To run, or not to run - that is the question!

To run, or not to run? 

The only reason I'm digging into this question deeper than simple "Running is good", is attitude of some of my friends and relatives - they believe I'm hurting myself with all this triathlon stuff.

I know what i'm doing, just believe me! 

But as not-hard-nosed person, I'm going to do a research on this topic and to support my point with corkers.

So, pessimistic point of view on running:

1. Running kills your joints because overload.
2. Running causes extra load to your spine.
3. Morning running is bad for your heart
4. Any kind of running is extra load for your heart which leads to bla bla bla....

Lets go one by one and try to figure out.

1. Running kills your joints

There is something in this statement. Basically, each step is kind of load for joints, but only OVER load harms, while medium makes them stronger. Dose it harm in my case and what should I do?

Dose it harm...? - Probably. 

• My weight around 90 kg, which is probably twice more than usual Kenya runner weight. 
• My technique probably it not the best one. 
• I'm a developer, that's why my joints are lazier than they could be

Could be worse :). I'm running in specialized running trainers and not slippers :)

What should I do...? 

• To lose weight. Better to say - switch to healthy food (I've started already). Hopefully, loosing weight will come as inevitable consequence of this switch. Do not get me wrong, I'm not talking about diets, it's all about abandoning the cookies and sweets our working place is usually full of...
•  Improve running technique. I'm already working on this in two ways in parallel: theoretical - reading books and watching corresponding videos, practical - I've met coach, which, I hope, will show and help me to bring my theoretical knowledge in life.

There are a lot of articles about running, and most of them have the same idea - running correctly is good for you!

2. Running causes extra load to your spine...

Here we have the same issue as with joints. Will do everything in order to keep joints save + keep back straight and I'm sure my spine will be happy as well :)

3. Morning running is bad for your heart

As I'm the one of those "morning runners", I decided to dig into this topic and find all pros&cons. Actually, the first article I've read had everything. I kept looking in order to find more proofs that it is right.

The most common negative opinion sounds like this:

"Running in the morning - is a direct way to heart attack. It was proved that running goes in evening and simple exercises in the morning."

This one dilutes the fatalism of previous: 

"Morning running is better than not to run at all" :)

And the most important idea is the following:

"Listen to your body!"

And here is a question... Either I don't understand my body, or I can continue running in the morning without any worries. Probably my coach is the best person to address this question, and he said that all professionals run in the morning, noon and evening is for Нужна помощь зала или звонок другу, или совет тренера... А тренер говорит вот что - все профессионалы тренируются утром, в обед и вечером тренируются в основном students. Thus if you feel good - morning running for you is good as well.

4. Any kind of running is extra load

I was surprised, but there are a lot, a lot of people who believes in it. I guess by running they mean running over your strength, while running within your comfort zone is quite slow but very good doctor. 

The only adequate explanation of running harm I've found was:

• Calcium and minerals out of the body together with sweat while you are running. As result, joints feel lack of calcium and get weak, and may cause problems. Наиболее подвержены этому виду обезвоживания марафонцы. Marathon runners are the most prone to this kind of dehydration. Solution - drink a lot of water and eat more products with calcium and vitamin C.

As you can see, there is a risk and there is a solution. 

In order to get rid of remaining running harm shadow, lets refresh its pros:

• Heart disease and weight control. Dr Peter Schnohr, chief cardiologist of The Copenhagen City Heart Study, says the strenuous activity of jogging offers greater heart benefits than walking: "It increases oxygen uptake to improve cardiac function, lowers blood pressure and increases insulin sensitivity." His team calculated that joggers live five to seven years longer than non-joggers. Jogging also helps shed those kilos. 
• Osteoporosis. Jogging increases loading on the femur, boosting femoral bone mass density (BMD). And you don't need to run daily to see results. "Among our study's joggers, 47% ran eight or fewer times a month yet still had higher BMD than non-joggers," says researcher Michael Mussolino from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. 
• Well-being. A study at Oregon Health Sciences University found almost all joggers experience mental and emotional benefits from their exercise. 
• Brain power. German neuroscientists from the University of Ulm found that 30-minute jogging sessions three times a week significantly improved concentration and visual memory. "The runners who had taken the six-week jogging course made fewer mistakes and could complete the tests much more precisely," says researcher Ralf Reinhardt. It's thought intense exercise manufactures new hippocampus cells and protects existing ones.

Actually the list is even bigger.

Conclusions.

Running is good!

I spent some time on this research and finally didn't lose my desire to run marathon but I'm going to be more careful during preparation. It is important to understand that IronMan is a goal, and not reality yet. 

So, to sum up. Those who believes that I'm hurting myself - I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, JUST BELIEVE ME :) (I finished with the same phrase I started with...)

Русская версия.