Is long distance running and endurance sports really that good for your health? It turns out it is not that great for your health under certain conditions.

Endurance exercise, more commonly known as cardio or aerobic exercise aims to improve or maintain ones respiratory and cardiovascular health. It is described as exercise with repetitive rhythmical movements of large muscle groups that require an elevated and sustained breathing and heartrate for long periods of time. This can include walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, dancing and many more. Some benefits of endurance exercise include strengthening of your heart and joints, decreasing muscular fatigue, improving mental and emotional health, improving lung capacity, increasing blood flow and utilization of oxygen as well as increasing metabolism thus making it a crucial component to incorporate in everyone's exercise program.

The heart responds to any amount of endurance training however the outcome, being good or bad relies greatly on the individual's response to the level of intensity and duration of exercise. In other words, is too much bad? When looking at running, research shows that too much mileage could indeed be less beneficial on the body and specifically the heart. The "optimal mileage”, being not too short and not too far for runners is specific to the individual, however according to one study the average 5-10km, a few times per week is very beneficial and recommended with caution to individuals running upwards of 35km a week consistently for an extended period of time. Ultra-endurance runners who participate in marathons of 6 hours+ or running longer distances on multiple days also fall in the category of caution.

Excess endurance training could lead to potential long term health problems such as a thickening of an individual’s heart tissue which could then lead to scarring or fibrosis (hardening of the muscle tissue). This could lead to atrial fibrillation or right ventricular dysfunction and increasing ones risk of an irregular heartbeat and/or hypertension.  The prolonged exercise could also cause a build-up of free radicals which is produced as the heart muscle contracts and relaxes at increased rates causing oxidative stress. These free radicals could then bind to cholesterol and form plaques in arteries.

Endurance runners are said to have hearts around 50% bigger than the usual heart to allow for the increasing demand of blood and oxygen by working muscles. This often comes with wider and stronger arteries with a decreased resting heart rate and are better equipped to prevent plaque build-up and clogging which could even be caused due to excess mileage. This being said, the health benefits of running whether it be long or short distances outweigh the potential danger of developing health issues by far.

It is important to remember that everyone is different with their genetic makeup, possible predispositions to diseases, different lifestyles and diets. Different people will have different responses to endurance training and mileage, one can only become aware of the potential dangers and long term health problems that go with excessive endurance training and be mindful of how far they are pushing their bodies. Remember to listen to your body and understand your limits, pace yourself and your training now to allow for a greater chance at a longer healthier life.

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References

Scheer V;Tiller NB;Doutreleau S;Khodaee M;Knechtle B;PasternakA;Rojas-Valverde D; (2021) Potential long-term health problems associated withultra-endurance running: A narrative review, Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.).Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34542868/ (Accessed: 18 January2024).

Gleiser, M. (2016) Is running good or bad for your health?, NPR. Available at: https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/09/14/493803246/is-running-good-or-bad-for-your-health (Accessed: 18 January 2024).

5 benefits of endurance running you should know: Abbott newsroom (2022) Home. Available at: https://www.abbott.com/corpnewsroom/nutrition-health-and-wellness/5-benefits-of-endurance-running-you-should-know.html (Accessed: 18 January 2024).

Aaron, C. (2019) The benefits of aerobic exercise to your health, Cleveland Clinic. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7050-aerobic-exercise (Accessed: 18 January 2024).Admasu, F. (2019) silhouette of three women running on grey concrete road, unsplash. Fitmasu. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/silhouette-of-three-women-running-on-grey-concrete-road-oGv9xIl7DkY (Accessed: 19 January 2024).

Weermeijer, R. (2018) Heart in Hand , Unsplash. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/human-heart-anatomy-learning-tool-sAHiIKGKjjA (Accessed: 19 January 2024). Erickson , B. (2017) man running on edge near mountain , Unsplash . Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/man-running-on-edge-near-mountain-XFneC_rHR48 (Accessed: 19 January 2024).

Lapak, J. (2018) Person running on top of hill during daytime , Unsplash . Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/person-running-on-top-on-hill-during-daytime-CVvFVQ_-oUg (Accessed: 19 January 2024).

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