Brian Castro

Matt Wilson
Section 2000

WP2
Today, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause for premature death, the obesity
epidemic has no end in sight, and type 2 diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent. These
illnesses are self-induced, preventable, but most importantly, deadly. However, there is a simple
solution: exercise. Exercise, specifically running/jogging, can not only help one live a longer,
more healthy life but can also lead to more benefits. The peer-reviewed article, The
Psychological benefits of recreational running: A field study by Attila Szabo and Julia Abraham
provides a detailed explanation to the scientific community of the psychological benefits
associated with running. Additionally, the book Marathon Japan distance racing and Civic
culture by Thomas R.H. Havens, informs the reader of the positive effects it has had on Japans
culture. Although both pieces of writing belong to their own respective disciplines and are bound
by their genres conventions, both play an important role in the exposure of the world to the gift
of running to benefit society. Since it is so beneficial, the habit of running should be adopted by
society as a common part of everyday life.
The Psychological benefits of recreational running: A field study belongs to the
discipline of Psychology, meaning that it views running through the lens of someone familiar
with the workings of the brain. The discipline of psychology explores running in a more
technical sense than Marathon Japan by Thomas R.H. Havens. Instead of saying running can
result in a happy mood the article writes, there is also evidence showing that exercise

stimulates dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenergic activity in the central nervous system
(Meeusen & De, 1995), which essentially means the same thing but with diction from the
discipline.
The audience of the article can be deduced by its use of jargon such as thermogenic
hypothesis, catecholamine, placebo, and in situ. Words such as these place a restriction
on the articles audience. They cause individuals with weak backgrounds with science
experimentation from being able to understand what is being proposed and researched in the
experiment. Only members of the scientific community can provide input and analyze the
conclusions drawn from the articles experimentation methods.
The reason for such exclusiveness in the audience of peer reviewed journals is to expand
the knowledge over a certain field by answering new questions in that field. To elaborate,
members of the discourse community are experts in the field of psychology, so they can use their
acquired knowledge to support new psychological claims being made. People with weak
scientific backgrounds would contribute very little to breakthroughs and new discoveries.
Experts analyze every aspect of the experiment to see if the claims being made are valid. It is for
this reason that some of the conventions used in scientific articles are accuracy and precise detail.
For example, A total of 50 runners (37 males 13 females) (pg.3) is used to describe the test
group. Further depth is provided when the article states that the participants mean age was
29.02. (pg. 3) Additionally, All statistical calculations were carried out with the Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 17 provides a thorough description of the
methods used during the experiment. Details like these are used because they are key elements
that allow for the experiment to be easily replicable. Replication of the experiment allows for
others to draw their own conclusions from the same experiment. If the same conclusion can be

drawn after successive recreations, the claims made by the article are accepted by the scientific
community as fact and later published in simpler language for the public. The public can then
implement the new information into their lives to be physically and psychologically healthier.
The peer reviewed article, The Psychological benefits of recreational running: A field
study reaches the conclusion that running for longer periods of time and at higher intensities
does not yield additional stress relief for ones mind. The article states that the results lack of
connection between speed of running and changes in four measures of affect, add to the mounting
evidence that pace or workload is unimportant in disclosing positive changes in affect after exercise.
(pg.7) This means that during times of psychological distress, a quick jog for fifteen minutes will

relieve the same amount of stress as an hour long run at a faster pace. Running can therefore be
used as an escape to calm ones mind in turn helping ones mental health without requiring much
time to be set aside.
The monograph, Marathon Japan, by Thomas R.H Havens, thoroughly explains the
growth of popularity for running in Japan and the development of running as one of Japans most
popular pastimes. It belongs to the discipline of history and uses historical events and quotations
from athletes as evidence. The book uses specific historic examples and events to piece together
the complete history of running in Japan starting around the Edo Period (1600-1868) up until
present day. Havens quotes Japanese elite athlete Takahashi Naoko, from the year 2007, saying
that, running went from a [temporary] boom to becoming a [permanent] part of the culture.
(p.1) This serves as evidence because it is a first-hand experience from an athletes point of view.
Runnings popularity skyrocketed to the point that events like the Nagano Marathon had crowds
of over 100,000 people cheering throughout the course. Participation was high as well. Havens
states that, only 10,000 [runners] are given entry because of space restriction (p.143) and that

many fill up right away and use lotteries to manage entries. (p. 141) For reference, Japan has a
population of roughly 127 million people, less than half of that of the U.S., yet still at least as
many athletes complete marathons in Japan each year as do runners in the United states. (pg.
142) He reasons that participation was so high because of the positive reputation that running
established over the years along with reasons like fitness, body image, stress reduction, and selfesteem. If more people in the United States also viewed running with positivity like the Japanese,
the urgency of health concerns today would be reduced. The U.S. also has gained glory from
running over the years, the only difference is that less people are saying I can do that too and
more would rather just stay home.
The audience of the book is anyone that has slight interest in the history of running or
even just Japans history. Opposed to the scientific article which limits its audience to a unique
set of individuals, the monograph is written in an inclusive manner without the use of specialized
vocabulary and with plenty of examples to keep the reader historically informed. By allowing
such a wide audience to be able to read the book, the positive influence that running has had on
Japanese culture and society can reach plenty of people. This information causes people to
associate running with more positive aspects and make them more likely to start running
themselves.
Marathon Japan explains how, through sport, a sense of unity among the country was
created. Havens quotes Arata Fujiwara, champion marathoner, to show an athletes point of view
on the effect running was having on the people of Japan. Fujiwara stated, The Tokyo Marathon
made Japanese people aware that, independent of winning or losing, everyone has their own
race. (pg.141) By creating the goal of self-improvement, runners are united by their desire to
transcend their limits and encourage one another to do their best. Encouragement fosters a

positive environment among runners that allows them to reach their goals more easily.
Furthermore, Havens mentions Olympic athlete, Tanaguchi Hiromi, and how he was the winner
of Japans first gold medal in the marathon at the 1991 world championships (p. 26) to show the
significance of the moment for the country. Prior to that event, running was popular but its the
success in the area that sparked further attention and led to the participation of more athletes.
Specifically, a great popularity in distance running among women in the 1990s and after arose.
This shows how successes in running not only brought pride to the country, but also encouraged
others to engage in a healthier pastime.
In conclusion, running is the key to a healthier country. The benefits associated with
running outweigh the effort required, yet people still refuse and face negative consequences.
Citizens of the United States should learn from the people of Japan and integrate running into
U.S. culture for the sake of a healthier, more relaxed society.

Citations

Havens, Thomas R.H. Marathon Japan. N.p.: U of Hawai'i, 2015. Print.

Szabo, Atilla, and JUlia Abraham. "The Psychological Benefits of Recreational Running: A
Field Study." Institute for Health Promotion and Sports Sciences, Eotvos Lorand University,
Budapest, Hungary, 7 June 2012. Web.