Asymmetrical Information

I can't seem to get signed in to comment on Art's piece, so I'll do it here. His number one reason not to run marathons is that Phidippides died after running the first one.

What he doesn't mention is that Phidippides had fought in a battle prior to running from Marathon to Athens. He would have been severely depleted before even beginning his run.

I think the list was posted in jest, and #2 and #1 demonstrate. Also, even if it's serious, most of the conclusions are about reversible, short-term effects that occur during the event. So we have studies showing that exercise is hard and puts stress on the body. Gee whiz, I had no idea! Art even said in the comments that he was making a point about misleading use of medical studies.

Jane, I know you don't want to hear this, but any healthy adult, meaning one without heart, lung, joint or bone problems, and who isn't obese, can run a marathon. It doesn't even take as much training as you'd think. The training cycle is about four months, and that assumes a basic level of fitness, e.g. at least 20 miles a week, that can be achieved in another few months before that. Sorry, but as lazy as I am, you'll get no empathy from me.

I always thought marathoners were drawn more to the challenge of the sport and not so much for any health benefits that might accrue. Sort of like the people who climb Everest instead of Clingman's Dome.

I thought it was all about the endorphin high which kicks in after a certain stress level, kinda like why my son drinks Dave's Insanity Sauce.

john e: The marathon's still considered an accomplishment, but as I said, it's one that any healthy young or middle-aged adult can do with a little bit of commitment and pain. It's those 50 or 100 mile ultra-marathoners that are the nutjobs.

triticale: There's no such thing. You just get really, really sleepy.

triticale: There's no such thing. You just get really, really sleepy.

Eh? No such thing for you, maybe. Strenuous exercise for me in fact does trigger such a response. For about an hour or so afterward I sustain a sensation that's similar to the feeling I get after the first glass of a good wine.

Sheesh...

I read both Jane's and Art De Vany's posts as tongue-in-cheek. Some you take things like this way too serious.

Then again, most runners do. I mean, watch the joggers in your neighborhood sometime, or the marathoners whenever one of those events get televised. Have you ever seen a smile on any of their faces?

Roy,

A great many folks don't grin while having sex either. At least during the really fun part.

I too read the posts as basically comic, something on the order of "all that healthiness will kill you." As an ex-hardcore marathoner (takes too much bloody time to train now) the whole rationalization made me, well, smile.

AT wrote:

The training cycle is about four months, and that assumes a basic level of fitness, e.g. at least 20 miles a week, that can be achieved in another few months before that.

The marathon's still considered an accomplishment, but as I said, it's one that any healthy young or middle-aged adult can do with a little bit of commitment and pain.

AT, I'm going to disagree with you a bit. That "basic level of fitness" is pretty high bar for a middle-aged adult. I disagree that it can be achieved in a few months, depending on your definition of few.

I say this as someone who has completed week 15 of training for the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon. I'm not ready for the full thing, so I'll do half.

To get to the level of fitness of running 20 miles a week for this middle-aged person will take a long time. And I'm not starting from a terrible baseline, as I did two half-marathons last year.

So, based on my experience, it's more than just a little bit of commitment.

What he doesn't mention is that Phidippides had fought in a battle prior to running from Marathon to Athens.

I'm not sure as to the historicity of Phidippides. I recall reading that he may be a legend, or possibly a composite of two or more historical figures. Anyway, if he ran 24 miles (the actual distance from Marathon to Athens; the standard 26 miles, 385 yards began in the 1908 Olympics) in the Grecian summer heat, wearing battle gear, and without drinking water it wouldn't surprise me to hear that he suffered heatstroke or severe dehydration. Anyone who participates in a modern marathon is not running under these conditions, and should anything go wrong, almost certainly has access to much quicker medical attention than a person suffering a stroke or heart attack in their own home.

I thought it was all about the endorphin high

In my experience, it's almost non-existent in a marathon or ultra. The endorphin high is most pronounced in shorter events where you run fast enough to push the limits of your aerobic capacity. Run a 5k or 10k so hard that you nearly collapse at the finish, and you'll experience an awesome runner's high for 10-20 minutes after the finish. Marathons, and especially ultras, are like wars of attrition. Your heart and lungs are not working all that hard, but as the hours wear on you are overcome by a deep exhaustion, not to mention more aches and pains than you thought possible. That cool swimmy endorphin high isn't really there at the end, just a deep urge to lie down for a few years. ;)

Jane, I know you don't want to hear this, but any healthy adult, meaning one without heart, lung, joint or bone problems, and who isn't obese, can run a marathon. It doesn't even take as much training as you'd think. The training cycle is about four months, and that assumes a basic level of fitness, e.g. at least 20 miles a week, that can be achieved in another few months before that.

I agree. The casual 20-mile per week runner can succesfully complete a marathon, without suffering too badly in the final miles (unless he/she went out too fast), provided several long slow runs of at least 18 miles were undertaken in the 6 or 8 weeks leading up to the event. These long runs induce necessary physiological adaptations in the leg muscles regarding the ability to store more carbs, burn fuel more efficiently, and get by with a higher % of fat in the "fuel mix". These adaptations are necessary to avoid hitting the dreaded "wall" in the latter stages. (of course, for optimum performace, much more mileage and specialized training is required)

I always thought marathoners were drawn more to the challenge of the sport

Yeah, exactly. Once you're involved with competition (as opposed to just running a few miles a day for weight control & cardiovascular health), it's a sport like any other. I enjoy the challenge of lowering my times in the marathon and other distances, and placing better at races. It's the same satisfaction as achieving any hard-earned goal. Of course, I have no illusions of being the next Paul Tergat or Meb Keflezghi (oh...never mind), just like the recreational golfer probably doesn't think he's going to be challenging Tiger Woods.

It's those 50 or 100 mile ultra-marathoners that are the nutjobs.

Nah, not really. I've done a 50k, and just today I did a 6-hr. race (held on a 2-mile loop). I'm entered in a 50-miler next month. Ultras are usually held on hilly trails, and you approach it with a different mentality than road races. Most people power-walk the ascents, and everyone stops periodically to eat and drink. 50-milers are like really long day-hikes where you jog the flats and downhills. 100 miles? Yeah, maybe those guys are a little crazy. Most of those races are held over really rugged wilderness terrain. Anything that requires long hours of solitary running in the dark, orienteering, dealing with sleep deprivation, altitude sickness, and the possibility of mountain lion or bear attacks seems a little daunting to me at this point!

Rob

The casual 20-mile per week runner...

No such thing, unless you're talking about style of dress.

I've done a 50k, and just today I did a 6-hr. race (held on a 2-mile loop). I'm entered in a 50-miler next month.

Sure, and you're qualified to talk about what a casual runner can do? :)

I ran marathons until my early thirties, at which point it became apparent to me that I'd be getting to know an orthopaedic surgeon a little more intimately than I wished, if I were to continue. Of course at 6'4'', 205 pounds, I was a little larger than the average marathoner, and I find it difficult to refrain from going out fast, which compounds things. I wanted to get below the three hour mark, but always fell a little short, due to having gassed myself by about 22 miles.

Art has blog and I read through most of it. He is serious about running being bad for you. He has some ideas on diet and exercise that are supposed to get people back to the good old hunter-gatherer days. They didn't run much back then, or so Art thinks, so why run now. It's too dangerous. But Art is big on riding motorcycles. He's even got his grandkid doing it. All I know is one motorcycle accident did a helluva lot more damage to my 20 year-old body than running marathons is doing to my 58 year-old body.

Art sets up this strawman of a skinny, weak person whose only ability is to run like a slow metronome for 26.2 miles. The people I run with lift weights, do Yoga and Pilates, bike, and swim. We do that stuff to make our bodies stronger so we can run better and faster. We don't just jog. We go to the track and run intervals. I'm going to bet that the only way Art is going to get through 10 x 800s at 7:30 pace, is on his motorcycle. That is, unless he begins to take running seriously.

One of the women in our running group is 61. She doesn't look it, of course. She got into running to counter the bone-loss that so many post-menopausal women experience. A couple of marathons later, her bone density is back to normal and she has her eyes set on qualifying for the Boston marathon.

When I was 50 I was a sedentary, indolent, lazy slob. My wife coaxed me into walking on the treadmill to improve my aerobic fitness from a base of zero. Something clicked, and that got me running.

One of my running buddies hit 40 weighing 280 lbs. He smoked two packs a day and drank two six-packs a night. He'd always resolved to clean up his life if he reached 40 and he did. Now he's down to 170lbs, runs 3:40 marathons, and looks like the picture of health. It beat dying.

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