Can You Run Too Much?

I've been running since I was 15 years old, exactly 40 years ago. It started out as prepararatory for boxing, which I loved (but did not love me) in high school. Five miles in work-boots, through the heavily traffic on the roads of Union County. In college, I began to run for running's sake. I competed on the cross-country and track teams at Monmouth College in West Long Branch, and ran a number of marathons, with a best of 2:43 at the Jersey Shore Marathon in 1980. I did Boston as well, completing it it in 2:44 in 1981. At that time, there were many weeks I accumulated over 100 miles, and I pretty much averaged 70 miles per week through my college and immediate post-college years. Out of boredom and the sense of new challenges to conquer, I turned to triathlons and heavy weight-training in my late 20's, and cut my mileage back to around 25 per week. I've evolved back into running, which is what I think I do best. I run the Long Branch Half-Marathon each year, as well as numerous 5-K's and the occasional multi-event. My high-school aged son has taken to it as well, and I think that has helped keep my own spark going. Simply put, running has been an integral part of my life for a long time. I know the health benefits, and see it every time I receive my "report card" from my Physician every year. Low cholesterol and blood pressure, and sodium and glucose levels well within check. My weight (approximately 140) has not changed in 20 years. However, a recent article syndicated in the Star-Ledger newspaper has caused me to take pause. A study, conducted by cardiologist James O'Keefe at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, found that men who were marathon runners for 25 years had 62% more plaque buildup in their coronary arteries than sedentary men of the same age, with similar charecteristics. Unbelievably, that even included the soft, fatty plaque more likely to cause a heart attack! The conclusion was that running in moderation is, undoubtedly, beneficial to heart health. However, years of the high-mileage that marathoning requires can create wear and tear on the heart which may be, ultimately,counter-productive to longevity. In other words, 60 miles of running may not be three times healthier than 20 miles of running. One question I would ask: Is the intensity of the miles the main factor, or the sheer number of them? Also, if you do competitive biking, swimming, or rowing through your adult life, would that be equally as stressful on the heart, or is there something to the pounding the body takes in the act of running? I think the study, available in Missouri Medicine, the Journal of the the Missouri State Medical Association, certainly deserves a longer look. Okay, time for my run. I have a half-marathon this weekend!

Skip the Gadgetry!

When it comes to running, I am a minimalist. Just a MIO Pulse watch; no phone, musical device, water bottle, or pedometer. On some regular routes, I have driven it by car to get an estimate of the distance. Others, including some that go off-road, I "guess-timate" by how long the run takes me. I judge my intensity and effort by how long that particular day's runs took, versus all the the other times I had traversed the same route. I also check my watch at various points during the run, to make sure I am keeping pace. Even though at home I constantly have the radio on, I enjoy the quiet of an early-morning run, or the typical sounds of a suburban afternoon (school buses squeaking to a halt, dogs barking in the distance) as I travel my regular routes. I do a lot of my best thinking on a run, and always end up in a better frame of mind than when I started. In the couple times I tried, I failed with a music player - either I couldn't keep the bud in my ear, or the receiver kept loosening up and falling of my arm. As far as a chest strap, I find them uncomfortable, plus, I guess there's a part of me that doesn't want to know how close to a heart attack I may be! A recent article by Ben Opipari, syndicated by the Washington Post, verified my thoughts on running accessories. First, carrying something in your hand changes your biomechanics, slows you down, and can even lead to injury! The article points out how important the upper body is in the running process, using the example of how the handcuffed criminals never get far from the police when they try to run away! If you hold onto something, even if it's light, it creates tension and imbalance in the upper body, alters your form, and causes you to exert more energy and tire more quickly. I know this myself from the annual PBA "Torch Run." During my leg of this benefit for the N.J. Special Olympics, I carry an unlit torch that probably weighs about six or seven pounds. Despite the adrenaline of the event (traffic is blocked on busy Route 202 in Somerset County as we go through), the run is considerably more draining because I'm holding the torch! The article explains that when you're holding something ("iPod arms") one arm has less motion that the other, so one stride is than shorter than the other as well. Quoting Jonathan Cane, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weight training,"What happens above the waist impacts hat happens below." Holding something in your hand creates form imbalance, which ends up putting more stress than usual on a muscle group, which multiplied by thousands of strides over the course of a run, can lead to injury. Listen to the birds chirp, hear the car horns honk, stay safe and injury-free. Leave the gadgetry at home and enjoy your run!