Like many people I know, I started running as a way to get healthier. I also wanted to feel better. I began my journey in earnest as an obese 39 year old who desperately needed to get in shape. My driver was my son more than my own personal feelings on the subject. I wanted to be a good dad and in order to keep up with a growing young boy, I felt like I needed to shed some pounds. So I began running. Mind you this was probably the 3rd or 4th time in my life that I had tried to run. i would start, keep it going for a time, then find reasons to let it go. Perhaps I just needed the right motivation. So this time I set some goals - concrete and attainable goals that turned into a 10 mile race, several half-marathons, and eventually a full marathon. I have never looked back and running is now as much part of my life as any other activity that I enjoy.
As part of my journey to become a more committed runner I have done a lot of research on the effects of running on my body. Not surprisingly it seems that not everyone thinks running is all that good for you. I mean there are always naysayers for every topic you can imagine, from coffee to video games, sides are always formed and opinions abundant. I first ran into opposition concerning long distance running with my doctor. He advised me while getting a physical prior to my first marathon that he was sure that running marathons reduced the life span of those individuals. This alarmed me initially as I was about to run my first marathon and again I was doing it to be healthier. Perhaps live a little longer. He pointed me to some research articles to see for myself. The funny thing is that when I started digging, I found evidence on both sides of the fence. The one consideration that seemed to trump all the others was that that running long distances does not lead to shorter life spans in and of itself. A proper assessment of the individual needs to be accounted for when determining how much running is healthy.
So lets start with the basis for the bad. In 2012 there was an editorial published in the British journal Heart. It was co-authored by a cardiologist who claimed in the editorial that, "excessive running may thicken the heart tissue, causing fibrosis or scarring, and this may lead to atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat. Prolonged exercise may also lead to "oxidative stress," a buildup of free radicals that may bind with cholesterol to create plaque in your arteries." This all sounds pretty bad to me. The hypothesis here is that unless done in moderation running can be a negative health factor. The immediate question that is raised by this assertion is how can this possibly apply to everyone? People have different bio-metric elements that are not being considered in this kind of study. It seems like a no-brainer that levels of good vs bad cholesterol, history of heart diseases, blood pressure, etc. must be taken into account when determining the impact of any exercise on the body. This would apply to short term or long term studies. No such considerations were made in this case.
Fortunately, the scientific community has continued to study the effects of endurance running over the long term. In 2014 a report was published by Duk-chul Lee on the wonderful health effects that running has on the human body. That study found that even modest amounts of running can lead to a 30 percent drop in all-cause mortality risk and an average increase of three years in lifespan and that persistent runners had the most significant benefits, with 29 percent and 50 percent lower risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively, compared with never-runners. All of that sounds good! Well at the time of the study the authors cautioned that they need to do more research to determine if there is an upper limit to the positive benefits of running.
Fast forward to 2016. The same authors of the 2014 study held a symposium titled "Optimal Dose of Running for Health: Is More Better or Worse?" There were two studies conducted as part of this symposium. Lee (yes that Lee from the prior study) concluded that more is not worse, but it may not be better either. However, in the study conducted by Paul Williams, there is evidence that runners averaging 40+ miles per week (pretty serious) were 26% less likely to to develop coronary heart disease. This certainly seems good on its face. The main difference between the two studies is purely based on number of runners studied. Williams research followed over 156,000 runners; a far larger sample size than Lee's study.
So here are some interesting effects that were seen from these studies. Runners can have up to 50% larger hearts. That is more muscle to pump blood to those working muscles. I have certainly felt the impact of this. Since my running has ventured into the 20 to 30 mile per week range I have noticed increased muscle mass and decreased recovery times from run to run. Endurance runners also tend to have more abundant capillaries to assist with circulation. I no longer am prone to some of the lower extremity circulation issues I was dealing with before taking on running more seriously. So I can attest to this fact. Also, runners resting heart rates are lower which means less stress on the heart even while resting. I don't know about you, but I like what I am reading here.
Obviously, we all must make sure to listen to our bodies. There is little question that running can have significant impacts on your body. This is especially true for the feet, ankles, knees and hips. It is important that you get sufficient rest to let your body heal, especially after hard workouts. Wearing the proper shoes and paying attention to weather conditions is a must. Runners must hydrate and make sure they are getting proper nutrition, especially when running longer distances. Ignore these tips at the risk of turning something helpful and positive into something else entirely. Just like most things in life, there is a right and wrong way to run healthy. I recommend checking with your physician before starting a running regiment as you need to at least be aware of the risks associated with your body.
That being said, when you look at the overall health benefits of running at any distance, it seems like a no-brainer. Running should be something that every able-bodied person should at least attempt. Above and beyond all the wonderful health benefits of running is the psychological benefits. I have little doubt that my self-confidence and self-awareness have been enhanced due to running. Just go for a run and you will see what I am talking about. Physically you may be tired, but your mind and attitude will be on the up and up. In fact, I love to run when I am tired or depressed. It is the best way to inject energy and better thoughts into my world. For the love of the run, I am better!
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