and beans with eggs for breakfast each day. I would slowly eat the eggs and pick at the beans, asserting how much I appreciated the meal- Que rico, muchas gracias, Mamá - I'd swirl the rice around my plate, separating it from the beans. As soon as she left the room, I would run to the trash can, throw the rice inside, and cover it with my napkin. My host mom, a single parent with three kids, worked late into the night to provide the rice and beans on my plate. Cuidado, mi amor. Qué Diós te acompañe (Careful, my love. May God go with you.)-she'd call from the other room as I headed off to class. My life was the most regimented it had ever been, but I had never felt more like an animal.

When I returned to Iowa that summer, I wanted to change. I began to see a therapist once a week. At that point, I would have qualified for inpatient eating disorder treatment. But it was my senior year of college, and I had goals, both academic and athletic. Plus, I had been an All-Region cross country athlete the year before, and I wanted to give myself the best chance at qualifying for Nationals. By graduation, I was eating a more balanced and caloric diet, felt happier, looked healthier, and was still running fast-faster than I ever had, in fact. I told myself that I had outgrown my eating disorder with minimal external help.

But there's another, even less glamorous side of eating disorders. Years of under-nourishment will cause your body to operate in a famine state , flooding your mind with cravings of tremendous rigor. I had operated on rules and regiments, ignoring my hunger cues for years, so I lost all ability to recognize the sensations of hunger or fullness. The year after graduating college, I would eat mostly vegetables and protein all day and feel full, but at night, I wouldn't be able to stop eating until I felt sick. I would wake in the middle of the night with severe hunger pangs. I would plead with myself- it's all in your head, just go to sleep . Still, I could not fall back asleep until I had eaten whatever food consumed my thoughts.

By the summer of 2019, I realized I was not okay. I was not recovered. I did not want my eating disorder to run and return for the rest of my life; disguised with a new mask at every turn. Over a year after graduating from college, and in a body that appeared "healthy", I decided to finally enter a treatment program. My treatment center north of Chicago was not focused on athletes. Still, at one point there were ten women and girls in my program, and four of us were competitive runners.

To be clear, my college coaches in no way fostered or fueled my eating disorder. In fact, my coaches nurtured an atmosphere of balance and body positivity all-too rare in this damaged sport. My cross country coach communicated honestly with both me and my parents whenever she was concerned about my health. She would not only speak of the importance of nutrition but would take us out for pre-season ice-cream sundaes and share her favorite monster cookie recipe. She often verbalized the importance of body diversity on the cross country team.

When I was particularly frail my second year, my track coach would not let me start a workout until I had listed all that I had eaten that day and assured him it was more than sufficient. They-and many people around me-tried their best with the information they had, which was limited, given the inadequate educational resources on eating disorders and their taboo connotations.

Importantly, many athletes' eating disorders don't fit the criteria for standard anorexia or bulimia. Yet, female athletes' with restrictive eating of any sort are at risk for (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports) Syndrome, characterized by insufficient input to match output energy, a lost period, and low estrogen leading to decreased bone health. The results, including stress fractures, osteoporosis, and even decreased fertility and heart disease, can last long after adequate energy levels have been restored. I've endured four bone injuries, two occurring after I gained back the weight lost as a college athlete. I may not know all the effects that are yet to arise. Do I have more bones to break? If I want to have kids one day, will I be able to?

The fact that I-a Division III athlete with the most loving and nurturing coaches imaginable-could fall victim to a life-damaging eating disorder shows just how powerful the negative culture of female distance running is. Yet, women haven't been distance runners for that long-the first woman to run the Boston Marathon is in her early seventies today. Perhaps, this lack of precedent feeds the problem; the unique biological needs of women are not given equal weight. Women are powerful. But if we train young women and girls like we train men, and expect their bodies to appear like men's bodies, we ignore their unique biology and trigger long-term health consequences.

It's time we treat the culture of eating disorders in female runners like the widespread epidemic that it is. Mary Cain has called for the take-down of Nike and the systematic abuse evident at the professional level. I applaud her bravery in sharing her story and agree that Nike's relentless power must be fought. But I don't think taking down Nike will solve the national crisis-the destruction of female athletes' physical and mental states that occurs at all levels of the sport, and even in the absence of abusive coaches.

We must reform the culture of women's distance running. We must give coaches and athletes at all levels the comprehensive education to prevent and intervene in eating disorders. We must educate girls on sports nutrition, mental health, and balanced mindsets as early as high school. We must treat eating disorders as not just weight-loss or disordered eating patterns , but as mental illnesses .

Professional athletes are calling for a systematic change in the governing body of Track and Field. I am calling for that and more. If we truly love this sport and want it to prove sustainable for the women and girls that follow us, we must learn from the Mary Cain's, from the Amelia Boone's, and from ourselves. We must learn from that little girl we once were who just wanted to run fast. For her, we must go all in.

NEDA's 24/7 Hotline: 1-800-931-2237

Join our newsletter. Join our Facebook Community. Follow on social: @Lane9Project
Contribute your essay, or share your story, with Lane 9 Project.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The epidemic in women's distance running and what it did to me

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Emma Zimmerman Amelia Boone, multi-time obstacle course world champion has just left treatment and gone public about her twenty-year battle with an eating disorder. She has broken four bones in the last three years. In 2018, Hannah Fields, professional middle-distance runner for Brooks, took a three-month hiatus from training to receive treatment for her...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teens Reject DISABLED RUNNER, What Happens Is Shocking | Dhar Mann

# data[].attributes.body
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IjEB5WayyDclvmEoMGtBHkwBpnoLDK6QHIiSS5B8iOs/edit?usp=sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

# data[].attributes.body
We do not agree with the order of this hierarchy, and would reorder some of these. Cognitive needs to be higher up in the pyramid since people need their education enabled to work and contribute to society. This is our order of how the hierarchy pyramid should be.
Top of the pyramid to bottom:
Transcendence
Self-Actualization
Aesthetic Needs
Cognitive Needs
Esteem Needs
Belonging and Love Needs
Safety Needs
Physiological Needs

# data[].attributes.headline
An Article About the Joys and Pain of Cross Country

# data[].attributes.subject
An Article About the Joys and Pain of Cross Country

# data[].attributes.body
https://trailrunner.com/trail-news/why-we-love-cross-country-running-behind-the-scenes-at-cross-country-club-nationals/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The 2019 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships took place Saturday, December 14, in Bethlehem, PA. Written by By Josh Merlis, President of Albany, New York-based ARE Event Productions Inc. Photos by Clay Shaw.
His eyes blinked with increasing frequency as the rain pelted his head from all angles. A few seconds later, mud was dripping from his face, a gratuitous reminder that men were ahead of him, running with spikes caked in liquified dirt. It was a stampede of mega proportions; an assemblage of true competitors, all of whom have once tasted glory in small spheres, but today had come together on a kamikaze mission.

There is nothing more intense and physically grueling than a foot race. I suppose those in disagreement would dispose of my declarative as a presumptuous opinion, but among the three primary endurance sports on foot, wheel, and water, let's accept a few inarguable truths: when you run, any moment without effort yields zero forward progress yet on a bike, releasing the pedals doesn't bring you to a halt - and far from it on a downhill. On a run, each step thrusts three times your body weight against the ground in a jarring movement repeated 180 times per minute, while gliding in water is far from the same impact on the body. Looked at from a different perspective, how often does a cyclist or swimmer get injured and the prescribed cross-training activity while they heal is running?

Stay within yourself. Monitor your breathing. There is plenty of time. I'm not one to look back in a race; such a glance tells a blunt story: I am weak. It beckons to the person chasing you that you are no longer in the hunt to move forward and pass, but rather you are now petrified of what is coming from behind. Your race is over, and if a hungry competitor is in your shadow, that person will pounce at your pending immolation. And yet, some 80 strides into the race, curiosity overwhelmed me, and I glanced back. There was no one there.

Cross country races are as thrilling as they are raw tests of will and strength. With spikes protruding sometimes in excess of half an inch and hundreds of runners on top of one another, it's quite common to receive an elbow from one runner while your skin gets pierced by the shoes of another. A quick narrowing of the course can send a dozen runners crashing into a section that is barely 10 feet wide, and often there's a healthy amount of brush and possibly thorns adorning the edge of the course. Throw in some rain, and you now have footing as reliable as sand on the beach with the precarious threat of an icy sidewalk. Each muscle you didn't know you had is shrieking with every step to stabilize your entire body as you lose control on a section of course that is downhill, on a lateral angle, all while curving too. You don't get this in a road race.

For those who run cross country growing up, the advice is simple: get out hard. Don't get stuck behind a pack. Put yourself in position. As though sprinting the first 150 meters of a 5K is going to lead to your best performance. And yet it's how most XC runners start races. The damage done by going virtually all out at the beginning almost always ends up hurting one's race; consider that the person who ultimately wins is probably not running as proportionally hard at the start as everyone else trying to be up front. Slow down to speed up? Or as my wife's coach says, "Don't fade to a PR."

Just cause you're in last doesn't mean you shouldn't slow down. To be fair, it was more like I was running next to 75 other people chasing the 550 in front of us as we funneled on the 100+ meter wide field, but I began to do some basic geometric calculations in my head. Where is the course going? How soon until it narrows? Where should I position myself to avoid getting stuck - behind others, and in mud? And as it dropped from 180 people wide to barely 10, I swung to the far right side of the course, figuring even running extra distance at times would still allow for a smoother run.

I grew up racing. I chose that word consciously as I didn't train much for my first 5K when I was 6 years old, rather my dad took me to a race and we ran it. And we proceeded to do that basically every weekend for the following 8 years, although we did start to add some mid-week runs to the routine. He was a 'weekend warrior' in every sense of the word, and still, at 79 years old, is often seen running in races, but rarely seen running without a bib number. At least he's always fresh on the weekends?

Cross country in schools is a team sport, and there is both a lot of strategy and pride in running with your teammates. Working together to drop runners from another team. Alternating who surges, and knowing the quick tips to wake up a teammate, be it to focus on your shoulders or the arm swing, the knee-lift or the push-off. And while yes, as a race there's an inherent desire for your own team to do well, to "beat" the other teams - the truth is that the camaraderie shared by all on that start line is genuine and filled with respect for the other competitors. A great sprint finish between two racers is often rewarded with the shaking of hands once the dust has settled and the heart rate has dropped. Ultimately we all want to run faster, and the best way to achieve this is to have others at your side, pushing you.

Be patient but alert. I began to sift through the crowd. Bodies grasping with their lungs for oxygen, not yet 10% into the 10,000 meter race. While it may not always yield the fastest possible performance, often I like to look around me after the first few minutes of a race, and take stock of those around me. Am I falling behind? Am I passing others? Are those around me running relaxed? Does anyone strike me as someone to key off - to follow as they also begin to work their way through the masses. And early on, I don't want to be moving up yet. No sudden movements. No unnecessary surges. Just like a car, keep the speed steady, remain consistent which makes you most economical with all your energy systems. And as the course completed its initial sweeping near 180 degree turn, the fun really got started.

The day prior was a wet one, and the course had plenty of muddy sections upon our arrival a few hours earlier for the 2019 USATF National Club XC Championships in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Rain was forecast around the time of our race, and it lightly began before the start of it, the Men's Open 10K race at 2PM, the final event of the day.

Our Albany Running Exchange (ARE) tent was on the right side of the course just past the first mile, and as I navigated the rollercoaster section of course that brought us there, I swung wide again to see our Masters Men, Open Women, and team support crew cheering wildly in the tent village.

You're here to run your best possible race. Place is secondary. The goal today is to finish with the conviction that there is no way you could have performed better. In running, the notion of performance is just a big word for time - specifically the time on the clock when you finish. I hadn't raced since a track mile in July, and hadn't raced over 2 miles since the beginning of February. In fact, the last time I had run this few races in a year was thirty-one years ago, shortly after learning basic addition. So, in most exciting fashion, I was both thrilled to be in a race and also unaware as to what my current fitness was.

This national championship was last held at this location in 2014, and the ARE had made the trip, running upon the same course. I apprehensively checked the results from then a few days prior to this year's race, curious as to how I did - knowing that whatever it was, I was in much better shape then. While I still feel it's possible to get to where I've been, it's not getting any easier, and I suppose that explains why there were barely any men between 35 and 39 in the open race while the Masters (40+) division is chock-full.

Twenty-four hours before starting my warm-up, nearly 15 of us packed into one of our club vans and made the journey - together - first heading to packet pick-up and then to our rental home that would house all of us. As the drive began, I was in college again, reliving those trips that had coach up front driving, our assistant coach in the passenger seat, and the rest of us in the back, joking around and pretty much talking and discussing every last random thing that flew through our minds. Rarely was it about the race - rather running is the foundation of the relationship, not its terminus.

The atmosphere walking into the host hotel at sunset on Friday immediately brought us back to why we were here: to compete. And to do so as a team. The place was abuzz with lithe adults; sleek creatures that other than the increased contours and colorations of age might as well have all still been college athletes - bodies that have been nurtured to show what one is capable of long after the 'glory days', and Masters runners and beyond forcing the continued modification of Age Grading tables with their incredible performances that come from sustained dedication to our sport.

Our home for the weekend included 2 different bunk rooms, and 2 other rooms that could fit multiple people, along with a game room, large outdoor hot tub, and view of the mountains on the southwestern edge of the Poconos. For my two years of running for UAlbany, each XC season kicked off with a 5 day trip to Lake Placid, where our men's and women's squads took over the Cascade XC Ski Center. With similar cramped but cozy living accommodations, we bonded as brothers and sisters, running the trails of Mt. Van Hoevenberg by day and reading Running with the Buffaloes at night. Nothing else existed. It was the dawn of this century, I didn't even own a cell phone, and life was far less digitally connected if not plainly simpler. We ran. We played harmless pranks on one another. And we ran some more.

As my wife, Michelle, who had run CIM the week earlier, made dinner for us all, I stole away with a teammate to the basement to play ping pong and foosball. Why let a little race get in the way of a good time?

5:45. I hit mile 2 in the exact same time as mile 1, and was continuing to navigate through the steady recession of those who had gone out beyond their means. How do you feel? What adjustments should you make? I asked myself these questions, absent the distractions that otherwise abound my mind. Looking back on it now, I revel in that reality: only when truly racing does everything else disappear. A clear mind. Why is that when I lay down for shivasna in yoga, I can't stop thinking about everything, yet when running, my attention is unwaveringly committed to the sole activity at hand? And so nothing else existed as I looked away from my watch and continued to use my arms as propellants and stabilizers.

I can't recall the exact moment that I noticed the rain had substantially picked up, but I laughed to myself at how horrific the conditions were becoming. Simply put, it was weather absolutely no one would want to be outside, standing around in. Before the start, I made the decision to wear my lightweight ARE running hat, figuring I could always shed it if need be. Reaching the mid-part of the race, I pulled the bill closer to my nose. My sight line became more restricted to just those in front of me, but at least I didn't have to deal with wet eyes.

I love racing in horrible conditions for the simple pleasure that it becomes an added obstacle that favors those who accept it and revel in it than those who don't. It also makes it a heck of a lot more fun. Who wants to finish a race looking like how you did before the start? It also reminds me of some great training runs over the years, including running during Hurricane Floyd while in high school (school was let out early, so the XC team waved good bye to everyone else, and then headed into the trails for the craziest run of our lives), Valentine's Day 2007, running during a blizzard wearing ski goggles to cover the final remaining exposed portion of my body, and a mid-winter run with Michelle in Minneapolis, bundled up in the negative 22 degree ambient temperature.

Halfway done. The end of the first lap was a circuitous tour of the starting field, greeted by a man repetitively yelling, "There's less mud on the outside." I heeded his call, with my continued intention of trying to maintain some efficiency in my stride. Everyone was covered from the waist down in earthen slime; I didn't mind the lather on my body, rather it was the lateral dance my surgically repaired left ankle was engaged in that subconsciously screamed at me to find stable footing. And so I took it wide, pumping my damp arms faster to compensate for a stride length visibly reducing on the ascent towards mile four.

In the fall of 2000, some nineteen years earlier, I first ran across these fields. I was a freshman at UAlbany, and it was a sunny day, with good footing and fast times. And like many memories, some parts of it felt like yesterday, while other aspects made it seem like a different lifetime. None of us had phones with us on that first trip; more concretely, we certainly weren't looking things up on the Internet using devices in our pockets. Our attention was focused more on one another as a group - and the thrill existed in sharing the moment with those who were present, not taking away time from those around you to showcase your current moment to the rest of the world. But would we have done so if the option existed?

As my watch declared the passage of each mile, it beeped to get my attention and gave me 10 seconds to shoot my glance in its direction to acknowledge how long those 1,609 meters had taken. Miles 3 and 4 were not as fast as the identical ones preceding them, but then again, neither was the ground beneath my feet. Running past the tent village for the second time, I swung wide again to give my teammates a clear view of me, with a bit of selfish hope that my wife could catch a decent picture of me too. Even if my form was nothing another should replicate, perhaps at least it would serve as a good before picture to prove I bathed after the event. (It's the little things, you know?)

Beyond the reach of my teammates gaze, I allowed myself to settle back into the exhaustion that was overwhelming me, working harder to maintain the same pace. As my wife would later comment, "I saw you pass the tent at 6K and you looked great but then went over to 7K and you looked dead, what happened in that 1K?" It was amusing to inform her that I simply hid it at 6K as I ran past; the descent into exasperation was long started before those fleeting moments of feigned strength.

I passed the 8K mark in 29:15. Fairly clueless as to how the race would play out in my apprehensive pre-race visualization, I was happy with where I was, but also aware that I still had a mile and a quarter to get through. For the previous 2 miles, I had been going back and forth with a runner from Boston, and figured if I could stay close to him for the next kilometer, I'd be able to take command of the final kilometer, which is generously mostly flat or downhill.

My mind remained clear over the next few minutes. A delightful emptiness of just running. With the nascent memories of lap one, I focused on finding the firmer patches of grass to run upon, and excitedly ran past the 9K mark. One kilometer to go.

From an external competitive perspective, my performance in this event was of no consequence. I had no idea what place I was in, and our team was far removed from having any impact on the race. While I suppose finishing last as a team wasn't our "goal", even if we did, who cares? In April of 2000, I was on the last place 4×400 team at the Penn Relays. Dead last, in the last heat. Hundreds of teams. If there's one thing that perhaps more people should experience, it is finishing last. It's really not that bad. And you have to admit, you can't place worse than that if you try again. To be fair though, finishing first is fun too. But like statistics would dictate, generally, the far majority of us finish exactly where the bell curve says we should.

Coming into the final, quite long straightaway, I eyed the Beantowner I'd been trading places with and ran more upright, with increased attention on giving it my all to bring it home. I find the whole notion of a 'finishing kick' to be absolutely fascinating. What is the psychology behind it? More specifically, if I started kicking 3 seconds earlier, can I still hold it? Will I fade? What is mental toughness? What about our lives - completely disparate from running, itself, makes one person tough as nails at the end, while another a feeble closer? Does it transcend the physical?

With less than 200 meters to go, I saw my wife and team coach, Dick Vincent. Dick also was the officiant at our wedding less than one year earlier, and is the bedrock of a lot of the running of our team/community over the past many years and decades. They yelled to me to go after the guy in front of me. Nothing personal. Sure, one less point is nice, but it's more that the individual ahead represents time, and catching that placeholder will yield a faster result. And so I gazed ahead, and played the mental math game - assessing space and time and pace. What would it take to catch him? How fast is he moving? What must I do? If he picks it up, can I go any faster?

And as I sprinted towards him, upon the same shaky ground that he was also racing upon to reach five figures of meters completed, I was free. No distractions. No work waiting for me. Not the realities of life outside of that moment, nothing. And it was pure. And the plainest truth is that it doesn't matter if I did catch him, or, therefore implicitly, if I did not. All that matters is I ran as hard as I could, through that line, across that same otherwise non-descript, arbitrary patch of grass that I first touched more than half my life ago. And it felt amazing to be sprinting for the pure joy of the simplicity of this beloved sport called cross country.

Tags: Club Nationals, Cross Country, USATF

A former software & operations executive, Richard calls Bend, Oregon home and explores mountains & trails every day. Richard also leads teams of elite American mountain & trail runners to World Championship events.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why We Love Cross Country Running: Behind the Scenes at Cross Country Club Nationals

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The 2019 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships took place Saturday, December 14, in Bethlehem, PA. Written by By Josh Merlis, President of Albany, New York-based ARE Event Productions Inc. Photos by Clay Shaw. His eyes blinked with increasing frequency as the rain pelted his head from all angles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World by Lauren Fleshman