دویدن و انگلیسی

Running in English - Speaking Practice

Hi, everyone!

I’m Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com.

My mission is to help YOU to speak English fluently and confidently.

In today’s episode:

• I’m gonna talk about running or jogging.

• Next, through a mini-history lesson, you’ll practice vocabulary, and above all, you’ll improve your spoken English.

Very well. Let’s get started!

Running began in the United States as a sport enjoyed only in youth programs, colleges, or at professional levels.

But in the 1970’s Americans rapidly grew interested in participating in the sport as amateurs.

Publications started talking about the benefits of jogging. Many studies argued about the natural skill of jogging that belonged to humans. It’s when running became mainstream and fun.

How To Start Running

I know it’s tempting to just go out and run as fast as you can for as long as you can. However, keep in mind that if you want to run longer, feel stronger you’ll need to be very patient.

Experts recommend to start by adding one minute of running for every four minutes of walking, and gradually increase your running time so that eventually you’ll be running for twice the amount of time that you spend walking.

Your main goal is to get fit without getting hurt. Going far too fast, before your body’s ready is one of the most common causes of injuries.

You can stay injury-free by gradually building up the time you spend walking and running, increasing the time by no more than 10 percent from week to week.

Footwear

Footwear is logically the most important element. Running shoes are often called sneakers. You can find all kinds of footwear and for all possible conditions.

For example, you can find running shoes for hard surfaces, mixed, waterproof, with drop or no drop (that means whether you raise your heel or not), minimalist, etc.

As for the minimalist sneakers, they became fashionable about 7 years ago or so. They are lightweight and almost unprotected. The idea behind the minimalist sneakers is to be able to run as if you were barefoot.

Now it seems that minimalist sneakers are no longer fashionable. I’ve noticed that lately most sneakers come with a memory foam. They seem to be more comfortable but I’m not sure if there’re the best option when it comes to running.

The truth is that people spend a lot of money on sneakers, since a good pair of them usually cost more than $100, and sneakers don’t last long.

The Clothes

Some years ago, runners wore anything. A cotton T-shirt, shorts and running pants. Today, runners use synthetic materials that allow sweat to dry quickly. There are winter and summer clothes for running. If you go to a sports shop you’ll be surprised by the huge variety.

The Backpack or Rucksack

This too has become popular. A backpack is what you carry behind your back and you can put things inside like water, some food, etc.

But of course, you can’t carry any rucksack.

You’ll need a running backpack. These backpacks are designed so that you can run with them without any discomfort. Some even have a water tank. You can drink through a tube. This type of rucksack is mainly used by those who run many miles.

The GPS

So, what if when you go running you get lost? You need a gps! The truth is that it’s motivating to know how many miles you’ve run, your pace, etc. Many people use mobile apps to keep track, but the cell phone sometimes doesn’t work well. I prefer a GPS watch. These watches work very well and never lose the signal like the cell phones.

Supplements:

What did a runner do a few years ago before a race? Well, he or she just ate a sandwich or a banana and they were good to go.

Now amateur athletes tend to use very specific supplements.

There are protein supplements, vitamin supplements; sports drinks; energy gels; energy bars; etc. The lists seem endless. I don’t really know if these supplements are very effective, but people seem to spend hundreds of dollars every year on such supplements.

MINI-STORY 📖

(Improve your speaking)

Ok, let’s move on to the next section.

Here, I’ll use the Question & Answer technique. This is the perfect lesson if you want to speak English automatically.

Let’s see how it works:

• I’ll give you some information. (A phrase or two).

• I’ll ask simple questions.

• After each question, there will be some seconds of silence: it’s your turn to answer the question!

Just try to give an easy and short answer, not a complex one.

• After you answer, I’ll give you a correct answer.

This process will continue, and little by little, I’ll be telling a story using questions and answers.

Let’s get started!

Some years ago, Jason was a very sedentary man.

Jason, were you very sedentary?

Yeah, I was very sedentary. Sedentary means I didn’t exercise, I didn’t move.

Did you get a lot of exercise?

No, I didn’t get much exercise. It was very sedentary a few years ago.

Jason. When were you sedentary?

A few years ago. I was sedentary a few years ago.

Were you very sedentary yesterday?

No, no, no. Yesterday wasn’t sedentary. A few years ago, I was sedentary.

One day he decided to participate in the New York Marathon.

Did you decide to participate in a race?

Yes, I decided to participate in a race: the New York marathon.

Did you decide to remain sedentary?

No, I didn’t decide that. I decided to participate in an important race.

What kind of race did you decide to participate in? For running, swimming or cycling?

Running. I decided to participate in a marathon. This means that I decided to participate in a race where the participants run. It wasn’t a swimming race, or a cycling race.

Okay, Jason, thanks for the information. So, the marathon wasn’t swimming or cycling. Where was the marathon held? In which city?

In New York. The marathon was held in New York.

Jason spent 💵 $1000 (dollars/bucks) on the best sneakers and sportswear.

Did you spend money on sneakers and sportswear?

Yeah. I spent money on sneakers and sportswear.

How much money did you spend?

$1000. I spent $1,000 (bucks) on sneakers and sportswear.

They gave you $1000?

No, they didn’t give me $1,000. I spent $1,000.

What did you spend so much money on?

Well, on the best sneakers and sportswear. I was going to run in the marathon!

You spent money on a GPS to run?

No. I didn’t spend any money on that. I spent it on sneakers and sportswear.

Every day Jason trained🏃 for 8 hours straight because he was very motivated.

Jason… were you training?

Yeah, sure. Sure. I was training. I was training for eight hours straight.

What were you doing, Jason? Did you watch TV because you were sedentary?

No, no. I wasn’t watching TV; I was training. I trained as much as I could.

About eight hours straight because I was motivated.

So, Jason… Why did you work out so many hours?

Because I was very motivated. I trained eight hours in a row every day because I was very motivated.

Were you poorly or very motivated?

Very motivated. He was very motivated.

Who trained eight hours in a row every day?

Me. I trained eight hours in a row every day. I was getting ready for the New York marathon race, remember?

When the race started, Jason fell asleep 😴 at the start because he was too tired.

Did you fall asleep on the way out?

Yeah, I fell asleep on the way out.

Where did you fall asleep?

On the way out. I fell asleep on the way out because I was so tired.

I understand. Then why did you 😴 fall asleep?

Because I was too tired. I fell asleep because I was too tired.

Oh… what a shame. Were you too tired or just a little tired?

Too tired. Too tired. I was too tired.

Of course, you had trained long before the race. You think you were tired because you’d trained a lot?

Yeah. Yeah. I think so, yes. I had trained long before the race. Maybe too much. Then I fell asleep on the way out. I slept very soundly.

And you slept well?

Yes, I did sleep well. I slept soundly. I had a lot of rest.

Did you rest or get tired?

I rested. I was too tired to run, and I fell asleep. I slept very well and rested.

Ok! Awesome! It’s the end of this short lesson.

Can you see how many questions you can answer? It’s like talking to another person in English. Now imagine a whole story told this way. It’s incredible how much you can learn using this method.

Go to Courses.SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

and continue practicing your spoken English with stories.

See you soon and have a wonderful week!

Bye! Bye!