Should we runners not run?

Okay. My take on all of this. There are lots of people who will say that cardio is not the way to go. Is it the best way to lose weight? No. Is it the only thing you should do? No. However, there are some people that do it for reasons other than weight loss or fundraising (like what was suggested in the article). There ARE benefits to cardiorespiratory activities. For some of us, it's about more than weight loss. It's about helping the heart, decreasing risk of diabetes, reduced stress, decreasing blood pressure...some of us have a horrible family history and are trying to be proactive. Are there other ways to do this? Sure, but it drives me nuts when people say to not do it, the only reason we do it is to eat more/binge, it's a waste of time.....
I run (along with other things) and I do it mainly for the cardiovascular benefits. I do it because I have an awesome running group and enjoy my time with them. I do it because I enjoy it. Period. People shouldn't automatically assume WHY people run and just be happy they are doing something that benefits them. So yeah, I disregard articles like this. Do what you like and don't look back. Open your mind and try other things as well, but NEVER will I tell someone to stop because there's something better for them when they are doing something that does have benefits

2. Some physique coaches prescribe 20-plus hours per week of pre-contest cardio for women, which essentially amounts to a part-time job.

Bulls**t!!! If you can run a 10 minute mile then that would mean you're doing 120 miles a week of running. This is sheer sensationalism. I ran 150 miles last month and my total running time was just over 22 hours. That's for the entire month.

3. Steady-state activities like this devastate the female metabolism. This happens with men, too, but in different ways.

It makes your body more efficient by lowering your heart rate and improving your cardio vascular system. I wouldn't say this devastates your metabolism.

Is running making women into muffin top blobs? Why can't I find any pictures of women marathon runners with huge spare tires that the author here is referring to?

Here's an article by fitness author/trainer Rachel Cosgrove on what running did to her previously lean body:

http://members.rachelcosgrove.com/public/The_Final_Nail_in_the_Cardio_Coffin.cfm

Of course she didn't get a "huge spare tire", but she says her body did indeed change whilst she was training for her first Ironman.

"My body was soft, with no definition, and had definitely changed due to spending the majority of my training in the steady-state aerobic zone — the same "fat burning zone" many books and magazine still talk about.

I was in great shape as far as my endurance and cardiovascular system were concerned, but I had less noticeable muscle tone and didn't have the definition I was used to having in my abs and arms.

Put it this way: I didn't even want to wear a crop top at my race because I didn't have abs, to show. In fact, I felt like I had rolls for the first time ever! My body had started to look like that of a flabby endurance athlete.

I'd lost some muscle and looked soft and flabby, but I was still happy with my performance and thrilled that I accomplished my goal."

Cosgrove gets into the whys and hows of it in the article and goes on to discuss how she regained her previously lean body by first dropping all the steady state cardio and instead doing HIIT or circuit training styled workouts. She dropped the fat and returned to her lean state within about 8 weeks.

That was a very informative article. I read the entire thing... her pictures weren't popping up though. piffle. Thanks for suggesting it!

While I understand that ONLY cardio (and lots of it) definitely isn't the way to go, the author of this article can pry my running shoes out of my cold, dead fingers! :laugh:

same here....I'll never stop running!