Long Distance Running Bad?

So I read the other day that long distance running can be potentially bad for you. The example that was given of course was marathon runners. They are usually very skinny and look unhealthy. The article also talked about long distance running being hard on the lungs and joints in the lower torso. It went on to suggest sprinting and shorter quicker paces were healthier...Just looking for some opinions.

Not a running expert but .... yes, long-distance running can potentially be bad, as you say. But sprinting, short-distance running, weight lifting, forms, weapons, etc., can also potentially be bad for you.

The key is in how you train, how you eat, how you rest, and how you listen to your body.

I live in a city of marathon runners. Long-distance training going on practically 24 hours a day, you can't walk by the river without being run down by groups of these folks. Some have that skinny, "unhealthy" look, sure. But far more have excellent muscle build and tone, others even have "normal" weight (meaning a good layer of fat, esp. women). In fact, the skinny strung-out distance runner is a long way from the norm.

BTW, I don't run, I prefer walking and shorter jogs, and I'll do timed sprints about once a week (if you could call them sprints -- more like, lumbering faster than usual LOL). One reason is that my joints don't stand up to long runs, as the article stated, but also, I just don't like long runs.

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

You been reading Matt Furey's stuff?

But yes, I have heard of long distance running being bad, especially because your body may burn muscle mass if you didn't eat enough and your bodyfat is at a medium to low level already. Besides that, any running on hard surfaces is hard on your joints.

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You only die once. But it lasts such a long time.-French proverb

No, I havent been paying that much attention to the "Fur-Cat" that much lately. I have seen the videos, and they have some good information but it comes across like he really wants your money, and a lot of it. I read this article in one of my dad's many running magazines. Come to think of it, I think it was in a marathon magazine.
Anyway, but yes, your are definately correct on the hard surfaces comment. It can also give you shin splints which take a very long time to fully heal. I used to run track and cross-counrty and have experienced this. It sucks because it hurts to even walk.

Why did the "Fur-Cat" (as he likes to call himself) say something about it?

Fur-Cat? Funny, he looks bald to me, hmm ...

Isn't Furey a big proponent of HIIT? I just had that impression from another forum.

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

“	Originally Posted By: Matt Furey Dr. Al Sears - www.alsearsmd.com - talk was phenomenal as well. He showed case studies with before and after photos proving that LSD - i.e. long-distance cardio is NOT the way to a healthy heart. In fact, he proved that those who run marathons are destroying their lung capacity, not expanding it. The proof is simple. How many marathoners have a big barrel chest housing powerhouse lungs.	”

This is straight from his email newsletter, "They came, they saw, they felt"

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You only die once. But it lasts such a long time.-French proverb

So ... ONE guy, who happens to be an M.D., does research on long-distance runners, and his only criteria appears to be whether a runner has a "big barrel chest" or not???????

How your chest develops -- barrel-chested or not -- depends mostly on genetics!! Some folks just aren't barrel-chested, period, I don't care how they work out or how often.

If I did research in the same way as "Dr." Sears, I would probably draw conclusions like this: "Milk is bad for men, but not for women. The proof is simple. Women drink milk. They develop breasts. What comes out of breasts? Milk! Therefore, the more milk they drink, the bigger their breasteses get! If men drink milk, they will get breasts, too. So don't drink milk if you're a guy, because it's obvious that milk is bad for men!"

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

mmmmm, milk!

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"It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought the fool, than to open it and prove it so." KungFuTze
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Actually, the dr. had other arguments, Furey just tends to try to keep things at a hillbilly level to convince people.

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You only die once. But it lasts such a long time.-French proverb

LOL Sgirl... I'm definitely not drinking any more milk, ever!

Long distance running is like everything else - pros and cons. Mate's dad is in his 70's and still doing marathons BUT has no cartilege left in his knees. If he ever stops that's him siezed up.

Personally I think it puts a real strain on the body but it can be good training. Distance fell running is brilliant cardio, coordination, strength, and speed training. It's also a great way to break a leg

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Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

Yep, there's pros and cons to every exercise, so it all comes down to whether you like it or not.

Distance fell running ... sounds like a really extreme form of cross-country running I've heard about -- guys running 50-100 miles across big stretches of countryside, desert, etc. Pretty obscure sport. Think I saw someone like that though, a few years back I was picking my way along a steep mountainside in Dingle and a guy carrying a camelback daypack jogged past me, just springing from jagged rock to jagged rock. (Being from Florida, where there's a significant lack of mountains to train on, I wasn't about to try and match him!)

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

Guys that are serious competitive long distance runners, do have health problems, a lower immune system, are even at a high risk for certain kinds of heart problems. Plus, if you are doing this extreme high level of cardio training, your body will try to make itself as effecient as possible and get rid of every last big of tissue or muscle not need for running, so it's not good for other sports or your physique in general.

NOW, that being said, going running for an hour 3-5 times a week, and especially if you are doing other, resistance oriented exercises, is NOT going to cause those problems. I mean if you are running 3 hours a day 5+ days a week, yeh, that's probably overdoing it. But very few people come anywhere near overdoing it..........

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“	Think I saw someone like that though, a few years back I was picking my way along a steep mountainside in Dingle and a guy carrying a camelback daypack jogged past me, just springing from jagged rock to jagged rock	”

Nah... he just hid out of site off the edge of the ridge as you walked past, popped up behind you, ran past out of site, and dropped back down to wait for the next good looking woman to go past so he could impress her...

Running off the hill is good - carry running shoes and trot down - personal spectacular error not to imitate -stopping dead with crampons on - feet stop body doesnt . Running up is just hard work.

__________________
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me