Let me preface this article by stating that I’m a fan of running.  I think it’s one of the most effective forms of cardio (when done in the proper format, more on that in a minute).  Running is functional and it’s the most natural form of exercise that we can do.  But as the old saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good”, and marathon running falls into this category.  Now, if you’re a diehard runner, more than likely you’re well aware that with running long distances, injury is just part of the game.

Here are just a few of the common injuries brought about by long distance running:

• stress fractures

• lower-back pain

• blood in the urine

• repetitive-stress injuries

• increased risk for eating disorders

But now you may need to add increased risk of cardiac arrest to this already long list of physical ailments.

Dr. Arthur Siegel, the director of internal medicine at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard University has authored more than two dozen studies on runners of the Boston Marathon.  A former marathoner himself, he and his colleagues studied a group of healthy middle-aged runners who participated in the Boston Marathons between 1996 and 2001.  These are the findings, published in the Oct 17th issue of the American Journal of Cardiology:

The researchers measured levels of several proteins associated with inflammation and blood clotting in 55 finishers in the 1996 and 1997 races. Within 4 hours after the race, in comparison to before the race, levels of two of these proteins had more than doubled, Siegel’s team reports in the October 17th issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

The proteins were C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in blood vessels that may be associated with increased heart disease risk, and von Willebrand factor, a protein released after heart attack that has been linked to increased clotting activity and higher death risk.

Furthermore, data based on 13 finishers of the 1997 marathon show that von Willebrand factor remained elevated the morning after the race ended.

In a second study of 82 runners in the 1997 to 2001 Boston marathons, Siegel and his colleagues noted increases in various markers used to diagnose both early and late-stage injury to the heart. In fact, in two runners, elevated levels of cardiac troponin I—a protein released when heart tissue is damaged—persisted for up to 72 hours after the race ended.

The report also indicates that test results from 51 runners in 1998 to 2000 revealed that within 4 hours after the race, all of the runners again exhibited significant increases in the various markers measured as well as a 6.5-fold increase in their levels of cardiac troponin I within 4 and 24 hours after the race.

Although no one in the studies suffered cardiac arrest, the evidences provided is quite significant.  But there are many that see this study as just that - a study that doesn’t have much correlation to the general public that participate in long distance running.

Charles Schulman, a cardiologist and assistant clinical professor at Harvard and the president of the American Running Association, while those enzymes may be elevated, that doesn’t mean the runners will necessarily suffer heart attacks. “These are not specific tests for heart damage,” Schulman says.

Even Dr. Seigel who conducted the study clarifies that these studies were done on older individuals, whose average age was 47 and it doesn’t necessary reflect younger healthy athletes.

I think it’s quite interesting to note that long distance running such as marathons and even longer 100 mile races have gotten more and more popular and it’s not necessarily because of fitness.  In fact as stated earlier, longer repetitive exercises don’t do much for your fitness level at all.  I know many start off participating in running to get in back in shape and that’s great!  But as you progress, naturally you want to challenge yourself and slowly but surely, the distance you run gets longer and longer.  Unfortunately, going for longer distances may be physically and mentally challenging, but it doesn’t reflect fitness and health.  Yes, I know… I’ll probably get many people that disagree with this statement, but it’s true.  Being able to perform super feats of endurance does not make you a fit person.  It makes you a person that can run long distances without stopping.  It doesn’t make you run faster,  doesn’t make you stronger, doesn’t give you more energy, doesn’t give you more power, doesn’t make you look better, doesn’t make you healthier.

Since when did we define fitness as someone that’s able to last the longest?  Media does a great job of influencing us, leading us to believe that the fittest people are endurance people.  For instance, Outside Magazine votes on their annual fittest athletes and the list is always the who’s who of distance runners and other endurance athletes.  But if you asked them to perform other tasks that involved strength, agility, quickness and power, I bet they wouldn’t do so well.  Shouldn’t these criteria be part of fitness as well?  Not just endurance?

Unless you’re a professional endurance athlete, there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration when training such as the daily activities outside of your fitness regimen.  Working out longer cuts into your time with your family and friends, and since longer workouts deplete your energy levels, you won’t have as much energy to participate or enjoy in other activities.  Remember the longer you train the longer you need to recover!  And of course, your incidence of having repetitive injuries are much higher, which would also hinder you from performing your normal daily activities.

You’ve heard me say it before and I’ll say it again: fitness is not time dependent, it’s intensity dependent. Quality over quantity.  You can achieve your maximum fitness potential and get a leaner, healthier body by working out with intense effort utilizing the right exercises rather than doing just MORE of one thing.  I’m not telling you to stop running…in fact doing long distance running is great for active recovery once in a while.  But if you’re a runner by nature, change up your routine by including some interval training, speed work, and better yet, some strength training.  That’s why my download-able MAX Workouts program has a constant variety of workouts that include strength training, circuit training, and interval cardio training to keep your body challenged.  This way you’re sure to keep your body and fitness progressing without hitting a plateau or running into any possible physical ailments associated with doing long repetitive training.

What’s been your experience with running longer distances?  Have you suffered injury?  What happened to your energy levels?  As far as weight loss, did you find you could lose weight at first, but over time you stopped losing?