What are the Risks of Long Distance Running? :
- Dehydration. One of the greatest problems long distance runners have to overcome is dehydration. In an intense race on a…
- Injuries. Like many other forms of exercise, long distance running also exposes you to the risk of injuries. In fact, a…
- Allergies and Asthma. Although not so common, long distance running also increases the risks on suffering from allergies…
Both short- and long-distance running have advantages and disadvantages related to your body’s ATP production and usage. ATP breaks down quickly to produce energy for short, high-intensity sprints and is the primary source of energy for sprinters.
Running shorter distances depletes less of the body’s resources. While your muscles still contract and burn energy, using up stores of ATP, your body does not start to break down fat or muscle tissue for fuel.
However, before training for their first marathon, runners must understand the risks and then carefully determine for themselves whether the benefits outweigh the risks. “Muscle damage and inflammation can remain for seven days after having run a marathon (Hikida,1983), while repair of muscle fibers can take three to12 weeks” (Warhol 1985).
Runners who followed these guidelines reaped the greatest health benefits: their risk of death dropped by 25 percent, according to results published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. (Are you ready to start running, or start again after a long layoff? Use our 4-Week Beginner Running Plan .)
Why are marathon runners lean?
This is the primary reason why marathon runners have a very lean appearance. Their prolonged exercise causes their bodies to not store fat and also breaks down any excess muscle. Although they can run for long periods of time, long-distance runners don’t have the same ATP stores available as sprinters.
As a result, sprinters have a greater amount of lean body mass. They also can produce and store more ATP to give them a quick burst …
Long-distance runners don’t store as much ATP, but can produce it at a constant rate to fuel their activity. Both short- and long-distance runners have advantages and disadvantages, but their bodies adapt to the type of exercise performed regularly. av-override. ‒‒:‒‒.
Varying Needs. While your body can produce and store ATP, different types of running make your body adapt. Short-distance runners tend to have greater stores of ATP, but may have trouble with prolonged exercise. Long-distance runners don’t store as much ATP, but can produce it at a constant rate to fuel their activity.
ATP in Long-Distance Running. When you run at a lower intensity for longer periods of time, your body continues to make ATP at a slower rate, meaning that your activity will have to slow down. Your body’s slower conversion of glucose to ATP in prolonged exercise is aerobic metabolism.
Why do people want to run a distance that could kill someone?
Others train for a marathon because they want to burn thousands of calories while strengthening their bones, heart, and muscles.
Running provides an efficient full-body workout, burns a ton of calories, tones the body, provides a great venue for socializing, and improves emotional well-being. Once new runners have mastered the Couch to 5K, they often begin training for longer races. After running a few 10Ks and a half marathon, some runners begin thinking about training for a full marathon. This 26.2-mile race got its name from the legend of Pheidippides, who ran slightly less than 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Athenian army’s victory over the Persians. Once poor Pheidippides arrived and proclaimed, “Rejoice, we conquer,” he is said to have fallen over dead.
Inflammation. “Muscle damage and inflammation can remain for seven days after having run a marathon (Hikida,1983), while repair of muscle fibers can take three to12 weeks” (Warhol 1985).
Pheidippides wasn’t the only one to drop dead after running a long distance. A 58-year old man died of a heart attack while running the 2008 New York Marathon. Jim Fixx, author of the bestseller, The Complete Book of Running, completed several marathons before a heart attack took his life during the middle of a run in 1984. Others have died while running, but in most cases, they, like Fixx, had a family history of heart problems, high cholesterol and “warning signs such as angina, nausea, and epigastric discomfort” (Naokes 1987). While the risk of having a fatal heart attack during the 24-hour period following a marathon is only one in 50,000 according to a 1996 study, everyone, especially those in their mid-forties or older, should first get a doctor’s approval before training for a marathon.
Almost anyone who has been properly trained, is well- nourished, wears with suitable footwear, and is not injured can complete a marathon. The human body is marvelously designed to adapt to the physical stresses of long distance running. However, before training for their first marathon, runners must understand the risks …
The medical community is still much undecided as to whether the benefits outweigh the risks of long-distance running. While more studies are needed, physicians typically consider a runner’s age, size, and body mechanics before advising patients regarding long distance running. Almost anyone who has been properly trained, is well-nourished, wears with suitable footwear, and is not injured can complete a marathon. The human body is marvelously designed to adapt to the physical stresses of long distance running. However, before training for their first marathon, runners must understand the risks and then carefully determine for themselves whether the benefits outweigh the risks.
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