** This thread discusses the content article: Top 10 Reasons Not to Do Long Distance Running **




 


Long distance running has been popular for enough time now that it's starting to be safe to say that it's not a fad. But just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good for you. Here are the top 10 reasons why you shouldn't do long distance running:


10. It Wears Down Your Body. If you've ever read Runner's World, you know how many of their stories focus on healing injuries, professional runners who were off their feet for years, old time runners who ran long distances despite getting sick because of it, and so on. Some people are born with the kind of genetics that they can do marathon running for years without injury, but for most people it takes a toll and they're putting themselves at risk for injury.


9. It Takes Too Much Time. Some people enjoy the fresh air and freedom of mind that running gives them, but some people feel that it's the only way to get in a good workout and think that you need to dedicate 5 hours a day, even if it's only a few times a week, to get into great shape. This is simply way too much time to expect anyone to dedicate to working out, especially you can get the same results from 10 minutes of interval training.


8. It Breaks Down Muscle. Ever wonder why marathon runners are so incredibly skinny while sprinters are ripped? This is because long distance running burns so many calories that it literally forces your body to break down muscle to get the energy it needs to keep going. The human body is extremely adaptable, but this is clearly not what it's supposed to be doing and who wants to work out to look worse?


7. It Drains Your Strength. When you workout, not only should you have a high afterwords, but it should increase your vitality and strength throughout the day and week. Long distance running doesn't do it. While you do get the temporary high, it takes a toll on you physically and you start to become more tired than you were originally. Definitely not the way to go.





"Why am I so tired after I started doing this long distance running?" - Dog


6. It Hurts Your Eating Habits. Long distance running takes a tremendous amount of calories. The only way you can possibly give yourself the energy to keep going is by eating a lot of carbohydrates like pasta, bread, and even candy bars. Not things that are known for their extreme healthiness and nutrition.


5. It Takes Over Your Life. Working out, running, swimming, or any kind of physical exercise is great. But they should be suplemental to your life, not something that takes it over. Because of the mass amount of time you have to dedicate to succeed at long distance running, it is hard to do without letting it take you over.


4. It's Expensive. You might ask how running might be expensive when all you need is a pair of sneakers and free time. The reason is because while running doesn't have huge equipment costs, time is worth money (if not worth more), and between the time taken to train, and the cost of injuries and wear and tear on your body, running comes out to being an extremely expensive activity in the long run.


3. Everything Else is Better For Staying in Shape. If your interest is staying in shape, almost anything is better than running. Swimming and martial are are just some activity that aside from being amazing for your health, actually give you valuable skills as well.


2. It's Monotonous. Some people seem to really enjoy long distance running, but for most people they find it extremely boring and would not be able to handle the hours on the road without music. Why do something for so long when it's so boring when you don't have to?


1. The First Person to Run a Marathon...Died. Pheidippides, the person who the marathon is based on, dropped dead after running man's first marathon to tell report to Athen's that they had won the battle against the Persians. Any activity where the first person who did it died is probably not something you want to be doing.


Rafi Bar-Lev is a former combat medic and the founder of Passionate Fitness.




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While I believe chronic cardio is no friend to your body, this is a pretty weak effort to make a top 10 list. Three of the reasons are variations on "too much time." If you love long distance running as many people do, spending time doing it is the whole point. Doing it every week or two in a varied and metabolically challenging setting, such as on a trail with ups, downs, obstacle climbs, and walk breaks, may negate many of the overtraining problems while increasing fitness. And you should know carbohydrates is not the only source of "energy to keep going" - after the cells have got off their carb addiction, the body works fine on stored and dietary fat. But then the first person to eat a high fat diet probably died too...

Jon W,

I had two different responses that popped to mind when I read your response.

The first one was "Dangit, I KNEW someone would notice I put "too much time" in there more than once."

The second one was that there are people who do long distance running because they think it's healthy.

I have never found a long distance runner who said to me, "Yeah, I know it's unhealthy but I love it and am willing to take the risk." Most people think it's a healthy activity, and this was addressed to those people.

Hmm. Coming from a military background, I've heard that very idea a lot. We ran to build endurance and mental toughness, vaguely aware that the more we did it increased longterm wear and tear and risk of injury (but of course increases the chance of surviving combat). Same for the miles patrolling or speedwalking with heavy rucks. For the most part people did it because they loved it, since anybody who wanted to could easily transfer to a unit that was less physically demanding.

Maybe "high-mileage running" rather than "long-distance running" is a better target of criticism, since running 10 or 15 miles every weekend is what I enjoy. Again I would have to agree with you that people out there doing daily miles of pavement pounding are on the wrong track. But plenty of us love running, and if youre out to maximize _enjoyable_ man-years of life, you gotta maintain speed, strength and agility, and running has its place.

Jon W,

I served as a combat medic in the IDF and was injured in training, so I know exactly what you're talking about when you say that army training is unhealthy. No one thinks hiking or running with gear for miles on end is healthy. But it's something you have to do.

You're probably right that mileage is a bigger problem than distance. If you love running 10 or 15 miles on the weekend, it's something you should keep doing, especially if it doesn't bother you.

But I wouldn't say that it's necessary for maximizing enjoyable years of life. Is Ato Boldon, an Olympic sprinter, not strong?

If anything, doing interval training with sprints will give you more raw strength and stamina than doing 10 or 15 mile runs will, without the wear and tear.

Like I said, the article is geared towards people who think you have to do long distance training to be in shape.

Nice post! I totally agree--long distance/high mileage running can be seriously deleterious to your health. I started training for a half marathon and ended up having to stop a couple of months in due to damage done to my ankles. Turns out I started running to far without conditioning my body properly, and racked up some injuries without realizing it. So now I prefer cycling, short jogs, tabatas--but running miles and miles and miles on end? Not for me!