Opinions of Veteran Runners on the Influence Between Long-Distance Running and Holistically Interpreted Health
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Acta Facultatis Educationis Physicae Universitatis Comenianae Vol. 56 No 2 2016 OPINIONS OF VETERAN RUNNERS ON THE INFLUENCE BETWEEN LONG-DISTANCE RUNNING AND HOLISTICALLY INTERPRETED HEALTH Josef Oborný Department of Sport Educology and Sport Humanities, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Comenius University in Bratislava Summary: The objective of the research was to determine the cognitive basis, the classification and evaluation of the long experience of long-distance runners in the senior category in relation to the perception of running as a factor in their overall health and wellbeing. Research was conducted with a sample of male and female long-distance runners with long experience in domestic and foreign long- distance running events in veteran categories. Oral and written interviews with the same questions were used to acquire information on the correlation between holistically understood health and long-term participation in long-distance running. The interview design allowed respondents to express their opinion on the questions in more detail through additional notes. A quantitative analysis of the acquired data was conducted using standard mathematical operations and the incidence of responses in percentage terms. The hypotheses were tested using a test on the parameter p of a binomial distribution and a median test. Senior-age long-distance runners' decision to take up running was found to have both heteronomous motivation (encouragement by a sports teacher, admiration for other runners, persuasion by colleagues) and autonomous motivation (an internal need to run, a means for overcoming mental stress and restoring internal balance, the need to lose weight, elimination of health problems, the desire to compete). The majority of runners agreed that long-distance running had a positive effect on their overall health and physical condition. Long-distance runners rated the effect of long-distance running on their social and personal wellbeing to be greater than three on a five-point scale did. There is no statistically significant difference between the number of runners who think that long practice of running has some negative effects on their health and the number of runners who think that it has no negative effects. The majority of runners think that their health is better than that of their peers who do no sport. Key words: runners of senior age, motivation for running, social and personal wellbeing _______________________________________________________________________ DOI 10.1515/afepuc-2016-0008 93 © Acta Facultatis Educationis Physicae Universitatis Comenianae Introduction Before starting research, we defined following research problem. The effect of long- distance running as a lifelong sport activity on the holistically understood health of the runner. We decided to study this issue by consulting the opinions of long-distance runners with decades of experience in this kinetic sport activity. The long personal experience of sports participants is vital in many areas of sports research. There is also much that can be learned from the experience of other authors and current runners. One of these has said that running, in particular long-distance running is the universal, most accessible and most widely practised sport on our planet (Finn, 2012). Aim The objective of the research was to determine the cognitive basis, the classification and evaluation of the long experience of long-distance runners in the seniors’ category in relation to the perception of running as a factor in their overall health and wellbeing. Characteristics of the research sample In general terms our research sample can be seen as a set of individuals, a community that "considers itself to be only an aggregate of individuals" (Černík & Viceník 2011). In preparing our research sample, we respected the requirement of the research method (an oral and written interview) and sought a set of respondents that we expected to be able and willing to engage in a dialogue and tell their story. In this regard, the research benefited from the fact that the researcher knew all the consulted respondents in person, had personal experience of recreational and competitive long-distance running and was an authentic participant in running events. Our research sample was made up of male and female long-distance runners with long experience in domestic and foreign long-distance running events in the veteran category. The majority of respondents have rich experience of large international running events. The research sample was created by a guided but spontaneous selection based on the researcher’s personal knowledge of the structure of runners in the relevant age group. The respondents come from various regions of Slovakia. The information database for the selection of respondents was also drawn from the lists of runners registered for large running events such as the 11th ČSOB Bratislava Marathon 2016 and the Košice Peace Marathon 2016. The sample is described more detailed in the results section. Research hypotheses H 1. Runners of senior age started running based on heteronomous motivation. 94 H 2. The majority of runners agree that long-distance running has a relevant positive effect on their health and wellbeing. H 3. The majority of long-distance runners rated the effect of long-distance running on their social and personal wellbeing to be greater than three points on the five-point scale. H 4. The majority of runners consider their health incomparably better than that of their peers. H 5. The majority of runners consider negative effects of long-distance running on their health to be non-existent. Methods The sample comprised 16 men and 2 women. The average age of the men was 64.4 years and they had an average of 35.3 years of running experience. They ran on average 3.7 marathons and 6.5 half marathons per year, their average personal best times in marathons being just under 3 hours (Table 1). The women's average age was 63 years and they had been running for an average 34.5 years. Their average totals for active runs was 7 marathons and 5 half marathons per year with an average personal best over marathon distance of just over 3 hours. Table 1 Characteristics of the research sample by sex Men (N = 16) Women (N = 2) Age 64.38 (4.13) 63.00 (7.07) Number of years as a runner 35.33 (12.75) 34.50 (2.12) Number of marathons per year of running 3.73 (3.17) 7.02 (4.38) Number of half marathons per year of running 6.52 (5.99) 5.02 (2.81) Best time in a marathon 02:55:30 03:03:28 Best time in a half marathon 01:28:02 01:29:25 (the number before the bracket represents the average value of the variable for the respondents who answered the question; the number in brackets is the standard deviation) a. Method used to collect research data The first stage of the project was to elaborate the research procedure. Following Ochrana (2009), we understand a research procedure as a "procedure that gradually implements a defined task related to research and the achievement of the research objective". Our research uses the methodological principle of individualism – attention is focussed on the individual and the community of runners is seen as merely an accumulation of individuals. It ignores the existence of certain units above the level of the individual. De facto, all runners 95 run only for their own benefit Units above the level of the individual in this area of research could include, for example, long-distance relay races. Holism (research focussed on a particular social unit such as a "sport" group, e.g. the group of all long-distance runners) and systemism (aimed at providing an adequate account of the interaction between the individual and society, or the community of runners) were excluded from the approach. Our research applies a principle that tries to reflect most adequately the interaction between the runner as an individual and the community of runners. To do this, data was collected on the correlation between holistically understood health and long-term participation in long-distance running through oral and written interviews. It is analogical to a questionnaire completed ad hoc with the possibility to record additional comments. A sub- method of this interview is the method of the additional comment, which allows interviewed runners to express their views in line with the question but also to step outside the set boundaries to some extent. Gavora (2007) and Hendl (2005) call this type of qualitative research a narrative interview. b. Method used to evaluate the obtained data The used to evaluate the data that our research yielded reflects the size of the sample, the degree of homogeneity in the sample and, naturally, the research objective. The sample did not include a very large number of respondents but included a relatively large percentage of the men and women who are active in the sport with long years of experience. The low robustness of the sample is therefore not a handicap for research (Volín 2007). A quantitative analysis of the acquired data was conducted using standard mathematical operations and the incidence of responses in percentage terms. The hypotheses were tested using a test on the parameter p of a binomial distribution and a median test. The acquired data is interpreted by means of verbal commentary and also tables, illustrations and the runners' own interpretation in the form of their supplementary statements. Results and discussion Hypothesis H1 (runners of senior age started running based on heteronomous motivation) was tested by the answers of respondents to item 6 in the questionnaire. This asked respondents why they took up running. Seven respondents stated that they took up running because of an internal need for movement to run. The other eleven runners mentioned 96 heteronomous reasons.