Is Running Dangerous and Do Marathons Kill?
The online world often goes through a rotation of both favored and unfavored activities. What essentially happens is a popular individual, or group of them, decide to garner your attention by eliciting fear of a specific way of exercising, oftentimes as a way to promote their spin on some alternate approach. This process at first may appear like a bit of free advice. However, more often than not, there is a book or course for sale at the end of it all. Chalk it up to fear and emotion based marketing. When I see these types of posts, I often get a bit curious as to what the claim actually entails. Although I personally dislike this form of marketing, the wiser of the individuals who do it, often give you a glimpse into at least a shred of truth, which if acknowledged without the load of baggage, may be helpful.
Recently there has been a spree of anti-running content floating around online, specifically distance running. It has ranged from the typical claims of, “it is bad for your joints and knees” all the way to “it causes visceral fat to accumulate.” Of course, neither of these things are true with proper implementation, but should we ignore them? Let's take a look.
I think we can all agree exercise is important. If I can be granted that, we can begin with a simple truth that people will be healthier by including some form of exercise in their routine. The next step becomes, what type of exercise? Generally speaking, variety is going to be the best option. This means that some combination of cardiovascular and strength work is probably better than only doing one or the other. In short, runner’s are better off if they also strength train, and strength athletes are better off if they include some cardiovascular training sessions in their routine. With that said, most people are busy, have limited options, and will be better off using their finite time to exercise doing something that is sustainable to them. Sustainable can be looked at in at least two ways. One, is it something that is motivating and enjoyable enough for them to want to do it consistently. Two, is the approach done properly enough to keep them healthy and uninjured.
With that being said, I typically encourage a person to ask themselves why they are doing a specific exercise, and really dig into whether it will be sustainable for them. This sometimes can mean going a different direction, but may also just be a scenario where they should broaden their inputs to include variety within the activity.
For those who choose to pursue distance running or marathon training, the next step is doing it properly. In my opinion, this means variety within important inputs, but not too much. In other words, don’t become a one trick pony, or better said, one pace pony. Running and marathon training includes a spectrum of important intensities that range outside of what you may do for a specific event. Striking the balance right means you will have variety and be less subjected to imbalances that can lead to long term issues. Granted, doing this incorrectly can also leave you frustrated if you get injured. Worse off, if you push through these injuries you may even prove the fearmongering right! Pushing through injuries and allowing your body to compensate in inefficient ways may lead to some issues like bad knees and joints. This is why it is important to start where you are at, if that is zero, acknowledge it. Avoid projecting a younger, more fit self, or a more advanced friend’s program onto your current inputs. Whether you are building volume, introducing speed work, or adding strength work to your program, start light, assess and progress. Give yourself a generous timeline if needed. At the end of the day, consistency is the biggest variable for long term development, improvement, and sustainability.
So, if doing it right is not dangerous, or a one way ticket to death, how are people getting away with saying these things? Often they are comparing two different groups of people, tricking you into thinking your approach will equate to the other group's result. The best way to look at this is through professional athletes. Ultimately, they are the ones that take an activity to the extreme. It is often necessary to reach the top when the competition is willing to make sacrifices and at times take some risks. What usually happens is they will take a recognizable person, or themself, and say this or similar, “look see, I/they did this and ended up broken. Don’t make the same mistake, do this instead…” They are comparing an anecdote, or a specific group of people to the greater population who likely have different inputs than the average person doing the activity at a recreational level. Sometimes they will even introduce a degree of nuance by at least partially clarifying that this is the case. However, it is usually less visible, left out by those who read headlines and share, or shadowed by the fear and emotion of the initial statement.
One could argue that it is the reader's responsibility to do due diligence, and by doing so will arrive at a more fair understanding of the risks and benefits than the initial statement lets on. Although I agree with this to an extent, what is often left out is the potential replacement cost. If we go back to the beginning and recall that it is likely better to exercise than to not exercise, discontinuing one exercise activity out of fear, does not negate the risk factors of things going wrong with whatever is done in replacement. The reality is that all of these different exercises and activities carry some risk. The risk is simply worth it compared to doing nothing at all. This part is often left out, and at times the activity being promoted has a comparable or higher risk potential, than the activity being targeted.
In summary, it is wise to look at all the valuable inputs of a specific activity like distance running or marathon training. When done properly, it will not leave out other important things like speed work development, strength work, and proper nutrition. All these things carry some risk, so progressing through them properly will help achieve the benefits with much fewer issues. Setbacks are a reality for all activities, so be mindful that just because you are made aware of the potential risks of one activity, it does not mean another does not also include them.
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