
Is Running Good or Bad for Your Health? - brahmwg
http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/09/14/493803246/is-running-good-or-bad-for-your-health?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160914
======
nbschulze
I ran 80-90 miles per week while in college and continued running 20-30 per
week for a couple of years after until my knee stopped cooperating (I'm really
looking forward to knee surgery in October).

I have experienced some of the described symptoms (irregular heartbeat and
etc), but wouldn't have done much differently. Honestly, this article
basically boils down to 'do what your body can handle'.

People are different. Bodies are different. Some people can handle 120 miles
per week. Some people struggle to run one. Running is obviously good for your
health, just don't over do it. And stretch and foam roll, that's as important
as anything.

~~~
greenspot
You write...

> Some people can handle 120 miles per week

after you...

> ran 80-90 miles per week [...] I'm really looking forward to knee surgery in
> October)

Apologies for being a bit harsh but the cause-effect-relationship is crystal
clear. Extensive running puts a tremendous strain on our knees. You don't need
to be a doctor, scientist or professional runner to know this. And just 20-30
miles/week over a long period is already way too much for the majority. Most
will write, 'nah that works great for me, I run that amount for many years and
my knees are in perfect shape'. Just wait till you're older and then it's pay
back time.

~~~
pg314
It is not clear that running is bad for the knees. Recent studies ([1], [2])
find no evidence of any adverse effects, rather the contrary (lower incidence
of knee osteoarthritis in the running group). One possible explanation is that
the runners were less likely to put on weight over the years, leading to lower
day-to-day stresses on the knees.

[1] Eliza Chakravarty et al. "Long distance running and knee osteoarthritis: A
prospective study," American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2008, 35(2),
133-138

[2] David Felson et al., "Effects of recreational physical activities on the
development of knee osteoarthritis in older adults of different weights: The
Framingham Study," Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2007, 57(1), 6-12

~~~
greenspot
> It is not clear that running is bad for the knees

I wrote 'extensive running'

~~~
pg314
You didn't define 'extensive'.

Is it 20-30 miles/week over a long period, which you claim is already way too
much for the majority? If I read study [1] correctly the runners were running
3.5 hours a week at the beginning of the study, which would be around 20
miles/week. That same group had a lower incidence of osteoarthritis than the
control group.

Do you have any evidence to back up your claim?

------
jfoutz
> [Lee concludes his data] "don't support that more is worse. But more may not
> be better." [Williams concludes] 40 miles a week [...] were 26 percent less
> likely to develop coronary heart disease than those running just 13 miles
> per week.

So to sum up, running is way way better than doing nothing. More than 40 miles
a week _may_ have not only diminishing returns, but negative consequences.

I'd guess most people here don't realize what a crazy time commitment running
40 miles a week actually is. Even if you can pull off 6 minute miles (4
hours/week), there's still a need for rest after the run, more sleep, more
food, replacing shoes and clothes as they wear out. The extra time adds up.

~~~
jpmattia
> what a crazy time commitment running 40 miles a week actually is.

Absolutely.

52 yo here, averaging about 15 miles/week running + 4-7 miles/week hiking. It
takes major dedication just to work that amount in, I have no idea how I'd
spin up to do 40 mi/week.

And as far as I'm concerned: The cardio benefit is pretty minuscule compared
to what it does for the head.

~~~
notacoward
I'm 51, and I only run a little more than half that much. On the other hand,
distance only affects the on-road time. When you factor in getting ready and
cooling down and stretching and dealing with gear and everything else, I
probably spend more than an hour a day on average.

Then again, it's something that just has to be done. _Some_ form of exercise
is necessary to stay healthy and sane. I need to sleep and bathe, I need to do
housework and pay bills, I need to do all that other adult stuff . . . and I
need to exercise. Any option will take time. Like every other obligatory
thing, that means less time reading or surfing the web or playing video games
or watching TV or whatever. Oh well. Life's like that.

------
jmde
The article frames the question as a sort of strawman in some ways. Rather
than ask "is running good or bad for you?" you could ask "is an alternative
form of exercise, that has fewer damaging side effects, better?" For example,
would you be just as well off walking, skiing, or biking? My understanding is
the answer to that is even less clear.

~~~
bjterry
I don't know about that. From a pure physical health perspective (i.e.
discounting convenience, cost and supposed mental health benefits), there are
a bunch of exercises that are strictly superior to running. They provide all
of the cardio benefits of running, but without the prevalence of joint injury
when you crank up the time investment. Some good examples are swimming,
biking, or using a rowing machine.

I'm a big believer in the idea that motivation trumps all other considerations
when it comes to exercise though, so you should run if you like running.

~~~
saiya-jin
biking is one of the worst exercises out there. sure you save joints, but your
back, neck and possibly erection will suffer instead. Got couple of
colleagues/friends who have health issues exactly because of biking.

and if you do road biking, depending on location, you are at mercy of car
drivers on narrow roads. even if 99,9% are good and paying attention all the
time, sooner or later someone won't. if you do other types of biking, there
are other safety issues.

by all means do it if that's your thing, but don't call it super healthy, or
safe. take 2 steps back - most of us sit on our a__es all days, so you go and
do sport where you... sit on your a__. right.

~~~
blacksmith_tb
I think that's a false equivalency - sitting on the bike is not the same kind
of sitting as in your office, unless you get a lot more cardio in at your desk
than most of us. If you're worried about your erection (or labia), saddles
with cutouts are easily available (I like Terry ones myself). And clearly cars
are dangerous to runners too, who often rock reflective garments, LED
blinkies, etc. much like cyclists.

------
loeg
Tl;dr

> The health benefits of running short or long distances are so overwhelmingly
> positive that they swamp potential dangers.

~~~
brownbat
An addendum to Bettridge's law:

When headlines can't be answered "no," the most boring possible answer is
correct.

~~~
rzzzt
Betteridge and De Morgan's joint law:

A headline posed as a question with an OR operator can be rewritten as a
statement with an AND operator.

------
pcunite
Something that I've tried to live by is to be "moderate" in most things.

~~~
Retra
Something I've tried to live by is to not say useless and vague things.

For example, you just implied you are _not_ "moderate" in _some_ things. So
what are those things? Why did you choose to not be moderate in them? How is
that better than not being moderate in running? And what is "moderate"?

You've spoken a platitude.

------
nadezhda18
it's good - as long as your leg joints do not tell you the opposite nd it's
too bad when they do :(

~~~
brooklyndavs
There was a study a few years ago (posted below) that actually found running
is fairly good for your joints as the stress encourages your body to build and
repair cartilage.

If you are personally having joint issues and you want to continue to run I
encourage you not to give up. Try different shoes, have your gait analyzed,
even see a physical therapist who specializes in running. I obviously don't
know if you are in this situation or if you have tried any of these things,
but I know even a simple thing like changing the type of shoe you wear and a
little rest can help resolve a lot of minor joint pain issues.

[http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134861448/put-those-shoes-
on-r...](http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134861448/put-those-shoes-on-running-
wont-kill-your-knees)

~~~
maxerickson
It's also a good idea to evaluate whether you are running too much. It can
take a while to build up that cartilage.

~~~
nadezhda18
It might have been the case... like 30 min minimum every day

------
dominotw
Has anyone been able to beat knees, ankle, plantar, hip, it band issues while
running for a considerable amount of time?

Did you do anything different to achieve that?

~~~
todd8
I've never had the best body for running. I'm not tall (good) but too heavy
(bad) and I have flat feet (bad). However, I was able to start running at age
50 and by 55 qualify to run in the Boston Marathon without injury. I ran six
marathons and probably a dozen half marathons in that time, eventually at a
pace in the top 20% of my age group, not that great (or even that good) but I
finished my marathons and was in fantastic shape.

Here are my recommendations:

Shoes -- keep experimenting until you find pairs that don't cause aches and
pains. Some shoes caused knee pain in me, but others didn't. Find two
different brands that work for you and use both pairs alternating between
them. Each manufacturer's shoes feel a bit different and alternating you will
lower the chances of overuse injury.

Form -- learn to feel like you are hitting the ground very lightly with your
feet. Don't pound, land on your heels, or over stride. Thinking of contacting
the ground directly under your body with your foot fall will keep you from
landing too far in front and will reduce the strain on your legs.

Mileage -- limit long runs (over 5 miles) to one per week and once they get
over 12 miles to once every two weeks. For most of my training I kept mileage
to under 40 miles per week. Plan on taking over six months to build up to
being able to run a marathon even if you start out in good shape. Build
mileage slowly.

Frequency -- take days off to allow your body to recover. Most of my weeks I
ran MWF about 3.5 miles each day, one day at the track doing intervals or hill
training, and one long run on the weekend.

Run/Walk -- my first marathon was one of my fastest. Although the conditions
were ideal that day, I also credit using Galloway's run/walk method [1].
During a race or long run I would walk through the water stops and walk for
say 45 seconds to 1 minute during that time. This really gives your legs a
nice break and I was surprised at how fast my overall times ended up being
using this method.

Lose Weight -- I will never be a good weight for distance running (even in
college as a gymnast with very low body fat I weighed about 150). However,
distance running helps one lose weight and losing weight helps one with
running. Being heavy greatly increases the stress on your body.

Finally, I would take aspirin or Advil for aches when needed to help keep
inflammation down. Warm up before running, but don't stretch before running.

[1] [http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-
walk/](http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/)

~~~
realityking
Please don't take Advil before long runs. Advil is taxing on your kidneys and
so is endurance running. The combination of both can lead to a trip to the ER
or even death if you're unlucky.

Whether it actually helps reduce injuries and pain is also somewhat
questionable according to a recent 538 article[0].

[0] [http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-achiness-of-the-
long...](http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-achiness-of-the-long-
distance-runner/)

------
neilsharma
I've been running (well, fast jogging) 10-20 miles/week for over 10 years.
I've had so many feet and knee problems over the years and ended up getting
$250 custom-molded graphite orthotics. Those essentially acted as crutches as
my arches, which made my feet very weak. Walking around barefoot caused my
feet to collapse inwards, causing more pain.

Tried biking instead, but indoor biking is the most mind-numbing activity
ever, and outdoor biking proved to be equally damaging (lots of falls) and far
scarier (going downhill on a road with cars).

Basically I want an outdoor elliptical machine that moves at a reasonable
5-8mph.

~~~
miranda_rights
I've seen a few around my city actually. I looked them up and I guess they're
called Elliptigoes [1].

[1] [http://www.elliptigo.com/](http://www.elliptigo.com/)

~~~
neilsharma
This is awesome! Thanks a bunch for the link. I will do research and see if
its worth the investment.

------
elchief
Look at a male Olympian long distance runner's physique. Is that what you want
to look like? You probably won't get there, but is that a worthwhile goal?
Whereas a short or mid distance runner looks more normal and healthy. This
tells me that I probably want to run shorter distances. In fact, I never run
more than a mile, but do it quickly.

~~~
dilap
interesting comment. i wonder though -- how much of this is cause vs effect
(e.g., people with bodies naturally suited to shorter vs longer distances),
and how much of "do i want to look like that" is your particular, perhaps
arbitrary cultural associations of "this is good"?

~~~
matwood
Sprints/HIIT have been to shown to be more effective at what many people are
trying to get out of running - in better shape and body composition changes.

------
facepalm
How do I know they got their statistics right? It seems like a very easy
mistake to make to look at health of people and see runners tend to be more
healthy, not taking into account that health issues might prevent people from
running in the first place. (So running would just be an indicator for health,
not a cause).

------
agumonkey
When in really bad shape, I tried some physical activity to maintain a certain
metabolism level. Biking wasn't effective (even though it's easier on your
joints and mind), I was surprised at the difference with jogging. Somehow the
spread of efforts and rhythm of running is a very very effective trigger for
your cardiovascular system. Very quickly you find yourself a bit warmer, with
a deeper breathing. Something I never achieved on a bike (it was either no
sensations, or overheat and fatigue).

------
DiabloD3
The usual rule is "if a headline asks a question the answer is no."

This is not a yes or no question, thus I believe the answer is unequivocally
"yes."

~~~
eatbitseveryday
> Is Running Good or Bad for Your Health?

> "yes"

I find it enjoyable when people respond with answers that don't match the
question. Often I find they provide an answer that would match if the question
were cut short, e.g.

> Is Running Good?

> "yes"

~~~
eyelidlessness
Responding in the affirmative or the negative to an "or" question is often a
glib shrug.

------
samayshamdasani
I'm a cross-country runner averaging 30+ miles a week. I don't see any harm.
It's had a great impact on me. I feel healthier and more fit. Some articles
just don't make sense.

~~~
doggoneit
.

~~~
elchief
Jesus Christ. The problem is not saturated fats and dietary cholesterol.

I see you're new here

~~~
doggoneit
.

~~~
helloworld
_Saturated fats are not associated with all cause mortality, CVD, CHD,
ischemic stroke, or type 2 diabetes...._ [1]

 _The current available evidence found no significant difference in all-cause
mortality or CHD mortality, resulting from the dietary fat interventions._ [2]

[1] Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all
cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic
review and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMJ. 2015 Aug 11;351:h3978.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.h3978.
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26268692](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26268692)

[2] Evidence from randomised controlled trials does not support current
dietary fat guidelines: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Open Heart.
2016 Aug 8;3(2):e000409. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2016-000409.
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27547428](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27547428)

~~~
phaemon
Not so clear cut:

[http://www.nhs.uk/news/2016/07July/Pages/Study-finds-link-
be...](http://www.nhs.uk/news/2016/07July/Pages/Study-finds-link-between-
saturated-fats-and-early-death.aspx)

(the linked article talks about these various studies; have a quick read of
it)

~~~
helloworld
This review is based on two observational studies that began in the 1980s --
long after health-conscious people had heard the official wisdom that
saturated fat causes heart disease. So, although the researchers try hard to
control for individual differences such as exercise level, it's very possible
that the people who ate the least saturated fat are also the ones who engaged
in all sorts of other health-promoting activities, which were not controlled
for. Epidemiologists call this the "healthy user" bias.

All that said, though, I agree that the impact of saturated fat on health is
hardly clear-cut. As someone else in the comments mentioned, the best advice
is probably the oldest: Moderation in all things -- including moderation.

------
jjkmk
I think as long as you don't have major health issues, or joint problems it's
great for your health.

The down side is it is easy to get injured.

------
xarope
Running is a tool. There are plenty of fitness tools available, some better
for the individual than others. Choose the right tool (!).

More importantly, fitness also helps the mental side of things. Kung fu and
physical yoga (apocryphal or otherwise) helped monks/yogis to get fit enough
so they could concentrate on the mental/spiritual side of their pursuits, and
not to forget the various greek philosphers (I'm sure others will chime in
with more examples).

------
flippyhead
Short answer: good!

------
et2o
Define health

~~~
eyelidlessness
I'm not dead yet!

------
michaelsbradley
Like many professional programmers and other folks whose jobs keep them
relatively sedentary during long work hours, I began to really struggle with
weight gain as I progressed into my 30s.

I tried various things: cycling, personal trainer for "big lifts", running,
elliptical machine, rowing. I found running to be rather hard on my joints, so
I never really got into it; but I put a lot of time into the other activities,
mostly doing them on my own. And, frustratingly, I didn't get out of them what
I hoped.

What ended up making a huge difference was regular attendance at a variety of
_group_ fitness classes: weights, diversified HIIT, circuit training, indoor
cycling. What posed a bit of a mental hurdle, but only at first, was that most
of the other participants were/are women in their 20s, which made me feel
awkward. As a guy, it was a little frustrating for me to be in a room of
women, many 10+ years younger, who were "kicking my butt" when it came to
endurance, form, and intensity. But my fitness level eventually caught up, and
I'm even going for my second certification as an instructor/coach of a couple
of the formats I enjoy the most. I've lost and kept off over 30 lbs., and I'm
constantly motivated by the dedication of other folks who take the classes
with me. In addition to regular group exercise, I've found tracking calorie
input-output to be helpful, both for weight loss and maintenance. Make sure
you're eating enough protein, it's really important!

Some brands I can recommend, from personal experience: Les Mills BodyPump and
Grit[1], Orangetheory Fitness[2], Spinning[3], myzone monitor[4], Fitbit
(Charge HR and Blaze)[5].

I also recommend buying a high-density foam-roller[6] and some balls of
various densities (tennis, racquet/squash, lacrosse). I've found huge relief
from post-exercise aches and pains in spending about 20 minutes after each
exercise session "rolling out" my muscles. It really hurts when you're not
used to it (as in teeth-gnashing, grunting discomfort!), but it eventually
starts to feel good and improves recovery.

[1] [https://www.lesmills.com/?findaclass=&ici=Find-A-Class-
Near-...](https://www.lesmills.com/?findaclass=&ici=Find-A-Class-Near-
You_btn-1&icn=Find-A-Class)

[&] [https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/fitness-
classes/bodypump/](https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/fitness-
classes/bodypump/)

[&] [https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-
tr...](https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-training/les-
mills-grit-cardio/)

[&] [https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-
tr...](https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-training/les-
mills-grit-plyo/)

[&] [https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-
tr...](https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-training/les-
mills-grit-strength/)

[2] [http://www.orangetheoryfitness.com/Studio-
Locations](http://www.orangetheoryfitness.com/Studio-Locations)

[3]
[http://spinning.com/en/take_a_free_spinning_class](http://spinning.com/en/take_a_free_spinning_class)

[4] [https://buy.myzone.org/products/](https://buy.myzone.org/products/)

[5] [https://www.fitbit.com/chargehr](https://www.fitbit.com/chargehr)

[&] [https://www.fitbit.com/blaze](https://www.fitbit.com/blaze)

[6] e.g.
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BW2YYWY/](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BW2YYWY/)

