Which Sport Is The Hardest On Your Body?

My jaw drops every time Roger Federer returns a crushing serve at 130-140 mph to his opponent. For some, matching Bobby Jones's classic elegant swing is equivalent to reaching the epitome of sporting success. But calling tennis or golf or any other the hardest sport is debatable. I

personally believe that running a marathon is the toughest sport out there. Agreed, all other sports like baseball, rugby or golf require finely-tuned mental and physical co-ordination and each tests you at different levels of strength, stamina and psychological prowess. But none of them push the limit like running 26.2 miles under 3 hours, in a climate that may or may not be conducive to comfort and without a single pit stop. Nor is there any technology to lean on. It's just you and your body against the elements-from the start to the finish line.

"The Mile Has All The Elements Of A Drama!" said Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, a former athlete who couldn't have put it better. Dedication, determination, exhilaration, pain, action and emotion, you name it. Unlike baseball or golf where the main focus is to match hand-eye movement and complement it with a stroke that is pure brute power, or adapt and change your strategy tactically in tennis and NASCAR racing, a marathon I believe is the hardest sport on the body. There are several reasons why.

First, most runners train on hard, concrete ground. The pounding legs and joints feel every time feet touch the pavement and leap back up is at least four times a runner's body weight. And this continues for the entire distance!

Secondly, there are no 10-minute rest room breaks, fuel recharge pit stops or injury time outs or replacements. Yes, one might engage in a slower pace or walk while entering the midpoint of a race. But pull to a complete stop and recovering lost time is out of the question.

Next comes the long, winding road. A 26-mile run is a daunting task, even for a seasoned marathoner. Putting the body through a test like this for a stretch of three hours entails physical and mental exhaustion to the brink of pain and numbness. Many tend to simply switch off their brains, distancing themselves from the pain. This may work for some, but most of the best athletes refrain from doing so. Yes, they feel the pain too. But they choose to accept the aches, tune their bodies to adapt to each situation and reach the finish line. This is what makes for an elite runner.

Where's the strategy involved? In a tennis match, strategy is critical to break the opponent's game. That strategy needs to be modified every time rivals decide to spring a surprise. So, if Andre Agassi capitalized on his serve and volley tactics, Pete Sampras had to rely on more than his super-smooth aces to stay put in the game. Similarly, during a marathon it is crucial to strategize the entire route to protect the body from burnout. Some runners make the mistake of going too fast in the beginning to take the lead, they run the risk of losing fuel mid way and lagging off at the finish line. What makes running the best sport of all is that everyone is a winner.

Oh yes, there are the proverbial 1st, 2nd and runner up spots, but the ephemeral experience of a race well run is unexplainable. And for anyone still unconvinced, put on your tennis shoes and hit the streets!

Author: Brian Falati is a sports afficiando who loves the game of football. Visit his blog, Brian Falati's Top 10, to read his opinions and sports commentary http://brianfalati.wordpress.com

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Classy Gifts for the Motorist in Your Life

It is better, they say, to give than to receive. And although many of us do not necessarily believe that, there is certainly something great about handing over a gift and seeing the look of surprise and delight on the recipient’s face as they open it. Make no mistake; this will not happen with just any gift. Fail to research your gift purchase and you may end up, for example, handing over a bottle of champagne to a friend who has been teetotal for decades. It is much, much better to give it a lot of thought up front and consider what they most enjoy. Specifically, we will deal here with gifts for car lovers – a grouping that makes up a large section of society.

The car has become an indispensable part of our society, of course, women are far ahead. and sometimes they drive you nuts. As well as being, for many people, a necessary means of conveyance from A to B, it has become highly important from a point of view of identity. In some ways, our car is like our clothes – when people see us in the distance, arriving at a destination, they will recognise us before they even see our face, because they know our car. We spend a lot of our lives in our cars – going to work, coming home, going to see friends, holidaying and so forth. It is unsurprising, then, that we are identified so closely with our vehicles. It is also unsurprising that a car-related gift will often be very gladly received.

Car-related gifts vary between the practical and the almost frivolous. They may even have very little to do with actual driving. Depending on your budget they can be technological, sentimental, big or small, but they will all, generally, say something about us as a person and as a motorist. One of the most popular gifts for motorists in this day and age is, for example, an MP3 player docking station. The music we have downloaded to listen to on foot can be hooked up to play through the vehicle’s sound system – which is a real advance on how things used to be, allowing us that jukebox feel from the comfort of our driving seat. Alternatively, one may give as a gift something more practical, such as a mini vacuum cleaner to keep the car clean.

Really, the main thing that decides what kind of gift you give to the motorist in your life will be your budget. Items that make driving significantly easier, such as a GPS navigation system or a toolkit for running vehicle repairs, may cost in the $100+ category. Gifts that make the journey a little more fun, or the car a little more individual or homely, can be something as simple as an ornament to hang from the rear view mirror and cost significantly less than $50 or even $25. Depending on the level of interest in cars – or in a specific car or manufacturer – you may even buy them a T-shirt, cap or other item of memorabilia representing the car itself.

Are you putting off reviewing or changing your car insurance coverage? Visit AutoInsuranceRatesDirect.com today for information on how to determine what coverage you need, then find it at a good price. Insure your whole family.

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