...maybe not good?

Running a marathon is as traumatic for your body as having heart surgery

Wow.

I am only familiar with the social toll it takes. I have volunteered for such, and there will be a parent and children holding up a sign and saying, "Maybe now we will get our parent back."

Heart damage can occur as well. It's why I don't run anymore other than very short (40-50 yards) distances at moderate speeds. The consequences of chronic cardio from things like running marathons are very high:

http://www.businessinsider.com/nega...arathon-2013-10

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-...chronic-cardio/

There's a recent talk by Dr Mark Cucuzzella on the dietdoctor.com site about the difference between fitness and health. He says that he used to be more fit than he is now but definitely less healthy than he is now. He opts for optimizing health. It's an interesting talk.

Jean

<---- that's a wink

This is from a few years ago.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/too-muc...n-studies-find/

And how many of them end up needing hip or knee replacements after long hours pounding the pavement?

Just watched this interview. Very informative. I've definitely had to change my fitness goals as I learn more about what constitutes good health.

According to Mark's Daily Apple -- lots.

My brother-in-law & nephew do a lot of running & do marathons. BiL needed his knees fixed a couple years ago (was in his late 50s). Since nephew started running at a younger age than his dad, I'm guessing his knees will need work at a younger age. On the good side, they started low carb & good fats a couple years ago.

Yes, and then there is this too - brain damage from all of that jostling as you run! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11156273

Okay, but don't use scary articles about marathoning as an excuse for NOT EXERCISING.

(Reformed Runner)

From the original posted article:

And neither he nor Parkih find these results concerning for recreational distance runners: Within two days, the runners’ body chemistries were back to normal.


From the Doheny article:

"If you want to run a marathon," he said, "run one and cross it off your bucket list." Dr. James O'Keefe, director of preventive cardiology at the Mid-American Heart Institute in Kansas City.

Been there, done that. Many people these days decide to run a marathon a month before. Um...training helps. I trained carefully for a year, ran my marathon, and crossed it off my list. They can't take it away from you!!

This is key, as exercise is essential to a certain degree. I've crossed off my bucket list 4 marathons within a 12-month period and one half marathon a bit later. Fortunately, my knees and frame did not suffer from that period of time. The amount of training that goes into preparing for a race of that distance is also consequential, as you must establish a base of fitness from gradually building your distances as you get closer to the race. That's a lot of running and a lot of chronic cardio. I was intrigued by ultra marathons after running a few marathons, but family commitments and work travel intervened before I came to my senses. There are much easier ways to stay very fit without the cardio focus and time sacrifices. I think many of us who thought these activities were good for us just blindly got out every day for several miles thinking we'd live and be fit forever. It was the injuries to the heart from overuse and taxing it beyond its capabilities that really got my attention. Just like how we react to different nutritional approaches, some of us can handle more cardio work than others. Today's research shows that smart, targeted exercise is far more effective than the alternatives of either chronic (OCD fueled, that was me) and no exercise. As we get older, focusing on those activities that retain and build muscle mass are far superior to other approaches.

Edit: spelling correction

Most people eat a carb loaded inflammatory diet. Perhaps inflamed joints is more of a factor in the hip/knee replacement epidemic than the running itself. I says this as I am running a 10K tomorrow. I had sore, aching joints when I was obese, eating the SAD and not exercising. I was probably doing more damage to my joints then than I am now. Most of the people I know that have had hip/knee replacement surgery were not hitting the gym or pounding the pavement. They were sedentary and overweight. Jogging to lose weight is another issue to factor in here. It is not uncommon to see obese people (and some morbidly obese people) trying to jog the weight off. That is extremely hard on the joints. All that self torcher for naught. We know that you can't run yourself thin eating a bad diet.

Pounding the pavement, though, isn't a natural state for our bodies. I imagine that it is harder on the joints. I'm actually not a huge fan of jogging. I don't enjoy it as much as I do walking. Most of the practice jogging that I've done in preparation for this 10K was on a gravel track, a mulched trail or a treadmill. That is a lot less harsh than pounding the pavement. I have experienced no joint pain. Just some muscle fatigue. Last year I needed 2 days or more between workouts to recover. This year I've been doing cardio 3 or 4 times a week without issue. I'm talking 30 to 45 minutes here - not doing marathons and half marathons.