No, Running Does NOT Ruin Your Knees
I work at a very all-inclusive gym where I get to entertain a wide variety of personal beliefs about running. Generally, because I have other things to attend to during the day, I leave it at "to each their own" and that's that. To build upon the Runner's World article, however, instead of a continuous childish argument of "Yes it is!" and "No it isn't!," I think the best way to approach the issue is to show the nay-sayers how it can be done.
I very much believe in the notion of "Born to Run." The anatomy of our bodies lends itself to long-distance running. Evolution and history also leave us with no other option than the ability to walk, run, jog all the time. However, with our advancements over time, we've been able to avoid running most of the time and our bodies are no longer used to it. A sedentary desk worker may get up and run a 5k and find it to be tough and might cause him/herself injury because his/her body is not accustomed to the stresses of running. However, if we were more active on a daily basis as we were back in the caveman days, our bodies would be ready for a marathon any day of the week. It's not that we are all born to run right out of the gate, but that we need to know how to ease into running.
Heart Rate
Immediately post run, I was at 156 bpm - much better than the 126 bpm I was at after Sunday's run (0:17/mile slower pace and without riding). Prior to the stats, however, I could feel a difference between the runs. Sunday's run was more leisurely, while yesterday's was a brisker pace. I was not surprised to find my heart rate higher. I'll continue testing it post-run and adding to the graph above.
Hopefully I'll decide on a heart rate monitor in the next month or so. If you have any suggestions or general comments about heart rate monitors, I'm more than happy to hear them.
Are there any wrist monitors that are reliable or is it better to go with the chest strap?
Are there heart rate monitors that will show your heart rate over time like a GPS does your speed?
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Questions
1. What is your opinion of the affect running has on your knees?
If you haven't, check out the links that the Runner's World article offers for evidence. They are quite interesting.
2. What type of heart rate monitor do you use for training?
Swim fast. Bike smart. Run hard.
3 comments:
I read Born To Run too. I think we are meant to run long distances. Or, rather, that we're made for traveling on foot. As with animals though, some of us are more anatomically challenged than others. I would say a very small % of the population would be unable to run a long distance due to how they're built and that desk jobs and sedentary lifestyles are to blame for the rest.
Also, great picture choice at the top of your blog. 6 pack abs. I like.
Born to Run was a great read, but too many runners get hung up on the bare foot running concept.
I run Ultras and never had any knee problems. This is the most common question I get from my friends and coworkers. Training smartly and slowly building a strong base is key to injury prevention.
Good post.
Ultimate frisbee wil ruin your knees... I did far more damage in the 3 years I did that than in the 22 years I've been running.
get a HRM if you really want one... I wore one religiously for about 1.5 years... then took it off and have not looked back. that was 12 years ago. I learned alot about myself and my body.
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