What is so special about running???

245

Replies

  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    To me.. Nothing. Running sucks.. Plain and simple.

    You can get the exact same results by walking that you can by running... which is why I don't force myself to do it.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    driving home today I saw a whole heap of people running in the rain. I just thought "I hope they're actually training for some running event or something!" Otherwise, go do some other sort of exercise!
  • killerkat89
    killerkat89 Posts: 22 Member
    It makes me high. I love it. I feel strong and fit and powerful.

    But that's me. If you're not enjoying it (and I know you've had injuries from it) why are you continuing to do it? Find an exercise you ENJOY!
    I persevered because people including my physio told me I couldn't and that maybe running wasn't for me. I may not be in love with running to the extent I am with other things, but I do love proving people wrong who said I couldn't do it!

    I was told by a Physical Therapist that i wasnt a runner. I have ran on and off for the past 7 or so years. Started with cross country in middle school, now i have to be able to run to do my job (Im in the Army) so when they told me i'm not a runner i proved them wrong and started running again. At first i was slower then slow. But they even noticed a difference, showed them that there wasnt really anything wrong i just needed more exercise, and they had been limiting it. So after some acupuncture and running, im good to go. Now i am working on distance and speed.. Running is my stress relief. I dont know what i would do without it.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    I feel amazing from head to toe after a good run. Its also probably the most convenient way to elevate your heart rate to the highest intensity levels over other types of exercise. And then there is the competitive aspect of it, where its convenient to sign up for races and challenge yourself.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I'm sorry but heavy weights will not give the same benefits to the cardiovascular system as running. Lifting heavy weights has it's benefits yes, but they should not be confused with the benefits achieved with running.

    Not the SAME benefits, but benefits nonetheless. Lifting heavy, believe it or not, will help your VO2 uptake, and the additional power in your legs from squatting and deadlifting regularly helps more than you might imagine if you found yourself NEEDING to run.

    WARNING! ANECTDOTAL EVIDENCE INCOMING

    In my personal experience, I went just under a year without doing any form of running (I really don't like it, but certain running events hold an appeal for me so I do it occasionally anyway) and doing only heavy lifting. A month ago, I got on the treadmill just for lulz and completed 5k in a pace that would have had me at 185 bpm last time I did it. This run had me averaging 155. I could have kept it up for another 5k, no problem.

    Obviously, these results may not be the same for everyone, but I know for a fact that my stride feels much more powerful when I run now, and hills and such are not nearly as daunting.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    To me.. Nothing. Running sucks.. Plain and simple.

    You can get the exact same results by walking that you can by running... which is why I don't force myself to do it.

    well come on...you can't get the "exact same results" from walking as running. From a time angle, running is more efficient for weight loss and cardiovascular benefit. Walking is excellent exercise, but its not as beneficial as running. Running "sucks" for some I guess....but when those endorphins get released, it doesnt suck at all.
  • creative1981
    creative1981 Posts: 182 Member
    I am not a runner but do like the thought of it because A) It's free B) It burns a lot of calories and tones you up well C) Just getting out and about, wind in hair music in ears.

    I'm put off it because A) The burning feeling in my chest when I have tried to run and B) Having a 180lb woman running towards you has got to be more scary than zombies.

    Ha at least I thought of more positives. Perhaps I'll give it a go one day.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Running will challenge you more than any other exercise and you will meet some really cool people.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    From a time angle, running is more efficient for weight loss and cardiovascular benefit. Walking is excellent exercise, but its not as beneficial as running.

    That actually depends a lot on your diet. Running is going to tap into carbs for most people. If you are working a carb-restricted diet, and ESPECIALLY if you are on an IF diet, walking will actually be better for burning body fat stores.

    Now, obviously running is better for cardiovascular fitness; just not necessarily for weight loss. And when I think about valuable running for cardio fitness, it's not miles and miles of trotting. It's sprint circuits and HIIT.
  • PinkLinda
    PinkLinda Posts: 16 Member
    running...not my favorite...but I'll do a 5K just for the event and to keep me going. I had arthroscopic (sp?) surgery on my knee and ever since then hurts (yes, dont' get the scope) For me it is a part of a total program. I prefer to bike or swim, so yes I did IronGirl. I enjoy every Thanksgiving morning getting up and doing the local 5K Turkey Trot, makes for a great start to the day. I do the other events for just because.

    Those who only run, in the long term do more harm to the body although some diehards will say 'i'm fine' but knee issues are a problem. strength training with weights is important.

    some people it is easy and others just not.....i'm sort've in between, as I will do a 5K not interested in half marathon -- and those who are that is great for them. I do find it peaceful to run outside - I use no headphones as I'd rather hear the sounds of nature and have my conversation with God.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    To me.. Nothing. Running sucks.. Plain and simple.

    You can get the exact same results by walking that you can by running... which is why I don't force myself to do it.

    You're not entirely correct, running burns almost double (net) the calories of walking .63cal / lb body weight per mile vs .30cal/ lb body eight per mile (Source "Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running," Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise, Cameron et al, Dec. 2004.) and you'll get your heart rate higher running than you will walking but......if you hate running walking is still way better for you than being inert and you can find other ways to boost your heart rate.

    Back to the original question.......Setting aside the health benefits of running I find it's a great way to clear away the mental clutter. It's just you, the sound of your footfalls, they rhythm of your breathing - it's very meditative. (I don't run with music, I find it distracting and impairs my ability to hear traffic)
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    To me.. Nothing. Running sucks.. Plain and simple.

    You can get the exact same results by walking that you can by running... which is why I don't force myself to do it.

    well come on...you can't get the "exact same results" from walking as running. From a time angle, running is more efficient for weight loss and cardiovascular benefit. Walking is excellent exercise, but its not as beneficial as running. Running "sucks" for some I guess....but when those endorphins get released, it doesnt suck at all.

    So you're still getting the same weight loss and cardiovascular benefit from walking that you get from running.. it just takes longer with walking? Sounds like the over all progress is the same... and if it means that I don't have to kill my joints and get injured running, then it's fine by me.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    From a time angle, running is more efficient for weight loss and cardiovascular benefit. Walking is excellent exercise, but its not as beneficial as running.

    That actually depends a lot on your diet. Running is going to tap into carbs for most people. If you are working a carb-restricted diet, and ESPECIALLY if you are on an IF diet, walking will actually be better for burning body fat stores.

    Now, obviously running is better for cardiovascular fitness; just not necessarily for weight loss. And when I think about valuable running for cardio fitness, it's not miles and miles of trotting. It's sprint circuits and HIIT.

    the recent stuff I have read (some of which I think was Alan Aragon) that while slow steady state cardio (walking for example) is beneficial while cutting, that higher intensity (like running) can also be beneficial for cutting if you dont over do it.

    Running is a lot of things. Miles and miles of "trotting" isnt one of them. Not to me anyway.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    To me.. Nothing. Running sucks.. Plain and simple.

    You can get the exact same results by walking that you can by running... which is why I don't force myself to do it.

    You're not entirely correct, running burns almost double (net) the calories of walking .63cal / lb body weight per mile vs .30cal/ lb body eight per mile (Source "Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running," Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise, Cameron et al, Dec. 2004.) and you'll get your heart rate higher running than you will walking but......if you hate running walking is still way better for you than being inert and you can find other ways to boost your heart rate.

    Try doing inclines on a treadmill while walking.. Crank it up to like 8-10 and see what your heart rate does.. I think you'll be surprised.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    From a time angle, running is more efficient for weight loss and cardiovascular benefit. Walking is excellent exercise, but its not as beneficial as running.

    That actually depends a lot on your diet. Running is going to tap into carbs for most people. If you are working a carb-restricted diet, and ESPECIALLY if you are on an IF diet, walking will actually be better for burning body fat stores.

    Now, obviously running is better for cardiovascular fitness; just not necessarily for weight loss. And when I think about valuable running for cardio fitness, it's not miles and miles of trotting. It's sprint circuits and HIIT.

    How is walking better for burning fat stores than running? It shouldn't matter what source they are coming from (carbs vs. fat) because in the end it evens out and you can eat more carbs (as opposed to fat or protein) to compensate for the carbs burnt running. So any way you look at it, you are burning more calories in less time by running.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    To me.. Nothing. Running sucks.. Plain and simple.

    You can get the exact same results by walking that you can by running... which is why I don't force myself to do it.

    well come on...you can't get the "exact same results" from walking as running. From a time angle, running is more efficient for weight loss and cardiovascular benefit. Walking is excellent exercise, but its not as beneficial as running. Running "sucks" for some I guess....but when those endorphins get released, it doesnt suck at all.

    So you're still getting the same weight loss and cardiovascular benefit from walking that you get from running.. it just takes longer with walking? Sounds like the over all progress is the same... and if it means that I don't have to kill my joints and get injured running, then it's fine by me.

    No its not the same. You have to elevate your heart rate to get the same benefit as running.
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    It's more readily available and is cheaper than therapy. Running was the only thing that helped save my sanity during the worst year of my life.
  • DarrenSeeley
    DarrenSeeley Posts: 41 Member
    Until last summer, I hadn't run since school 30 odd years ago. I was already weight training in the gym and I had a holiday coming up in Yellowstone Park. I had this crazy idea of doing a short jog through the park, so at 42, I taught myself to run which was against all my natural ability and brain wiring. I loved the challenge. When I started I couldn't run for more than 1 minute. In a few weeks I improved dramatically and was able to complete a 2 mile jog around Yellowstone Lake in July (see photo!) I now run 5k on the treadmill 2 or 3 times a week and I love the mental and physical challenge. Every time I run I try to break a personal record, whether distance, or speed etc. My best 5k is 26m 43s and by chipping away I'm hoping to achieve sub 25m in a few weeks.

    We can all argue about the actual health benefits of running, but everyone who starts, does it for a reason and those of us who keep doing it, do it because it gives us something we can't get doing something else.
  • RBRoy
    RBRoy Posts: 31 Member
    I love to run! Fresh air, no cost, social/can do it with friends, can run at any time/as far as I want/as fast as I want, burns calories, tones my body, reduces anxiety/stress, and makes me feel so good!
  • Mommawarrior
    Mommawarrior Posts: 897 Member
    Everything about running is a positive for me. The freedom of just me and the wide open, no worries in the world on a run. I love the way I feel after a good run, I love the way it makes my body look, I can lose weight easy if I am running. If I am hurt and stuck on a machine at the gym nothing comes off of me.
    I love the amount of food I get to eat when I am running regularly .... lol. I don't eat junk food, I just get to eat and eat and nothing sticks.
    I love the great outdoors, I love the fresh air, I love the sound of the road beneath my feet.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member

    That actually depends a lot on your diet. Running is going to tap into carbs for most people. If you are working a carb-restricted diet, and ESPECIALLY if you are on an IF diet, walking will actually be better for burning body fat stores.

    The "Fat Burning Zone" is so misleading. Yes, when you're in that zone you burn a higher number of calories from fat relative to carbs but working in the training zones you are still burning calories from fat and, as your absolute number of calories is higher for a given distance you burn more fat (unless you're getting into an anaerobic level)
    Now, obviously running is better for cardiovascular fitness; just not necessarily for weight loss. And when I think about valuable running for cardio fitness, it's not miles and miles of trotting. It's sprint circuits and HIIT.

    Depends on what you're training for. If you plan on running a half-marathon or marathon there is no substitute for the long runs - it's also about developing the mental stamina to actually run 26.2 miles (something I have not yet done myself).
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member


    So you're still getting the same weight loss and cardiovascular benefit from walking that you get from running.. it just takes longer with walking? Sounds like the over all progress is the same... and if it means that I don't have to kill my joints and get injured running, then it's fine by me.

    Running does not kill your joints unless you already have a pre-existing injury and/or joint damage.

    Please do a little research before perpetuating this myth: http://rwdaily.runnersworld.com/2012/02/no-running-does-not-ruin-your-knees.html?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Blogs-_-RunningRuinsYourKnees
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    How is walking better for burning fat stores than running? It shouldn't matter what source they are coming from (carbs vs. fat) because in the end it evens out and you can eat more carbs (as opposed to fat or protein) to compensate for the carbs burnt running. So any way you look at it, you are burning more calories in less time by running.

    Aren't most people looking to burn fat? Look, as I've said, it depends on your diet. If you are on a carb-restrictive diet, which many people advocate for reducing body fat, then doing high-intensity exercise is going to be much less efficient. These exercises are going to demand carbs to fuel muscle synthesis (as high intensity exercise is invariably going to stimulate muscle growth). I'm not saying that walking burns more calories. I'm not talking about basic calorie-in/calorie-out math here. I'm talking about specifically targeting body fat deposits through diet and exercise that is focused on doing just that.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    How is walking better for burning fat stores than running? It shouldn't matter what source they are coming from (carbs vs. fat) because in the end it evens out and you can eat more carbs (as opposed to fat or protein) to compensate for the carbs burnt running. So any way you look at it, you are burning more calories in less time by running.

    Aren't most people looking to burn fat? Look, as I've said, it depends on your diet. If you are on a carb-restrictive diet, which many people advocate for reducing body fat, then doing high-intensity exercise is going to be much less efficient. These exercises are going to demand carbs to fuel muscle synthesis (as high intensity exercise is invariably going to stimulate muscle growth). I'm not saying that walking burns more calories. I'm not talking about basic calorie-in/calorie-out math here. I'm talking about specifically targeting body fat deposits through diet and exercise that is focused on doing just that.

    Its a bad idea in general to use exercise as a means to create a caloric deficit. But when you look at a 24 hour period (which is really what matters), if you run for 1 hour you will be entitled to eat alot more calories that day than if you walk for 1 hour. It doesn't matter what zone you're in during your training.

    But I"ll agree there are benefits to restricting carbs, but that has to do with things like managing your hunger and not overeating.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member


    So you're still getting the same weight loss and cardiovascular benefit from walking that you get from running.. it just takes longer with walking? Sounds like the over all progress is the same... and if it means that I don't have to kill my joints and get injured running, then it's fine by me.

    Running does not kill your joints unless you already have a pre-existing injury and/or joint damage.

    Please do a little research before perpetuating this myth: http://rwdaily.runnersworld.com/2012/02/no-running-does-not-ruin-your-knees.html?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Blogs-_-RunningRuinsYourKnees

    First off, That article is hardly considered research.. All it does it say that running does not ruin your knees and that you need to run with your upperbody/trunk... no scientific study anywhere to back up either claim.

    Second, How many posts do you see on here from people that are in pain from running? Due to wrong shoes, running wrong, etc etc... How many posts do you see here from people that are injured by walking? Very few.

    I have my opinion.. You have yours. I don't like running and never will... so I will continue to walk and reap the benefits from it.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679


    So you're still getting the same weight loss and cardiovascular benefit from walking that you get from running.. it just takes longer with walking? Sounds like the over all progress is the same... and if it means that I don't have to kill my joints and get injured running, then it's fine by me.

    Running does not kill your joints unless you already have a pre-existing injury and/or joint damage.

    Please do a little research before perpetuating this myth: http://rwdaily.runnersworld.com/2012/02/no-running-does-not-ruin-your-knees.html?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Blogs-_-RunningRuinsYourKnees

    First off, That article is hardly considered research.. All it does it say that running does not ruin your knees and that you need to run with your upperbody/trunk... no scientific study anywhere to back up either claim.

    Second, How many posts do you see on here from people that are in pain from running? Due to wrong shoes, running wrong, etc etc... How many posts do you see here from people that are injured by walking? Very few.

    I have my opinion.. You have yours. I don't like running and never will... so I will continue to walk and reap the benefits from it.

    You are likely to get injured if you run with bad form. So I'd say its better to walk than to run with bad form.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Its a bad idea in general to use exercise as a means to create a caloric deficit. But when you look at a 24 hour period (which is really what matters), if you run for 1 hour you will be entitled to eat alot more calories that day than if you walk for 1 hour. It doesn't matter what zone you're in during your training.

    But I"ll agree there are benefits to restricting carbs, but that has to do with things like managing your hunger and not overeating.

    Your first sentence seems to directly oppose your second. Yes, it's a bad idea to try to use exercise to "earn more food." Which is exactly why I don't advocate doing that. Which is why I'm not working from basic in/out math here. And yes, there are many reasons to restrict carbs; not only because they are the least satiating macronutrient, but also because they have a tendency to store very easily if not used right up.

    At any rate, this is taking us a bit away from the OP's question, to which I still respond "nothing."
  • picassoadagio
    picassoadagio Posts: 407 Member
    Love running. It has made me healthy (with the proper diet) for once in my life. I have lost over 100 lbs, 60 lbs from running and I'm still going. The only down fall from running is occasional back pain, but I am also training for a 1/2 marathon.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    For all the haters, when the zombies come, you're going to then understand. Until then, weightlift away. But, being strong doesn't save you from the zombies. Only speed and long term endurance will save you.
  • rob_v
    rob_v Posts: 270 Member
    real-world applications; e.g., running from zombies
    I love it!!!
    This is so true - I'm guessing another Walking Dead fan!

    I used to hate running. And when I say hate - I mean could not stand it, would rather do anything else in the world - hate.
    Then my wife started running, and started training for a marathon, and she would drag my *kitten* out with her. And I slowly began to un-hate it. It was some time we got to spend together, which was great. Fast fwd a few years, and I will admit that I actually enjoy running. The wife and I still run together somedays, but there are days that I run alone. The best runs ever are the early morning runs when the sun is just starting to rise. Something very calming about it. I think I am officially a convert!