Forums >Running 101>I want to be a runner !
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Latent Runner
I'm currently running 25 miles a week. I feel strong like I could do twice that but have been reading lately that anything over about 20 a week starts to be not beneficial. My plan was to run a marathon sometime next summer (2014) but now I'm starting to re think that. Any opinions ?
Seriously, over 20 per week isn't beneficial? Yikes, I'm doing closer to 60 per week. Funny thing, I was much slower and much fatter when I was only doing 20-25 miles per week; guess my body doesn't believe whatever it was you were reading.
Fat old man PRs:
Fear is a Liar
It's interesting that the article mentioned only two runners who supposedly died from heart disease - I have read these stories but don't remember the details well enough to comment.
BUT - where are the numbers for all the John and Jane Doe's who run zero miles, are sedentary, are over weight and die from heart disease? I bet that is a way bigger number.
I'm so vegetarian I don't even eat animal crackers!
If I'm not mistaken, Jim Fixx was genetically predisposed to hypercholesterolemia (which causes very high blood cholesterol levels regardless of diet and/or exercise, and almost always results in atherosclerosis, aka. heart disease) and a congenitally enlarged heart, both factors that can kill pretty much anybody. I say this to use as evidence to discount those who point to Jim Fixx as a reason to avoid running or at least to avoid running consistently long distances.
If your minimal health insurance policy allows for free/cheap physicals, you might want to consider getting one along with the associated blood work; that will at least tell you if you have elevated cholesterol levels and are at risk for developing atherosclerosis. In my case I went some four years with absolutely no insurance, and wouldn't you know it, I developed cataracts in my eyes during that period. Not only did I need to have the most severe one (which utterly and completely blinded me in my right eye) removed on my own dime, I needed to have a complete physical prior to the surgery. I tell you this because after calling around, I found both an eye surgeon and a medical group willing to give me extremely cut rate prices just to get me the help I needed. If I recall correctly, the complete physical, blood work included, was around $100.
Fortunately I managed to become insured before my second cataract got dense enough to fully blind my second eye; I had that one removed earlier this year.
Good luck and keep us posted.
running metalhead
It's sort of a recurring fad in the fitness world.
There are a couple of articles pointing in this direction, but they have been debunked a few times too.Check it out here:http://www.runnersworld.com/health/too-much-running-myth-rises-againThis guy, Alex Hutchinson, is worth reading. It's the only thing I read from RW (well, and some funny looking articles from time to time... ah, and the workouts with chicks!)The issue is that for some fitness professionals this story sounds just great to endorse their own "softy" training methods and lure the lazy people to their plans. It's perfect to make people believe that hard work is deadly and only their cozy soft yoga welness programm will safe their lives... and produce six pack abs, of course!
- Egmond ( 14 januari ) : 1:41:40 (21K)- Vondelparkloop ( 20 januari ) : 0:58.1 (10K but did 13.44!!!)- Twiskemolenloop ( 4 maart ) : 1:35:19 (3th M45!)
- Ekiden Zwolle (10K) ( 25 maart )- Rotterdam Marathon ( 8 april )- Leiden Marathon Halve ( 27 mei )- Marathon Amersfoort ( 10 juni)
well let's see. both my older brothers (2-3 yrs older) who are NOT overweight & are both hard workers at their jobs have high cholesterol/blood pressure. high cholesterol/blood pressure/diabetes/heart related issues all run through our family history (especially on father's side) . I go for regular checkups every year for past 5 yrs or so. Each time doctor says I have perfect health & wonders why I actually feel like I need to see him so often. cholesterol is right in middle, blood pressure/heart rate low to very low on scale. neither one of my brothers run or are not very active outside of work. My dad passed away at 61 from heart /artery related issues & had major heart surgery & work on his arteries as early as age 45. His mother passed away from complications due to diabetes at age 61 too. Both brothers as well as sister & father have history of smoking & sometimes heavy smoking. All 3 of my siblings no longer smoke any more. thank God.
I've never smoked (at least not tobacco) & run every day & average 30 -40 miles/week (sometimes more depending on what race training for at the time). BMI is on low end, have lost close to 50 lbs since returning to consistent running 6 yrs ago & have a streak of 49 straight months with 100 miles or more. About 3 yrs ago I did a fairly inclusive fitness test & test showed that my biological age was 12 yrs younger than my chronological age. I HAVE ALL THE EVIDENCE I NEED & will continue to run more than 20 miles/week. I'll be 58 in less than 2 mths.
currently dealling with a nagging hamstring strain but will work through it just like like any other running related injury in the past.
I would not run a marathon in the summer.
My blog is JT Running DC. It's awesome. Guide to Washington DC Area Running Routes. Guide to the New York City Marathon. Guide to the Boston Marathon. Guide to Running Gear. Guide to Running Clothes.
never runs the tangents
There are all kinds of crazy stories out there. You have to wade through the noise and decide what to believe. There was a story in the paper just this morning about a young, healthy kid who collapsed and died after football practice. That sort of thing happens a lot this time of year. I wouldn't take from it that playing football is inherently dangerous. Ok it is, but not for collapsing after practice and dying reasons.
Think of it this way, there are a lot more people who die from sitting around on the couch disease than die from sport related injuries.
“Do what I do. Hold tight and pretend it’s a plan!” Doctor Who
Feeling the growl again
Wherever you read that more than 20mpw was not beneficial and/or dangerous, it is bunk. Both from a health perspective and a fitness perspective, it is dead wrong.
I've run as much as 147 miles in a week. Everything up to around 120 miles a week made me faster, anything over that was not really productive for me.
I don't even feel good it i'm running that little.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
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Found it http://running.competitor.com/2012/06/news/how-much-running-is-bad-for-your-heart_54331 Quote from article: " The best health outcomes are actually found far below the exercise levels of even casual endurance athletes. A 15-year observational study of 52,000 adults found that the highest degree of survival and health was found from running less than 20 miles per week, in runs of 30 to 45 minutes over three or four days, at about an 8:30 to 10:00 pace. The benefits decrease at amounts greater than that. "
Found it http://running.competitor.com/2012/06/news/how-much-running-is-bad-for-your-heart_54331
Quote from article:
" The best health outcomes are actually found far below the exercise levels of even casual endurance athletes. A 15-year observational study of 52,000 adults found that the highest degree of survival and health was found from running less than 20 miles per week, in runs of 30 to 45 minutes over three or four days, at about an 8:30 to 10:00 pace. The benefits decrease at amounts greater than that. "
That quote is beyond crap. But if you want to do something that is unhealthy or at least not smart, run a marathon on less than 20 miles per week.
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Considering how slow I ran when I started running, 20 miles would have been less than 4 hours of exercise. 4 hours in a week doesn't really seem like a lot of exercise. A quick Google search says that 2.5 to 5 hours of aerobic exercise a week is beneficial.
ultramarathon/triathlete
I read that running more than 9 miles a week makes you impotent.
Even Especially for women.
HTFU? Why not!
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