Running Day: Rough Draft

On Thursday or Friday, every Rosemont student participates in one single activity, Running Day. No matter if you love it or you hate it, every student has a very strong opinion on it. In this article we will explore these different opinions and views on Running Day.

WHAT IS RUNNING DAY?
You may think that this question is obvious, but before we dive into the different views on Running Day, it is important to refresh your brain. Running Day is a 30 cross-country country course in which Rosemont students will run the three fields to complete laps. The passing grade is three laps, which would result in you running about 1.86 miles, and taking 16.08 minutes on each mile. Three laps is only a 70% on your grade, but if you complete everything else and get a good grade you can still earn a “B” in PE. To earn 100% you must complete five laps, meaning you would have to run 3.10 miles, spending 9.41 minutes on each lap. That is the basic idea of Running Day, and now that you have a general idea, we can get into the details.

THE GOOD
Running Day is so good for students in so many ways. It benefits your health in many ways, and is great for your heart! For people who are interested in running, it helps them put their abilities to the test. Leland Elmes stated, “I love Run Day because running in general is super fun.” It is also a fun opportunity to challenge your friends. For some students Running Day is a way to forget about everything and just run. “I feel like I’m free when I’m running.” says Brianna Balian. As you can see some students really like running day.

THE BAD
However exciting and healthy Running Day may be, many students despise it. I remember running the mile every other week in less than 10 minutes, in just 4th grade! But because of Covid, so many students have gotten out of practice, and Running Day ended up being harder than most people anticipated. “It’s heart healthy,” says Joseph Ryznar “…but it hurts my heart!” This is another reason people don’t like Running Day. It gets you out of breath, and your heart races for the entire time. It is hard for some students to keep a consistent, nice pace throughout the whole 30 minutes, and end up walking the last lap because they are so tired. Running Day may be a good thing, and many students view it that way. Many students like running day because they get to talk with their friends and not just run, but others like running day because they enjoy this sport.

WHAT DO OUR ROSEMONT COACHES SAY?
We interviewed 7th grade P.E. coach, Breanna Hutchinson, on Running Day, and she had a lot of important reasons as to why Running Day is great for you. “I think it’s [Running Day] really important because it’s hard for some kids who don’t play sports to exercise, and that is literally the only time they exercise.” Some kids may not be able to afford to do sports, or may not want to, and Running Day can make up for that. She thinks that it is very important for us to work out. “It helps you stay focused, it helps you keep being attentive during class, and also tests too.” Coach Hutchinson also brought up a great point on Running Day. She stated that people who have friends who love to run find themselves getting hyped for Running Day, and pushing themselves to go for the next lap, but people who have friends that hate it end up talking the entire time, and get only 2. “It depends on who you surround yourself with,” she says.
Coach Hutchinson recommends jogging the flats and the downhill, and to walk uphill. She says to do it in baby steps, and to not run all of it at once, because you may get sore, and even sick. But overall she thinks Running Day is a great part of your week. “It keeps you going.” she says.

So there you have it. These are the different opinions and views of Running Day. You may love it, you may hate it, but there is no denying that Running Day is a necessary activity to stay happy and healthy.