B1 – Intermediate
A marathon is a 42-kilometer run. Running a marathon is quite very physically challenging. So not everyone can do it. You have to train intensively for many months in order to do so.
However, for Australian runner Erchana Murray-Bartlett, running a marathon is like a walk in the park.
Read the article about a woman who ran a marathon daily for 150 days.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2301/230119-record-marathon-runner-2.html
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does the phrase “in shape” mean, “They would need to train for months to be in shape for the 42-km run.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
- What does “smash” mean here, “She smashed the previous record of 106.”? Give a synonym and use this word in your own sentence.
- What does the expression “to string together” mean, “If you keep stringing together little tiny goals, you can make it.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What do you think of Erchana Murray-Bartlett’s achievement?
- What do you think about marathons/long-distance running?
- What are the benefits from running marathons? What are the hard things about it?
- What is your opinion on Ms. Murray-Barlett’s mantra, “If you keep stringing together little tiny goals, you can make it.”
- What do you do to help yourself continue when you are doing something that is very difficult?
5 replies on “Woman Runs Record 150 Marathons”
Vocabulary Questions:
1.What does the phrase “in shape” mean?
it is the same keep fit e.g. María keeps fit by running an hour a day
2.What does “smash” mean here, “She smashed the previous record of 106.”? the same broke
Rafa Nadal smashed the record for medals won in tennis.
3.What does the expression “to string together” mean, “If you keep stringing together little tiny goals, you can make it.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
I keep string together speak in English every day, I will have a good level of conversation
Discussion Questions:
1.What do you think of Erchana Murray-Bartlett’s achievement?
I don´t know who is Erchana Murray in the real life because I don´t like sports, but I think that she loves this sport! and if she continues doing this great job she could go to the Olympic Games in the future.
2.What do you think about marathons/long-distance running?
People who do this kind of competition spend a lot of hours, days even years training to achieve their goal. It really takes a lot of mental and physical effort to do it.
3.What are the benefits from running marathons? What are the hard things about it?
People normally practise sport have a healthy diet as well, it is beneficious for their body.
Refering hard things , the effort mental and physical neccessary to achieve the goal.
4. What is your opinion on Ms. Murray-Barlett’s mantra, “If you keep stringing together little tiny goals, you can make it.”
If you show interesting in something and you do a great job you can achieve it.
5.What do you do to help yourself continue when you are doing something that is very difficult?
You can search alternatives options to continue doing the job and achieve your dreams.
Welcome to the Phoneenglish blog! You did a very good job in writing your answers to your lesson’s vocabulary and discussion questions. Hope you continue to practice your writing through this exercise.
See how you can improve these sentences:
Here is another way to express that sentence: Running could be very challenging as it requires a lot of mental and physical efforts to achieve one’s goal.
Here’s to more entries from you!
Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think of Erchana Murray-Bartlett’s achievement?
I love sports since I was a child, both, practicing and watch in TV, following the most important players in different sports and competitions such as tennis, football, and basketball. But, runners for me are incredible, cyclists also, because they have to follow and maintain tough training, mental and physical, and for sure, the Erchana Murray- Barlett’s achievement is for me one of the most important sports achievements, have ever seen in my life.
2. What do you think about marathons/long-distance running?
As is said before, I think athletics is an amazing sport, and for sure, Marathons and long-distance running are a discipline great to follow by supporters and watch on TV in big competitions such as World Competitions or Olympic Games, which arouse a lot of expectative among athletics supporters and the journalists. But behind all of them, there is a big fight over several years that athletes have to overcome, preparing for the big event, a job in the shadows that do not always have its reward, only some are the lucky ones to win the prizes and medals.
3. What are the benefits from running marathons? What are the hard things about it?
First, I want to say, that practicing sport, whichever is, is good for our health. Doctors recommend walking one hour every day or running 30 o 40 minutes, three or four times per week, go to the gym frequently; I mean practicing any sport is beneficial for our health. Apart from that, if we talk about running marathons is a bit different, because marathon runners are people specifically trained, physically and mentally, and is not a competition that whoever can do it. It’s a hard effort every single day, with a tough routine and strict discipline, sharing both, training and diet, and for sure has a lot of health benefits, but it’s a hard fight for a lot of years.
4. What is your opinion on Ms. Murray-Barlett’s mantra, “If you keep stringing together little tiny goals, you can make it.”
I think is a positive mantra, that helps the runner to get her achievements step by step, doing things in calm, working every single day, constantly, and without a rush.
5. What do you do to help yourself continue when you are doing something that is very difficult?
I recognized that when I was younger than now it was easier for me to be constant, work with plenty of energy, and with a positive attitude facing difficult situations. But last years I use to practice different methods to face not only difficult situations, but in my daily routines in my life work, sports, studies, familiar and friends, or personal life. I like watching motivational videos, learning about different ways of understanding life, practice sometimes meditation or yoga, practice sports, and I try to send me positive messages during the days in different moments, and through the years I have learned that is very important not to react very quickly, impulsive, is better be reflexive, always stay in calm and try to analyze the situations before make answers or opinions.
You are doing better and better in your writing. Good job!
Here is a sentence you can rewrite to enhance it:
Keep going with your practice.
Vocabulary Questions:
1. What does the phrase “in shape” mean, “They would need to train for months to be in shape for the 42-km run.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
The phrase “in shape”, mean, “to be fit, keep fit, in physical conditions for example”.
Example: “You should be in shape for the next pàdel games in your local competition”.
2. What does “smash” mean here, “She smashed the previous record of 106.”? Give a synonym and use this word in your own sentence.
Smash means in this sentence, broke or broke down the previous record.
Example: “The tennis player Rafa Nadal smashed the record of 57 matches consecutively won in the history By Pete Sampras”.
3. What does the expression “to string together” mean, “If you keep stringing together little tiny goals, you can make it.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
The expression “to string together” in this sentence means, “baste things or to tack things”.
Example: “I would try to keep stringing together a little detail so that get to my final objective before the year ends”.