3 replies to this topic

[TheFountain]

When will people realize the human heart should not be placed under such excessive stress?

The article claims the red herring that 'humidity' may have had something to do with it. What's wrong with these people? Humidity? really?


http://msn.foxsports...92511?gt1=39002

[nushu]

People would be way better of doing pull ups, hand stand push ups, squats, and interval training like skipping rope or sprinting. Screw marathons! Terrible for longevity.

[scottknl]

My normal running workouts are about 1 hr long during which I usually run 10Km distance (6 miles). I occasionally do a 1/2 marathon distance just to see if I can do it and how much the effort "takes it out of me". I find the 2 hrs + or - that it takes me is about the limit for my endurance on my 1750 kcals CRON diet. I once tried to run 14.5 miles and found that it hurt much more than the 13.1 miles 1/2 marathon distance. I know lots of people can successfully run full marathon distances with only a little recovery time between races. None of them seem to live to a ripe old age though. I once asked a noted aging researcher why endurance athletes don't make it to very old ages. His response was that most of them eventually develop heart arrhythmia problems due to damage that accumulates in the nerves that conduct heart beat signals from the brain/spinal cord. Makes you wonder why none of the Olympic athletes from the 20's and 30's are still alive.

[niner]

Makes you wonder why none of the Olympic athletes from the 20's and 30's are still alive.

Considering that the youngest they could be is 102 (18 in the 1928 games) or 94 (18 in 1936), it isn't that much of a wonder... Intense endurance sports do not look like a longevity win.