Photo by Andrea Leopardi on Unsplash
I know that running is a high impact form of exercise so I do wonder, especially as I get older – do the benefits of running outweigh the potential risks?
Some years ago I was late to catch a ferry to a business meeting. Since the next ferry was in an hour, my only choice was to run and try and catch the boat. By the time I arrived on the wharf, I could hardly breathe, but fortunately a colleague had managed to sweet-talk the crew into waiting a couple of minutes and the ferry was still there.
Onboard as I slumped into the nearest seat I realised how unfit I was, even though it was a relatively short distance. I’ve never liked running, but I resolved that day to at least get fit enough to run in an emergency.
I’ve been running now for 4 years. I can’t say I enjoy it as I’m running, but I do love the feeling afterward. It’s like your whole body is functioning efficiently as one unit.
What are the benefits of running?
It turns out there are quite a few, and even better, you don’t need to run far or fast to reap the benefits.
Many benefits are well known, like reducing obesity and blood pressure and the positive effects of exercise on depression. I also know about the importance of weight-bearing exercise, but I didn’t realise that running will make bones stronger than walking by applying additional stress and therefore building denser bone mass. I was also surprised by cancer research that shows running can slow tumor growth. You can read more about what studies tell us about health benefits of running.
Personally, the benefit I have felt most personally is with my breathing. When I first started running I felt like I had a lump in my throat as my lungs tried to suck in the extra oxygen needed to power my muscles. I talked to a physiologist about this and she suggested walking for the first kilometre as a warm-up, which gives your body time to transition into an exercise state. This did help, but the main problem was I was just really unfit, and this issue has gone away as my aerobic capacity has increased.
What is the effect of this on longevity?
These benefits are important components of your overall health status, so it would be reasonable to assume participation in running increases longevity. Some medical studies support this.
A 2019 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that runners had a 27% lower risk of dying during the study period from any cause compared with non-runners – specifically, a 30% lower risk of death from heart disease and a 23% lower risk of death from cancer. Study co-author Željko Pedišić explains the results of the study in an easy to read article here.
Another study in 2015 found that even a modest amount of running — 5-10 minutes a day at a slow pace — was associated with a 28 percent drop in all-cause mortality and an even greater reduction in risk of death from heart disease. According to the study author, “Runners, on average, lived three years longer compared to non-runners. Long-term runners — those who keep at it six years or more — seem to experience the greatest longevity benefits.”
What are the risks of running?
The main issue with running is the risk of injury is to soft tissue with the effects most commonly felt in the lower back and legs. Some factors that increase the risk of injury are:
- Overtraining – 80% of running injury is associated with overuse. These occur as a consequence of repeated mechanical stress on the tissue without sufficient time for recovery.
- Suddenly increasing the pace or duration of running – Poorly perfused tissues, such as ligaments, tendons and cartilage, are particularly at risk because they adapt more slowly than muscles to increased mechanical load.
- Incorrect technique
- Incorrect shoes and clothing
- Hard or uneven surfaces
- A history of injury
There are many ways to reduce the risk of injury during running and it’s worth putting some effort into it. Often when I talk to people who used to run and now don’t, almost always it is because they got injured. The loss of fitness associated with stopping for long periods of time to recover from injury can create a barrier to get going again.
In conclusion
I always advocate doing what is right for you. Listen to your body, know your own health risk factors. Start small and build up. Warm up, concentrate on technique, stretch afterward and avoid injury.
For me at this time running is a good choice. It’s not too time consuming, I don’t need any equipment, it is not necessary to coordinate my schedule with anyone else, and I can just step outside the front door and go. I’m never going to run a marathon. I just want to do enough to benefit my health in a sustainable way over the long-term. To me that means avoiding injury and not taking a break that is long enough to lose too much fitness.
If running is not your thing, don’t sweat it. Many other sports and forms of exercise provide great benefits to your health. Social sports may even have an advantage over individual ones when it comes to longevity, which we will investigate in a future blog.
References
Željko Pedišić: Running may help you live longer but more isn’t necessarily better
Carolee Belkin Walker: Why running is so beneficial for older women
Sheff: Your Lungs and Exercise
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Run for your life: Exercise protects against cancer
Eliza F. Chakravarty, et al: Reduced Disability and Mortality among Aging Runners: a 21-year Longitudinal Study
Maarten P. van der Worp, et al: Injuries in Runners; A Systematic Review on Risk Factors and Sex Differences
Better Health Victoria State Government: Running and jogging – preventing injury
Coach Jeff: Losing Running Fitness: A Scientific Look at How Much You’ll Slow Down When Not Able to Run
Heather Ogden-Handa
Good to meet you! I’m a marketer and writer interested in aging and longevity. I see lots of great information out there, so I’m keen to share topics that take my interest. Over time I hope the knowledge and community around this blog will have a positive impact on the healthy lifestyles of many individuals.