long distance running is bad, and HIIT?

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foodie178
foodie178 Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
i just heard the other day that marathons and long distance runs are not that good for the body! after all, the first marathon runner (who would have had to have been a well conditioned runner to have the job that he did!) died immediately after reaching his destination. how long does a run need to be for it to be considered detrimental to your health? i've found multiple articles arguing for why long distance running is bad, but i guess the big questions are:
1. why are long distance runners so lean, or appear to be so lean and muscular?
2. they obviously are strong, so why is long distance running bad?

high intensity interval training is recommended for weight loss and training in general. how long does a HIIT workout need to be for it to be considered effective? can you do an HIIT workout on the treadmill effectively?
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Replies

  • eandrsmom
    eandrsmom Posts: 119
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    I have always been told (from more than one marathoner) that the problem with running those distances is the temporary heart damage that is done. Tests have shown it usually reverses within a couple of months I believe. When my dad had a heart attach, the 39 year old kid in the bed next to him was a marathoner. He collapsed and had a massive coronary on a five mile leisure run. Personally, I only run if someone is chasing me, and if he is good looking enough, he can catch me. :wink:
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    Long distance running is not bad for your heart... it may be bad for your knees and hips, but that's a whole different issue. When runners have heart problems its usually attributed to an underlying condition... not the running. Ultra runners do runs over 100 miles and they don't drop dead.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    1. why are long distance runners so lean, or appear to be so lean and muscular?

    They are lean... they have very low body fat. Most aren't actually very muscular... if you put a long distance runner and a sprinter side by side, you'll see the difference. But with such low body fat, the muscle they do have is more visible.

    2. they obviously are strong, so why is long distance running bad?

    I wouldn't say it is bad, but it is very taxing and stressful for the body.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Running isn't bad for you and it's actually becoming the most popular form of exercise. If it were that bad the roads would be littered with dead bodies.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    i don't think you are at the point where you have to worry about the long term effects of distance running.
  • Graceious1
    Graceious1 Posts: 716 Member
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    I run and I also do HIIT. I usually do 5k distances, who is around 36 minutes or I do a 45 minute run. Some athletes may have underlying health issues which may contribute to their unfortunate demise. A good HIIT work out is usually 20-30 minutes and 3-5 times a week for it to be effective. There are some great DVDs out there such as Jillian Michaels or Insanty. Take your pick if you're interested. I do martial arts for 2.5 hours a week, HIIT 3 days a week and run once a week. Still alive, fit and healthy. We have so many runners where I live in London.
  • Remo_Williams
    Remo_Williams Posts: 73
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    Read this, there is research that shows the issue:

    http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/running-may-be-harmful-your-heart

    2. "they obviously are strong..." What is your definition of strength? If you mean the absolute amount of weight a person can lift, I would argue that they are not strong, at least relative to someone who trains for strength (think powerlifting or olympic lifting). If by strong you mean they have the willpower to run the distance, that's another story.
  • kmorganlfc
    kmorganlfc Posts: 115 Member
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    Long distance runners are lean and toned, not realy muscular in the same way a sprinter is. This is because the slow-twitch muscle fibres needed for distance runnng don't bulk-up when exercised. It's only fast-twitch fibres that do that. Also, long slow runs, it is believed, help to train the fast-twitch fibres to behave like slow twitch ones to help cope with endurance and not enlarge in the way a body builder or sprinter's does.
  • Legs_McGee
    Legs_McGee Posts: 845 Member
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    If you're talking about Phidippides, he ran 280 miles round trip from Athens to Sparta and back before running the final 26 miles and dropping dead. He overtrained a bit. (Wikipedia :)
  • kmorganlfc
    kmorganlfc Posts: 115 Member
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    You can do anything with stats and numbers to make them look good or bad. There is a far greater percentage of people with heart conditions amongst those who dont exercise and those who run long distances. I've yet to see many stories of a cardiac epidemic amongst past olympic athletes or amongst many of my friends and their associates who have run long distances all their lives. Amongst those who dont exercise, on the other hand...
  • sirthickness
    sirthickness Posts: 133
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    Chronic long distance running is, in fact, bad for your heart and other organs. Recent studies support this fact. I'm not talking about 5-15k runs or 1-2 marathons a year, but CHRONIC long distance running.

    This is one of many articles/studies out there on this subject.


    http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/severe-health-risks-marathon-running/page/3
  • bonjour24
    bonjour24 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    i run marathons and i'm still alive! and i do intensity stuff too. i've only had health gains- i'm still fat though so my muscles aren't visible. but i bet i'm more muscular under my fluffy exterior than i was 40kgs ago!
  • Cyclink
    Cyclink Posts: 517 Member
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    By the article's definition, anything that leaves you sore the next day is bad for you (and of course, they don't quote a single reputable source).

    The headline probably sold several magazines though, which is the whole point for them.
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    Wow even more bad information in this thread than usual.

    Read the book "born to run" and I guarantee you will look at distance running differently.
  • trail_rnr
    trail_rnr Posts: 337 Member
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    Oh good grief. This again? People are always quick to point out so-and-so who died of a heart attack after running (!) but they don't bother to think about the thousands of other people who also died of a heart attack that day from poor lifestyle and diet choices (or the thousands of other runners who did not have a heart attack that day).

    Here's my opposing article:

    http://www.runnersworld.com/health/too-much-running-myth-rises-again

    _Thousands_ of people run 100s competitively every year. Yes, thousands. Maybe some of them have heart problems, but I doubt it's from running as much as they do (more likely from all the beer and Pringles!). I personally know many of these people. Maybe a little crazy, but their hearts all seem to be doing just fine.

    Everything in moderation, people. And, yes, moderation varies from person to person.
  • Brenda_1965
    Brenda_1965 Posts: 314 Member
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    http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/85/1/63.full
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/85/1/63.full
    I don't see relevance.
  • kmorganlfc
    kmorganlfc Posts: 115 Member
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    http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/85/1/63.full

    So sport can be damaging to people with medical conditions.
    Where is the eureka moment in this?
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I can die of a premature heart attack, or stroke, or a big belly and the metabolic syndrome, or a pulmonary embolism . . . or from running. I would rather go out with my sneakers on.
    I think my chances of living a long and active life are a little better with running than with obesity.
  • gargisingh
    gargisingh Posts: 123 Member
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    I can die of a premature heart attack, or stroke, or a big belly and the metabolic syndrome, or a pulmonary embolism . . . or from running. I would rather go out with my sneakers on.
    I think my chances of living a long and active life are a little better with running than with obesity.

    Totally second this :smile:

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