runnning for life

[BRCMM]

Has anyone read anything about what is the limit in running in a week, so you can do it for the rest of your life? If a twenty year old man runs every day 5 miles, given hes of normal weight and stays like that, will he be still running 5 miles a day when hes fifty? How much can you safely run in a week either daily or breaking it up, to make it a life style? I know running on concrete make a difference, but what can you do if you don't live near a park? How much does a treadmill do to affect the impact on your knees while running?

[SkinnyGuy]

For your first question, Dr. Kenneth Cooper said that if you run more than 15 miles per week, you are running for something more than fitness. That doesn't mean you can't run more than 15 miles. I run more than 15 miles per week when preparing for the marathon. Running marathons goes beyond what is required for fitness.

[BRCMM]

Originally Posted by SkinnyGuy

For your first question, Dr. Kenneth Cooper said that if you run more than 15 miles per week, you are running for something more than fitness. That doesn't mean you can't run more than 15 miles. I run more than 15 miles per week when preparing for the marathon. Running marathons goes beyond what is required for fitness.

My question was not fitness related. I'm concerned about the long term affects of running long distances every day. Specifically I'm concerned about the knees. So at what point are you running too much, skeletally speaking, the muscle bounce back much quicker. I guess I’m asking, does your bone brake a little when you run? If so does it repair itself? And if so, how far into the negative can you go in a day so that you body can bring you back to zero. Or do I not know what I’m talking about and we can all be Forest Gump and run all day every day?

[daniella]

I think you are asking a good question. I wonder about this myself. I think there is a threshold, beyond which running does more harm than good. The benefits to our cardiovascular system are at some point outweighed by the cost to our joints, tendons and ligaments. I think that the threshold mileage is different for different people. I work out with triathletes, marathoners and weight lifters, and this much seems clear -- we're all different when it comes to the kind of stress and the intensity our bodies can handle. I know marathoners who do 3 or 4 marathons a year, year in, year out. They consistently run 30 to 40+ miles per week and show no adverse wear and tear. Personally, I get chronic aches and pains in my lower body when my long runs get up around 15 miles. I try to wear cushioned running shoes and run on treadmills to get a softer ride. But last spring I picked up a stress fracture in a metatarsal, and I found out that some podiatrists blame cushioned running shoes and treadmills, because they keep the bones in your feet from strengthening as they should in response to the normal stress of running on hard surfaces with thinner soles. What to do?

My triathlete coach is a highly ranked amateur triathlete. He rules the Clydesdale class (200 lbs+) in the sprint distance, Olympic distance and half iron distance. But, like me, his body can't seem to handle runs over 14 or 15 miles.

At the end of the day, I guess each person has to experiment, listen to his or her body, and set limits.

daniella

[g_samsa]

I've heard from doctors who really dislike treadmills, and I feel (though I have no medical background) that they are right. I triathelete I know told me that since the machine is not perfectly still when you run, it vibrates with each step, that your bones go through undue stress because of it.

In terms of how much a person can run to make it a lifestyle. If I run the same amount now that I will run when I'm 90 then I won't probably be getting much of a workout now. Our bodies change, which you know, so I don't think there is a mileage that will be constant throughout your life or even through 50-60 years old. Right now I run about 70 miles a week and my knees, muscles, and the rest of my body feel just fine. I run 20+ miles almost every saturday now and don't feel at all bad. I think if I had the time that I could easily do 100+ without putting undue stress on my body. But like you say, it would probably catch up over time.

Your bones do not break each time you run and then repair themselves. Your muscles do break each time you run. After running you should consume a 3:1 mixture of carbs to protein and it will quickly repair the muscles damage, repair it and improve it. Our improvement as athletes comes from the repair of muscle tissue after it's been broken. The quicker it repairs, the quicker you get on the road and the quicker you run.

Daniella is right I think. Each body can take a different amount of stress. Some people are just designed to run further than others. Some can lift more, run faster, jump higher. I think it's all just genetics.

[axmaxl]

Originally Posted by g_samsa

Your bones do not break each time you run and then repair themselves. Your muscles do break each time you run. After running you should consume a 3:1 mixture of carbs to protein and it will quickly repair the muscles damage, repair it and improve it. Our improvement as athletes comes from the repair of muscle tissue after it's been broken. The quicker it repairs, the quicker you get on the road and the quicker you run.

That was some very good statement. Especially in amateur sports or in combination with diets many people do not think about taking enough carbs or proteins. A lot of times the goal is to loose weight, while it is hard to 'loose' weight when you push doing sports.

Due to the situation of my current life I am biking tuesday, wednesday and thursday and am running the other days - in most weeks taking one of them off. The biking part is new. I neither have been constantly running.

Eventhough I have been quite a good runner in my youth I have always been the 'out-of-the-stomach' type. Just run and do not care about the rest. I am still like that. It might have been part of my success. Just do - don't think. As soon as I have to think about other issues such as food I get annoyed. In the long term such attitude obviously is bad.

But with asthma, back problems and age, I started to take such stuff into account. Though that was pretty recently. But as I listen to the signals of my body - for instance dry tongue - which is quite a good indicator at least for me, I think I am regenerating faster. (as a sidenote to the dry tongue: I have always been drinking enough - like 3-6 liters per day. When I get a dry tongue I take that as a signal that certain vitamines or minerals are missing)

To get back to the topic. I also heard not so good things about treadmills such as they are harder for the bones than running on a road apart from physical and psychological effects which get lost when training indoors.

I would say that an heathy human body is even strong enough to adapt to anything else below that 3:1 mixture of carbohydrates and proteins, which anyway is mostly for an advancement in practice volume than for continually doing the same amount of workouts. The keyword might be routine. If you do the same amount of work day after day to your body (of course within limits) the body will try to adjust. Stress fractures or pains in general are signals that you are crossing such limits. Then again *curse my back problems* there are a lot of other factors. If your sekelton, running style and shoes are more or less normal you will not have problems even at high distances per week and 30 to 40 miles are not all that much for long distance runners. But as soon as you got probs with your skeleton new measurements will apply.

regards,
Axel