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Running a Marathon can Cause Serious Harm to the Health
 Running
a marathon can be subject to many health risks. An individual
should be well informed about the same before embarking to take
on the marathon. Running a half or whole marathon or competing
in a triathlon are all admirable goals. But there are many
dangers associated with excessive endurance training. Dating as
far back as the 1970�s, the misconception of mainstream training
philosophies that 45 minutes to an hour or more a day of intense
aerobic activity has led to an overtrained, unfit,
immune-compromised exercising population.
Man was not designed for movement at a chronically sustained
high intensity aerobic pace. We've all seen it in the local
globo gym�day in and day out, week after week Jane and John plod
away on the treadmills and ellipticals or pedal themselves into
exhaustion in spin classes. It has done nothing to shed the
extra fat on their butts and guts let alone tone them. I have
never been impressed by any of these results.
Problems caused by training for long periods of times at high
intensities such as during a marathon
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Debilitating osteoarthritis . . . at young ages
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Permanent scarring of the heart muscle
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Weakening of the thyroid and adrenal glands
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Tendonitis and other repetitive strain injuries
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Recurrent upper respiratory infections
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Increased oxidative damage (free radical production)
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Decreased fat metabolism
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Susceptibility to injury
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Loss of bone density
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Depletion of lean muscle tissue
Coupled with the common high refined carbohydrate intake promotes
a dangerous level of continuous systemic inflammation.
Eeek! Sounds like a workout gone very bad to me and the sad part
is the intentions of this exercising population are good; they
are doing this all in the name of �health.��they are not out to
destroy it.
Aside from the disastrous results mentioned above why is high
intensity aerobic pursuit such a dead end? One reason is the
high level of carbohydrates consumed needed to sustain this
activity leads to chronic inflammation. You�ve all seen it�Sally
and Johnny are running a 5 K so they load up on a big bowl of
pasta the night before and chow down on bagels and juice
immediately after their 36 min 5 K. Type 2 here we come.
But quite simply because man was not designed (evolved) to work
like this; we have 2 primary energy systems to power our
muscles. The first relies on the slow burning of fats keeping us
fueled while at rest yet allowing for continuous low level
aerobic activity such as walking, gardening and day to day
physical tasks. Fat is a very efficient fuel, stored and burned
easily and cleanly when lots of oxygen is present. Our second
primary energy system that evolved is an ATP fueled system that
allows us to do intense loads of work in shorts bursts. It is
our high octane fuel. Think of the woman that lifts a car off
her child trapped beneath it. Or the person that sprints after a
mugger to get their wallet back. In other words all out effort
for fewer than 20 seconds; flight or fight and life or death
tasks and situations.
Our energy systems are far more complex than that but it boils
to the fact that we were evolved to either move slowly and
steadily or briefly and fast and we become both healthier and
stronger by exercising and living in this manner.
 All being said there are still people out there that want to run
a half or whole marathon or a triathlon and there is a better
and smarter way to train for it while avoiding the negative
risks mentioned above. The days of logging mileage in excess of
20+ a week are rapidly becoming archaic. And so is the weak and
skinny appearance of the stereotypical endurance athlete.
Many are finding that by incorporating strength and conditioning
workouts into their training routine along with shorter more
interval based training they are improving speed, power and
overall performance along with reducing injury potential. Not to
mention having a lot more free time, fewer injuries and no long
term scarring/damage to the heart.
What a marathon does to different parts of our body:
Brain
More blood and oxygen flow to your noggin, which strengthens
neuron connections and keeps you sharp, says Jen Schwartz, M.D.,
a runner and sports medicine doctor at Beth Israel Deaconess. A
flux of endorphins and �feel good� hormones can lead to
�runner�s high,� and Harvard research has found that you�ll
release BDNF, a brain-health protein. Long term, runners enjoy
improved concentration and memory, too. In fact, research has
linked brain size to how long and hard an animal can run. A PloS
One study even suggests the large size of the human brain is
linked to endurance exercise.
Heart
�When you�re sitting at rest, your heart pumps three to five
liters per minute,� says marathoner Aaron L. Baggish, M.D.,
associate director of Mass General�s Cardiovascular Performance
Program. �During a marathon, it has to maintain a cardiac output
about three to five times higher than that.� There are two ways
to increase blood flow from the heart, he says: Squeeze out more
blood each time your heart contracts, or speed up how many times
your ticker beats per minute. You do both over 26.2 miles, and
while this is a stress on the heart, �for a prepared athlete,
it�s a stress that can be well tolerated,� Baggish says.
Lungs
Not only does your breathing rate go up, but your lungs receive
more blood, helping to increase your �tidal volume��the volume
of air moving in and out of your lungs, says Schwartz. Over
time, runners become more efficient not only at exchanging
oxygen and CO2, but also at taking in more air in one breath,
she says. Breathing according to your stride (three steps per
inhale, three per exhale) can reduce how hard your muscles have
to work during a run and improve endurance performance,
according to a different PLoS One study.
Gut
Your stomach takes a double whammy: Intestines jostle around and
your body sends blood away from your gut to places like your
legs, explains Krista Austin, Ph.D., who worked with 2014 Boston
Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi. This can cause inflammation,
hormone changes, and even the leaking of toxins�all of which can
lead to nausea, says Schwartz.
�You also begin to dehydrate�and in order for your gut to
function right, you need to be hydrated,� Austin says. Load up
on high glycemic carbs, though, and you could cramp up or find
yourself in need of a bathroom�stat. A steady stream of low-glycemic
carbs and fluids can help you perform without pain, says Austin.
Legs
Your muscle fibers grow as you train. You�re left with a surge
of slow-twitch fibers (great for lower intensity, higher
endurance exercise), more blood vessels, and more mitochondria
(cells where energy is produced). During the race, glycogen�the
fuel you�ll use�is stored in your muscles more effectively than
it is in those of non-endurance runners. You�ll be well-fueled
by increased blood flow to the muscles and more heart
contractions. But this uptick in activity can also lead to the
build-up of waste products like lactic acid, says Schwartz.
Hence some soreness the day after the race.
Feet
Blisters, chafing, calluses and lost toenails are familiar
problems for marathoners. Also: sweaty feet. Pounding the
pavement can also cause decreased blood counts in the feet and
even the trauma or breakdown of red blood cells, something
called �foot strike hemolysis,� says Schwartz. Musculoskeletal
problems and tendon issues can also result from long runs. What
can you do about it? Rest up. After the race, of course.
Dated 25 April 2015
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