Run For Your Life
You have found it. It is an addiction unlike any other. You see no downside with your addiction. You start to look better, feel happier, and decide to really lean into it for heightened results. As with all great things there is a researcher on the other side trying to tell you the risks. When I became aware of the research done by James O’keefe and his team, I came crashing down from my runners high. O’Keefe’s finding show that increased running does not equal increased health.
Being an extreme exercise enthusiast lead James O’Keefe to become a cardiologist. After a routine examination of a patient that runs 12 miles a day O’Keefe was startled to find the patient’s heart was not as healthy as anticipated. He began to research how this could be. Most are familiar with the urban myth of “If you can complete a marathon, you are immune to a heart attack.” To my surprise, the research shows that it is a misconceptions that the more one runs, the better off one becomes.
O’keefe acknowledges that the best medicine to prolong one’s life is exercise like running. “Just like any drug there is an ideal dose range. If you take too much of it- it could be harmful, maybe even fatal.” (James O’keefe) The human heart pumps a galloon of blood a minute. On a vigorously run, the heart pumps 5–6 galloons of blood per minute. With the heart working this hard, after around an hour this process starts to “burn” the heart. The research shows that those who participate in high intensity/long duration running were putting micro tears into their hearts.
Instead of “maximum effort equaling maximum results” when it comes to cardio vascular health, it actually is a U shaped curve. Those who do no exercise are the worst off. Those who run moderately (2–5 times a week, a mile pace slower than 7:30 a mile, at a weekly distance between 5–15 miles) had the healthiest hearts, often twice as healthy as non-exercisers. The extreme exercisers (6+ times a week, and/or a pace faster than 7:30 a mile, and/or at a weekly distance over 25 miles) had decreased heart health from those who ran moderately. It is important to note that the extreme exercisers still reported better heart health than the non-exercisers.
As someone who runs 150 miles a month (roughly 37 miles a week) I felt very conflicted when I learned about these findings. I had to ask myself, “Do you want to reconsider and change how you live your life?” After some looking over of the graphs and numbers, I made a decision. I am not going to make any changes to how I run. I respect the research and will keep it in mind for the future, but as I have mentioned in past writings, I do not run solely to be healthy. The health benefits are a bonus to the therapeutic affects running has for me. I am not going to force myself to deal with more stress because it will mildly help my heart. After all, even the extreme runners were better off than those who do no exercise. For me, the mental benefits of running have always outweighed the physical benefits.
The research shows that an extreme level of cardio exercise leads to decreased health compared to those who exercise moderately. Although there are negative affects, extreme runners still have better hearts than non-runners. For me running goes deeper than the health benefits. While I am glad I know the facts now, I will not be changing my habits. I will keep the runners high, yet allow myself to relax on a day when I am just too busy to run.
