[Raw 9-16-13]

Miz's dad seemed pretty content watching his son get butchered. 

[All-Purpose Health and Fitness Thread]

...Awkward!

Yeah, basically. 

 

I'm not going to argue what studies have actually shown, but the evidence is there that over time endurance running increases scarring of the heart, an increase in calcium deposits in arteries, and some other possible effects to the cardiovascular system.  The only prominent cardiologist who disputes this (and who most endurance runners take their cues from in disputing these studies) is an endurance exercise dude himself who doth protest too much.  A bit compromised. 

 

The primary study you're referencing, if we're thinking of the same one, featured 12 individuals. They had, on average, been training heavily for 43 years, and in that time, completed 178 marathons, 65 ultramarathons, and 4 ironman triathlons. Of the 12, 6 had evidence of scar tissue. (You might notice, after 43 years of training, that these people were rather old. This is a relevant confounder.) Certainly, at the extreme end of all things, there are risks. I grant those and do things to mitigate them, although I would add that every other study I can find on ultra endurance events suggests the body heals itself fully in a week. But I would also add that there are numerous studies which show all sorts of health benefits and decreased risk of all cause mortality for endurance exercise up to one hour a day. While there is no clear additional benefit beyond that, it's certainly unclear where the bar for harm might be. But the evidence suggests it's a high bar indeed. And even then, we're talking about 6 people. Six old people, about whom we know nothing else, in terms of their health habits or racing history. 

 

My wife has an MPH from a really good university and we get a ton of journals since her speciality is health and fitness.  I've read the study paper in Heart on this on the shitter. 

 

I studied exercise science and work for a publishing company, proofing and copy editing academic journals. I'm not a cardiologist, but I certainly think I'm pretty well read on the subject. But credentials aren't really relevant here anyway. As you say, facts are facts, and they are the same no matter who cites them.

 

An increased risk does not mean you will be impacted, which is why I sad "can" impact your long term health not "will."  I am glad you are healthy, but facts are facts and science is science. 

 

Facts are facts, indeed. And the available facts say that, even factoring in this spectre of heart scarring, endurance athletes are overwhelmingly healthier and longer lived than the average person. And science is science, also. Which means our understanding and accrual of these facts will thankfully continue. Science, thankfully, is not a stagnant thing.

 

It's a free country, so do what you want to do. 

 

Happily. 

 

[All-Purpose Health and Fitness Thread]

 

...and hope to extend my racing past 50 miles later this fall at a 24 hour event or 100 miler. 

 

... just not really an efficient use of time. 

 

 

Just busting your balls here, but talk about incongruity. ;P

 

If you really enjoy it, more power to you.  I would caution you, since this is a health thread and not just fitness, that extreme endurance running can have adverse effects for your long term health.  Give it some thought is all if you plan on making the enduro runs a regular occurrence as opposed to a one time thing.

 

No one runs marathons or ultras for health, that's for sure. And it certainly can compromise your long term health, if you attack events that you've not trained adequately for. But there is no evidence whatsoever that it does in 99.9% of cases, and certainly not in fit people without preexisting conditions. Tests of athletes in the days right after an ultra yield an expected amount of damage, but it goes away in a matter of weeks. In cases where long term heart scarring occurs, the athlete in question pushed themselves beyond their fitness, and got injured. It's like any other sport, in that regard. You invite an element of risk, but you can mitigate it, through proper training and an intelligent "game plan". Suffice it to say, my heart is in perfect condition, and my hormone levels are all in optimal ranges, even after having run six marathons/ultras in the last year.

 

Hopefully I don't sound too defensive here. I'm not arguing your point per se. Certainly there are bucket listers who get themselves hurt, or people who exacerbate heart conditions that had not been previously detected. For that reason, I encourage everyone I run with to emphasize a steady progression, and never race above their training. I try and do everything I can to heed that advice myself. 

 

But you are fundamentally right, that if health is your only goal, I'd probably advise maxing out at 30 miles a week or so, and never racing marathons or longer.

[All-Purpose Health and Fitness Thread]

Finally jumping back on the new board, and I'm really happy this thread is back.

 

My fitness introduction: I'm a runner, to the tune of about 70-100 miles a week. I really do enjoy that volume, which qualifies me for some pretty severe psychosis, probably. When racing, I prefer half marathons to 50 miles on trail, though I'll race as short as 5K. I've got a marathon next week, and hope to extend my racing past 50 miles later this fall at a 24 hour event or 100 miler. 

I'm not to the point of needing this yet, but does anyone have any recommendation for building ab muscle through exercise?  I'm not out to get ripped, but I'd like to have something to fill out some of the bonus skin I'm going to have left over after dropping all this belly fat.

Anyway, direct ab work is somewhat overrated by most, at least how it's usually configured (CRUNCHES). Squats, deadlifts, sprints, tire flipping, sledge hammering, etc., all work the abs. Anything that requires torsional strength and/or core stability, basically. I'm also somewhat partial to planks, myself. I don't think crunches are awful or anything, just not really an efficient use of time. 

[2013 NCAAF Week 2]

Because I hate myself, I'm going to see the start of the Jake Heaps ERA~! at KU this weekend. 

 

Because there are feelings of desperation and loss deeper than hate, I have season tickets.

 

Help me, Andrew Wiggins. You're my only hope.

[2013 NCAAF Week 1]

As a Kansas fan, tonight was kind of a best case scenario. Yeah, we're shit, but I'm a miserable enough person to derive joy from the failings of my neighbors. It's nights like this I'm reminded why I don't delete my facebook account.

[Live Performance Thread]

Ian Curtis doing Ian Curtis things on BBC.