[FoSDW] Running helps your knees, heart

Thu Oct 1 09:47:11 PDT 2009

A cluster of articles on running that are interesting.

Phys Ed: Can Running Actually Help Your Knees?
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/phys-ed-can-running-actually-help-your-knees/
> “We were quite surprised,” says Eliza Chakravarty, an assistant 
> professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and lead 
> author of the study. “Our hypothesis going in had been that runners, 
> because of the repetitive pounding, would develop more frequent and 
> more severe arthritis.”
>
> Instead, recent evidence suggests that running may actually shield 
> somewhat against arthritis, in part because the knee develops a kind 
> of motion groove. A group of engineers and doctors at Stanford 
> published a study in the February issue of The Journal of Bone and 
> Joint Surgery that showed that by moving and loading your knee joint, 
> as you do when walking or running, you “condition” your cartilage to 
> the load. It grows accustomed to those particular movements. You can 
> run for miles, decades, a lifetime, without harming it. But if this 
> exquisite balance is disturbed, usually by an injury, the loading 
> mechanisms shift, the moving parts of the knee are no longer in their 
> accustomed alignment and a “degenerative pathway” seems to open. The 
> cartilage, like an unbalanced tire, wears away. Pain, tissue 
> disintegration and, eventually, arthritis can follow.
>
> So, the best way to ensure that your knees aren’t hurt by running is 
> not to hurt them in the first place.

Phys Ed: How Do Marathons Affect Your Heart?
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/phys-ed-how-do-marathons-affect-your-heart/
> "...the message for the majority of runners as they prepare for an 
> upcoming marathon, is, he says, “You almost certainly are doing your 
> heart a favor.”"

When the Running Is R-Rated
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/when-the-long-runs-are-r-rated/
> Every former marathoner has their words of wisdom, their guru or 
> favorite book. They will preach about weekly distance and carbs versus 
> protein. And they all have a favorite physical therapist when the 
> inevitable injuries strike. But my experience makes me realize that 
> they should also be talking about the talking — the value of a good 
> conversation to keep you going and to distract you from the rigors of 
> training.
>
> And based on my own scientific sample of one, I can tell you that 
> training is easier and far more fun when the stories are closer to 
> rated R than PG-13.

Easy Running for Marathon Newbies
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/easy-running-for-marathon-newbies/
> His top pick: the Honolulu marathon. It has a beginner-friendly 
> course, unlimited registration and a late-season December race date, 
> which gave him a full year to train after a New Year’s resolution to 
> run a marathon. Also, it’s in Hawaii.
>
> Here are the magazine’s other recommendations for first-time 
> marathons. (Warning: most fill up quickly.)
>
> * Disney World Marathon: Run by the Cinderella castle while your kids 
> cheer you on.
> * LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon: A “very flat” course and a 
> well-organized race.
> * Marine Corps Marathon: A race and history lesson rolled into one, 
> not to mention a scenic jaunt along the Potomac and its famous monuments.
> * Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon: Friendly Midwestern cheers from the 
> sidelines.
> * Zappos.com Las Vegas Marathon: Running Elvises and a run-thru 
> wedding chapel (complete with reverend) for those who would like to 
> get married along the way.

Stephen
-- 
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