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My sister-in-law called the other night. “Make sure to watch NOVA this week,” she told me. “It’s about the science of marathons.” So I watched. And took notes.
NOVA’s Marathon Challenge didn’t contain a lot that was new to me. I’m aware of how hard running can be on your body, and I’m aware that it can also provide tremendous benefits. I know that runners are in excellent physical condition. Still, it’s good to get a refresher course.
I did learn, however, that there’s a strong genetic component embedded in each person’s baseline aerobic capacity. It’s as if there’s a genetic lottery for athletic potential. I guess this makes sense, but it’s odd to hear that science supports this traditional wisdom. (On last week’s marathon training run, the group leader said, “You know the number one thing you can do to improve your odds of finishing a marathon? Choose better parents.” Her point was that genetics have more to do with our ability to run than anything else.)
All the same, most people can run. Humans are built for it. We’re not actually built for running quickly, but our bodies are excellent at running long distances.
According to the program — and of no surprise to anyone, I’m sure — the average American has an unhealthy level of fat and low aerobic capacity. When you don’t use your body, it’s not able to perform on demand. For people who do not exercise, even short runs are difficult. (I can attest to this.)
But running is one of the best things you can do for your heart. “The first day you go out and exercise, you’re healthier than you were the day before,” says one doctor. Each run increases aerobic capacity and general fitness. (Aerobic capacity, as many of you know, is measured by VO2max, or the volume of oxygen your lungs can hold. People with higher VO2max values have much lower risk of developing many common chronic diseases.)
Even after just a couple of months, beginning runners develop increased cardio and aerobic capacity. The body becomes more efficient at processing nutrients. After a few weeks, the body begins to transform itself. Early runs are about improving aerobic fitness. Later, longer runs are about toughness — physical and mental. Long runs strengthen the muscles and tendons, but they also steel the mind.
Runners are susceptible to a wide range of injuries — stress fractures, hip problems, knee problems, etc. — but they can also suffer from mental and emotional issues. I have to confess that the thought of hurting myself makes me nervous. I’ve had a long history of injury. When I was a boy, I was fit, but I suffered from a knee injury late in high school, and ever since I’ve been susceptible injury.
Two more points from the show:
- People come to the marathon for a variety of different reasons, but for everyone it’s a way to prove something to themselves. It’s a way of achieving something that seems impossible.
- “When it comes to losing weight, diet trumps exercise,” says one doctor. It’s what we eat that causes us to drop the pounds. But for weight maintenance, and for preventing weight gain, physical activity is crucial.
Though I didn’t learn a lot from Marathon Challenge, I’m glad I watched it. It was great to see a group of a dozen average people — I’d fit right in! — as they spent several months preparing for the Boston Marathon. Everybody in the group who started the race finished it. That’s inspiring!
The NOVA Marathon Challenge web site contains some interesting supplementary material, including:
- A training calendar
- Ten tips from the training team: buy the right shoe, wear synthetic clothing, pay attention to your body, eat well, and take plenty of time off to rest.
- The entire program, divided into convenient segments. (Put it on YouTube, PBS!)
Some days I think that running a marathon is a pipe dream. But other days — especially when I run with my group — I know that I’m going to finish: no problem!
Mac
9 responses so far ↓
1 Red // Apr 22, 2008 at 9:37 am
That lottery component of running always scared me: “You’ll probably become incredibly healthy, but it may cripple you for life!”
Of course, any exercise always has that component, and it’s probably best to get over it.
2 Andrew is getting fit // Apr 22, 2008 at 10:01 am
When I first started running I watched this and it’s extremely inspirational. It shows that anyone can do it if you stick to it.
3 JosephG // Apr 22, 2008 at 11:19 am
JD-
I love your personal finance website! If nothing else it provides me daily motivation to be responsible with my finances.
With that being said, respectfully, I don’t share the same enthusiasm for this website. I agree 100% with the ‘getfitslowly’ mentality. However, posting a video of completely sedentary people attempting to only finish the Boston Marathon (of which they should have qualified) in no way fits your ‘getfitslowly’ modo.
Many runners train for years in preparation for the marathon. I, for example, have been running for 13 years and will attempt my first marathon in the fall of 2009. It is obvious then, why they get injured. It is not a genetic, predisposition against running that caused the injury, its overtraining, which directly contradicts what your website promotes. The human body has evolved over time to be able to cover long distances. The low activity levels and poor diet choices for the runners in the video are most likely the culprits for injuries and extreme difficulties.
The current marathon boom is encouraging and I would never discourage anyone from running. In fact, the marathon has been a motivation for millions to get out, be healthy, and be active. I believe RUNNING a marathon is a noble pursuit and achievable for those of even lesser ability as long as they work hard, train consistently, and are PATIENT. I question though how many, after finishing the race, continue to pursue a ‘fit’ lifestyle.
I love the saying, “Fitness is a journey, not a destination.”
4 Grumpy Misanthrope // Apr 22, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Walking is, by and far, a better activity for the body than running. Michael Rozier M.D. has clearly demonstrated that walkers lose fat from more appropriate places and with far fewer injuries. It might take a little longer, but running breaks down the body and walking does not.
5 Amber // Apr 22, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I watched that special on the NOVA website. It mostly just made me want to get my VO2 max levels professionally tested.
Most of the folks were very inspirational. However, the woman who ran with glass in her foot really confused me.
6 greenman2001 // Apr 22, 2008 at 2:06 pm
My understanding has always been that maximum benefit from exercise (in terms of morbidity rates and life expectancy) is achieved with one hour of walking, and that when you exercise beyond that morbidity rates start to increase and the gain in life expectancy starts to reverse. So, running may be great for you, but it’s benefits pale in comparison to walking for an hour.
VO2 max is interesting. Lance Armstrong apparently has an unusually high VO2 max; it’s the cornerstone of his incredible achievements. Bill McKibben talks a lot about this in his great book about competitive cross country skiing, Long Distance. I tend to think about it as a “swimmer’s body” kind of phenomenon: it’s not so much that swimming gives you a “swimmer’s body” so much as people with natural “swimmer’s bodies” are attracted to and persevere in swimming because they excel at it by virtue of their physical characteristics. My VO2 max can improve only up to its genetic limit, which is a lot lower than I wish it was, and overtraining isn’t going to change that, only increase the likelihood of injury. It’s a fine line to walk.
JD, have you given any thought to seriously pursuing a sport with a much lower likelihood of knee injury than running — like swimming? It seems like your chances for lifelong fitness could suffer catastrophically if your injury-prone knee were to be injured, and it’s not clear to me what the specific benefits to running a marathon are from the perspective of lifelong, sustainable fitness. It’s incredible how debilitating knee injuries can be.
7 Chief Family Officer // Apr 22, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Thanks for posting this, J.D. Like you said, it’s nothing really new, but I just recently started running again, and it was good for my mental state to read this. I’d also never thought much about the genetic component of aerobic capacity, so that was very interesting to me. Mostly, I was just very inspired to keep doing what I’ve been doing. So thank you!
8 Denise // Apr 23, 2008 at 5:52 am
Well, I have no scientific proof, but I do know that my father and I cannot run long distance. We are unable to run longer than six to eight minutes without severe pain in our lungs. My father told me a doctor told him that it is a genetic thing that does not let our lungs hold or process oxygen correctly…I have no clue what it is, but I do know that I can do aerobics or short sprints with no problem - but even during my most fit years, I could only jog/run for five to six minutes at a time. I remember this condition at high school during basketball season where I would push myself hard for six minutes or so, and then I’d have to be taken out because I just couldn’t catch my breathe. And it’s not asthma.
So even though most runners think speed-walking is dorky…some of us have to do it because we can’t run.
9 Penelope // Apr 23, 2008 at 9:00 am
You must watch “Run Fatboy, Run” with Simon Pegg. You will love it, especially the way UKers say “marathon”.
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