long distance running is bad, and HIIT?

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  • Lalouse
    Lalouse Posts: 221 Member
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    I actually just watched this thing on the History Channel about how long distance running is actually a natural trait of humans.. our stone age ancestors were able to run very long distances.. and sprint very short distances. We actually have a nack for running and our bodies enjoy doing it.. that is why we still have these crazy things called marathons where people run for hours. Our bodies have a desire to run because we did it so much in prehistoric times.

    Running, of course, comes with a higher risk for injury as compared to walking. It's also not recommended that very heavy people spend a ton of time trying to run, because it can impact their ankles and knees. I don't know think it's necessary for us to aim to run hours every day. I'm trying to get to a point where I can run about 30 minutes or less a day (that's about a 5k), although I do have some MFPals who run for hours/10+ miles a day. I just don't have the time!!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    In terms of overall health risk, exercise training represents somewhat of a conundrum. By that I mean that, during the exercise session itself, the stress of the training load increases one's risk of a negative medical event. However, chronic exercise DECREASES one's overall risk for long-term lifestyle disease conditions, and decreases mortality and morbidity rates.

    Most health authorities consider the long-term benefits of exercise to outweigh the transient risk that occurs during the workout itself.

    In the early "running boom" days, distance running was thought to confer an extraordinary protection against disease and sudden death. In one of the more spectacularly wrong statements ever made in medicine, a cardiologist --Thomas Bassler -- supposedly was quoted saying that if you could run a marathon, you were "immune from heart disease".

    Acute medical events that occur during distance running events usually happen for one of the following reasons:

    1. The person had underlying heart disease or another serious medical condition and was unaware of it.

    2. Especially during marathons. one can experience serious disturbances in electrolyte balance. The risk seems to increase with excessive water intake.

    3. Environmental conditions, esp thermal stress.

    These situations can be exacerbated for beginners who aren't really trained to run the distance, or really experienced runners who push themselves too hard in search of a top performance effort.

    It is wrong to dismiss these studies out of hand. The detailed research into the acute effects of running events like a marathon is turning up information that should at least be considered and looked at in greater detail. However, it is still too soon to draw global conclusions, esp given the fact that you have had hundreds of thousands of people running marathons for decades now and they are not all dropping in the streets.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    I don't think endurance races are bad for you as long as you are physically fit and train your body to complete these events in a safe manner. Good endurance runners don't just do endurance running either. They incorporate interval based training to increase their aerobic capacity. They'll do a wide variety of running workouts as well as cross training.
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
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    long distance runners are skinnier because they concentrate on running and none on weights spirinter do weights and running they will do squats deadlifts compounds heavy weights.

    long distance running will impact joints over time you can get torn ligamants.
    sprinter is also risky anything is risky if not done proper
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 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.

    :huh: :huh: :huh: When will this myth die?

    http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134861448/put-those-shoes-on-running-wont-kill-your-knees

    http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/joint-myth?page=single

    http://articles.cnn.com/2009-03-23/health/hm.running.aging_1_joints-knee-mason?_s=PM:HEALTH

    Unless you suffer from a pre-existing condition that contraindicates running you need not worry about your joints.
  • Brenda_1965
    Brenda_1965 Posts: 314 Member
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    Runner's heart is real, I do believe. There are muscles that thicken in lifelong 'elite athletes'. It is discussed in a medical literature review that I posted above. I'm definitely NOT an elite athlete, but my heart issues are congenital. I have had them my whole life and was not aware of them until I developed edema. We are currently investigating the severity of the damage. Do I continue to run? YOU BET I DO!
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    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?
    I really hate this comparison. What they don't take into account is the training methods of a sprinter and a long distance runner. Sprinters lift weights, they squat, deadlift, clean and press. The over body is built in the gym.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    Fat is bad
    Carbs are bad
    protein is bad
    long distance running is bad
    simply walking is bad
    lifting weights is bad
    Eating 500 calories is bad
    eating 1,000 calories is bad
    eating 1,500 calories is bad
    eating 2,000 calories is bad

    EVERYTHING is bad as far as what I've heard (and yes, I have heard all of these)

    Do your own research and see what suits YOU!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 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.

    There's no actual medical evidence it's bad for knees and hips either, for what it's worth.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Sorry, just spotted that Brian got there first with that point.

    (And yes, it's exasperating to read that knees and hips stuff over and over and over.... )
  • Sharonks
    Sharonks Posts: 884 Member
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    I know that some people really can't run due to joint issues. I thought I was one of them for most of my life. When I was in my 20s I used to run about 3 miles a day. My knees, hips, and feet would hurt eventually it would become debilitating. Given I do have joint issues I figured I just couldn't run. While I continued to exercise, running just wasn't able to be a part of it.

    Fast forward 20 years. At the age of 46 I started running on a treadmill. I have other medical issues that make it unsafe for me to be out and doing that kind of burn. The roads here are very unsafe for walking, running and biking. My feet, knees and hips started hurting so badly that I could barely walk. I went to a running shoe store and had them fit me. Amazingly enough I have minimal pain now. I still have a little but it is not bad. At 47 I can now run 6 miles at 9 or 10 minutes per mile. No speed demon but not bad for an old lady.

    Running has improved my blood pressure, weight, T2, and moods. My older sister started to run at about 43 and now at 50 completed 12 marathons this year. She has run in the Boston marathon twice and is planning on going next year.

    Find what you like and go and do it. Of course strenuous exercise may not be right for you if you have medical conditions and you should talk to your dr. about it. I figure I'd rather die doing something than spend my life vegging on the couch and dying from not taking care of myself. It is inevitable that I will die. Every day is one day closer to it. It is about how I choose to live my life. I choose to feel good both physically and mentally.
  • Heitor70
    Heitor70 Posts: 56 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).

    Agree!
  • wildcelticrose
    wildcelticrose Posts: 40 Member
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    Oh good grief...

    THIS? Again?

    The risks of a sedentary lifestyle far outweigh the risks of running.

    Your average person training for a marathon is going to be running a slow enough pace that it is not going to harm your heart.

    I've been running full and half marathons, as well as competing in triathlons for the last ten years, and I'm just fine.

    Yeah occasionally someone dies in a race or out on a run (normally from an undiagnosed congenital defect)

    So what?

    How many people die every year in their sleep from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure?

    You're at greater risk on your couch.

    As always, check with your doctor and start out any running program with good shoes (go to a real running store to be fitted) and start out slowly.
  • Brenda_1965
    Brenda_1965 Posts: 314 Member
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    The Oxford journal refers to a thickened muscle in the heart in "elite athletes" definitely not me. I run 3 miles a day, and I DO have a regurgitating bicuspid valve. You must've missed the part about elite athletes' hearts. Not a huge deal, but this medical research journal seems pretty sound compared to the one originally quoted.

    Do I continue to run while waiting for a verdict on my heart's prognosis? YOU BET I DO, and so does my cardiologist. (I'm only 47!)
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
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    New studies are showing that blood tests taken after distance races. . .like marathons or 50Ks, etc, show a marker that is usually only seen in people who are having heart attacks! Of course, at a lower level. So, it CAN create problems for some, and really is a concern for those who may have undiagnosed heart conditions!!

    I, myself, and a half marathon runner and I love it. I don't know if it's gonna kill me or not, but so far it's been a friend to me and I'm gonna stick with it. Of course, if I kick the bucket at my next race, I doubt my family will be too thrilled! (kidding)
  • likemeinvisible
    likemeinvisible Posts: 309
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    In atletics, the only field you will find relatively old people who are still competitive is the marathon run. It takes years of training to achieve endurance and it's all about the cardiovascular system which becomes better - larger blood vessels and a better heart. Another example is the tour de france - no teenagers on the podium there.
    If it's so detrimental for your health why do you become better with old age !?

    It's the weightlifting you should be worried about:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJcd5cT66Yg
    http://www.steadyhealth.com/Weightlifting_poses_death_risk_t77098.html
    http://videos.howstuffworks.com/sciencentral/2628-weight-lifting-death-video.htm

    eta: It's not all about the cvs, there are of course other factors and they are all beneficial to your health.

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