The Cautionary Tales of Type A Runners
Why do I always seem to stumble on great articles the day I am sworn to keep my mouth shut? Yesterday, a.k.a. "Wordless Wednesday," I discovered an article in the Wall Street Journal that every distance runner/triathlete should read - and heed.
Runners Learn to Realize Their Training Limits
As the title suggests, it's about the downsides of staying a little too focused on training and not really listening to your body when it is trying to tell you something. It's a place almost every seasoned runner has been in.
But, as the article later makes us aware, getting to the start line is a different story.
There's also a startling statistic that had me doing a double-take, it involves the number of women (though I'm sure men are afflicted as well) who use exercise to stay too thin. According to the article: "Overtraining can contribute to exercise-related anorexia, a potentially fatal syndrome that strikes nearly half of all women in so-called lean sports such as running, according to a book published this year, 'Eating Disorders in Sport.'"
Runners Learn to Realize Their Training Limits
As the title suggests, it's about the downsides of staying a little too focused on training and not really listening to your body when it is trying to tell you something. It's a place almost every seasoned runner has been in.
A more-is-better mentality permeates the endurance-exercise culture. Novice runners in particular tend to think that finishing a marathon requires no end of training. In fact, however, under-training is rare. After all, more than 95% of marathon starters reach the finish line.
But, as the article later makes us aware, getting to the start line is a different story.
Of the tens of thousands of Americans who pay as much as $180 to register for marathons, as many as 25% fail to make it to the race. Injury, illness and loss of motivation as a result of overtraining are major reasons for this.
There's also a startling statistic that had me doing a double-take, it involves the number of women (though I'm sure men are afflicted as well) who use exercise to stay too thin. According to the article: "Overtraining can contribute to exercise-related anorexia, a potentially fatal syndrome that strikes nearly half of all women in so-called lean sports such as running, according to a book published this year, 'Eating Disorders in Sport.'"
