Running too far, too fast, and too long speeds progress 'to finish line of life'

NewsBot · Nov 29, 2012

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Press Release:
Running too far, too fast, and too long speeds progress 'to finish line of life'

Limit vigorous exercise to 30 to 50 minutes a day max, say researchers

Vigorous exercise is good for health, but only if it's limited to a maximum daily dose of between 30 and 50 minutes, say researchers in an editorial published online in Heart.

The idea that more and more high intensity exercise, such as marathons, can only do you good, is a myth say the US cardiologists, and the evidence shows that it's likely to more harm than good to your heart.

"If you really want to do a marathon or full distance triathlon, etc, it may be best to do just one or a few and then proceed to safer and healthier exercise patterns," they warn.

"A routine of moderate physical activity will add life to your years as well as years to your life. In contrast, running too far, too fast, and for too many years may speed one's progress to towards the finishing line of life."

[Run for your life….at a comfortable speed and not too far Online First doi 10.1136//heartjrnl-2012-302886.pdf]
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This press release was based on this Editorial:
Run for your life … at a comfortable speed and not too far
James H O'Keefe, Carl J Lavie
Heart (Online First)

During the Greco-Persian War in 490 BCE, Phidippides, a 40-year-old herald messenger (professional running-courier) ran the 26 miles from a battlefield near Marathon, Greece, into Athens carrying momentous news of Greek victory. Upon arriving at the Acropolis, he proclaimed: ‘Joy, we have won!’ and then immediately collapsed and died.1 Fast-forward about 2500 years to an era when the baby-boomer's came of age and long-distance running boomed. The prevailing logic held that aerobic exercise is clearly good for one's health and that, if some is good, more must be better. In 1975, Dr Thomas Bassler, a physician/runner, boldly proclaimed that, if you could run a marathon, you were immune to death from coronary heart disease (CHD).2 This urban myth has long since been disproven; indeed an emerging body of evidence suggests the opposite: extreme endurance exercise may exact a toll on cardiovascular (CV) health.....
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Full editorial

The Wall St Journal also weighed in on this story:
One Running Shoe in the Grave

New Studies on Older Endurance Athletes Suggest the Fittest Reap Few Health Benefits
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Alex Hutchinson from SweatScience responded at Runners World:
The Too-Much-Running Myth Rises Again

BEN-HUR · Dec 1, 2012

Despite there being some questioning about the Phidippides account i.e. the distance he actually ran (which also includes the amount of running he did before the Marathon to Athens run) there is another issue to consider... the fitter/more conditioned (which includes optimal diet & hydration) the runner, the less the adverse effect.

Then there is this quote from Paul Tergat's (former marathon world record holder) book - Running To The Limit:

How healthy is a marathon?
A marathon is an enormous stress for the whole body. The energy reserves get completely emptied, the body liquid gets out of balance, many electrolytes get lost, the immune system becomes temporary weak, muscles & joints get extremely punished. In short, running 42.195 km is not very healthy, but the training you do before the marathon is.
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Hence why many serious athletes (those pushing the limit for a place/money or a time) may only do 2 - 4 a year.

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BEN-HUR Well-Known Member

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