Musing On Research

How do daily newspaper columnists do it?  Finding something to say is always so difficult.  Those of you who know me are now laughing out loud.  “But she never shuts up” I hear some of you saying.  It’s different with the written word.  Somehow, just spilling nonsense seems more permanent, more likely to follow me, with the internet someone may discover this nonsense years after I’m gone.  Yikes!

With that lovely thought, today I will muse on some of the recent research about running and exercise in general.   Bottom line, it all points to one thing, do it!  But in between the lines, there are some interesting things coming to light.  Probably the most amazing study is the one, that came to light last summer, that showed that those who ran 1 to 20 miles a week at a jogging pace reducing their risk of dying more than those who didn’t run AND more than those who ran faster than 7 miles per hour.   http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/moderation-as-the-sweet-spot-for-exercise/  This was reinforced in another study, which showed that fewer workouts per week might be more beneficial than more workouts http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/why-four-workouts-a-week-may-be-better-than-six/  My take away from all of this is that there is a point of diminishing returns, beating ourselves up, in an attempt to get better at our sport, leads to nothing more than burnout and no additional gains.  I have a friend who insists on working out daily, with his heartbeat pushed to the max, for an hour or more.  In my opinion, he is always tired and cranky but I don’t see any real gains.  With that said, being able run more miles at a faster pace is important if my goal is to do a half marathon or marathon.  But, I need to understand that I’m doing it more for my head and that I’m likely not doing my body any great favors. 

The other research that I’m following is all the research on barefoot and minimalist running.  The most recent research shows that barefoot running causes injuries too.  Perhaps, however, just different injuries.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23439417  This one almost made me laugh.  We needed research to prove that!?  How many of us know people who jumped from regular shoes to foot gloves and ended up sidelined?  I have a very lightweight, but not minimalist shoe, the Mizuno Precision 13 that I love to wear but notice on longer road runs my feet get sore.  They feel almost as if they are bruised.  I have a very high arch and just the thought of running barefoot or in foot gloves makes my feet ache.  The research that I haven’t seen is how different foot shapes and arches respond to all these different shoes.  I suspect it makes a big difference. 

What does it all come down to?  Do what feels right for you.  Listen to your body.  If I had listened to my body last year, rather than trying to push through a set training plan, I would not have been injured.  This year, as my training gets more serious for my first half marathon(s), I’m going to listen carefully.  At the first sign of pain (or even just niggles), I will listen.  Much better to take a day off now than having to take a few months off later. 

The weather is turning warmer, the snow is melting and I’ve got miles to run before the weekend is over.  Running with the Bolingbrook Fun Run Club tomorrow morning at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.  Where are you running this fine weekend?