OMG we’re all gonna die!!!!!eleventy!!

Just a quick post to note this article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal today. Look familiar? It ought to. The same author wrote this article last year. Both articles basically say the same thing, and quote the same authorities, citing the same research. The suggestion is that running too much is bad for [...]

What’s the minimum (and maximum) exercise to improve health?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services currently recommends that adults engage in exercise at least 150 minutes per week. They also say that more exercise is even better, but that also suggests that doing somewhat less than 150 minutes per week might be better than nothing. If you’re an active runner, you might [...]

Cadence and injuries: Once more, with science

The plan for this site has always been to supplement discussion of peer-reviewed science with other reasoned discussions based on anecdotes and experience. When I’m discussing the peer-reviewed research, I always include the Research Blogging icon you see at the top of this post. When I’m discussing books or other non-peer-reviewed sources, I don’t. That [...]

Don’t believe every table you see: Noakes on running potential

This summer I’m reading Tim Noakes’ massive volume Lore of Running, bit by bit, then reporting the critical bits back to you. Last week I covered VO2 max, the idea that every runner can consume a relatively-fixed maximum amount of oxygen. But while VO2 max can’t be improved much with training, I held out hope [...]

More on marathoning and heart disease

Sure, marathons are enjoying a tremendous rise in popularity, as the above video from the 2010 New York Marathon illustrates vividly, but is it possible that running too many marathons can be harmful to your health? This is the second of a pair of posts on the issue. On Friday, I discussed a 2009 report [...]

A complex picture on marathoning and heart disease

Jim Fixx was an overnight sensation as a recreational runner who had worked himself into shape and written a book about the health benefits of running. But when he died of a heart attack shortly after a run at age 43 52, he became the poster-child for the idea that running can actually be hazardous [...]