fitness or fatness ?

fields5069

siraxeman said:

I cant help but think extreme endurance is detrimental to optimum health. Long distance runners often dropping dead with a culinary trombonist  (heart attack  ;-) ) and if not loads of distance runners complain of dodgy knees later on in life. 

Most people, me included, don't train adequately for the distance they want to "race". The best experience at a half marathon that I ever had, albeit not my fastest time, was when I was training for a cancelled 20 mile race which predictably only included 17-mile long slow runs. The 20-miler would have hurt but I was laughing all the way around the half marathon course. In other words it's the norm for a race to be of extraordinary length for a runner, and that's when injuries happen I believe.

DrJazzTap

Well I got back on the scales yesterday, although I don't put much belief into weight etc. I knew I had put on weight.....just not that much!
I'm now using myfitnesspal again, and tracking my calorie intake. Which is what I used to do everyday. And then just stopped. We have a Greggs near work and to break up boredom I wander down and get a coffee and a cake. So yes that's now stopped. And exercise three times a week now.

mcsdan

quarky said:

mcsdan said:

Now I run 50-60 miles a week off road 

Jesus. How do you find the time? I am impressed. 

Run early morning before work or after work in the dark(with head torch). Long runs on a weekend usually around 20-30 miles on Sunday.  Just be creative with time really.

mcsdan

fields5069 said:

mcsdan said:

Got fit a couple of years ago after slobbing it since leaving school. Now I run 50-60 miles a week off road and gym (light exercises) once or twice depending upon how long the long run is. Train for ultra marathons having recently completely 2 x 100km marathons in a month and 2 marathons in 2 days. Got my first 100 mile run this weekend - 24-28 hours on the feet (hopefully). 

I've been lighter 11st 13lbs but race weight is around 12st 5lb to 12st 7lbs. Being lighter I feel much weaker and rather be stronger with a few extra pounds.  Can control weight fairly easily by just being careful with eating junk.  For the race this weekend expect to burn around 9-10000 calories although will eat approx 2-3000 in that time too. Will be hungry for a week after haha

Is it true that ultras can leave you pissing blood? Nothing serious, so I've heard, just the jogging motion irritates something or other.

It can do if you don't hyrdate enough and using things like ibuprofen can block the kidneys. I'm fairly good with hydrating and also eating not just carbs but also protein to repair muscle damage.

mcsdan

siraxeman said:

I cant help but think extreme endurance is detrimental to optimum health. Long distance runners often dropping dead with a culinary trombonist  (heart attack  ;-) ) and if not loads of distance runners complain of dodgy knees later on in life. 

The old dodgy knees story haha. Most people heel strike when they run instead of mid/forefoot. Acts as a brake and sends forces through the joints. Lots of runners also have big muscle imbalance between quads/hams and lack of flexibility in the hips. I have spent time working with physio on both functional movements and efficient gait (how you run). Figured that more efficient means less energy and stress on the body which equals less injury and more consistency. Consistency is the key to aerobic development. 

The heart attack issue is either inherent anyway or too much pushing. The long runs I do aren't that quick and monitor heart rate for effort keeping in zone 2 for as much as possible.  I'm fitter than I've ever been, happier, 3 stone lighter, stronger and more energry. So if that's detrimental to health then it's back to junk food and binge drinking lol

mcsdan

I also asthmatic since I was around 7. Since running my peak flow has gone from half of normal to normal (350->600) to the point where the doctor has reduce inhaler to once a day so see how it goes ( was on 6 doses a day). I'm hoping longer term than it completely goes/managed.  All pluses really.

octatonic

mcsdan said:

The long runs I do aren't that quick and monitor heart rate for effort keeping in zone 2 for as much as possible.  I'm fitter than I've ever been, happier, 3 stone lighter, stronger and more energry. So if that's detrimental to health then it's back to junk food and binge drinking lol

Pretty much same here- although for me a long run is 10k- I'm not racing.
I play a couple of hours of drums a day though too, which helps.

mcsdan

octatonic said:

mcsdan said:

The long runs I do aren't that quick and monitor heart rate for effort keeping in zone 2 for as much as possible.  I'm fitter than I've ever been, happier, 3 stone lighter, stronger and more energry. So if that's detrimental to health then it's back to junk food and binge drinking lol

Pretty much same here- although for me a long run is 10k- I'm not racing.
I play a couple of hours of drums a day though too, which helps.

Long run is relative. 10k is a good distance and is a good run :-)

siraxeman

Who was that famous athlete who crapped down her leg during a race one time? I guess she was more than a bit stressed to have done that

According to Greek mythology, the first-ever marathon runner, Pheidippides, dropped dead after his 26-mile run to Athens to deliver the news of Greece's victory at the Battle of Marathon. So why do tens of thousands of people participate in marathons every year, amassing participation medals and numbered paper bibs like high school trophies? (One reason may well be that past high school, there are precious few occasions that merit a trophy.) The stress that a marathon puts on the body may go beyond what qualifies as "healthy." Let's take a look at the anatomy of a marathon runner from head to toe.........

siraxeman

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/how-running-a-marathon-can-seriously-harm-your-health/

fields5069

I love this bit: "Man was not designed for movement at a chronically sustained high intensity aerobic pace."

This is an interesting "fact". How does this sit with ancient man steadily running down a gazelle until it overheats and collapses, over several miles? What they probably mean is "fat man", not "man".

The article is obviously biased towards the American idea of health - quite a bit of muscle and some expensive smoothies. I remember clearly getting an advert of a big muscly guy on my hotmail homescreen once - a picture of health in some parts of the US but I just saw a fat man who works out.

siraxeman

ancient man never ran no gazelle down. He set a trap for the bugger! Have you seen how fast them things can go? Not even superman could catch 'em. Cheetahs often give up lol

Luminous

I lift weights 3 times a week, usually do 3 runs ( I'm training for an ultramarathon ) and go to the Dojo twice a week.

siraxeman

Dojo ? Is that a kebab shop ?

;-)

Luminous

lol...Martial arts gym...I study Hapkido

mcsdan

Luminous said:

I lift weights 3 times a week, usually do 3 runs ( I'm training for an ultramarathon ) and go to the Dojo twice a week.

What ultra are you doing :-)

Luminous

I'm planning a 50k when i get over this injury ( knee ) ....I will just run myself. I've done a couple of solo marathons and hated the one organised run I did ( great Scottish run 10k ). so just me my tunes and the road.

professorben

quarky said:

mcsdan said:

Now I run 50-60 miles a week off road 

Jesus. How do you find the time? I am impressed. 

This......
i used to walk around 10-12 miles 3 times a week for work then hit the gym doing weights for around 45 m 3x a week. 

over the course of a year I dropped 10kg from 93kg and changed my shape dramatically, I then changed jobs and sit in a van most for 5 hours a day most weeks. 

Im now back at 93kg and losing all hope, my life is seriously busy, I only rehearse every fortnight, the rest is work, baby, missus and house. 
too tired to go to gym after work, and I leave before it opens, I'm trying to go this weekend, but I'm on call this week, so prob won't get a chance. 

Getting depressed by it. 

quarky

Any chance of a run at lunch @professorben? I try and do a run on either Saturday or Sunday morning (I get up 20 minutes early, or on Sunday, go when the family go to bother god), and one mid-week if I am working from home. If I couldn't fit those in regularly, I would be looking to see if I can do someone at lunch time at least once a week. Although that isn't always practical...

professorben

quarky said:

Any chance of a run at lunch @professorben? I try and do a run on either Saturday or Sunday morning (I get up 20 minutes early, or on Sunday, go when the family go to bother god), and one mid-week if I am working from home. If I couldn't fit those in regularly, I would be looking to see if I can do someone at lunch time at least once a week. Although that isn't always practical...

Fraid not, I only get a 30 min break, and I'm always out and about, not practical to change etc.