Crowd[ed] Wisdom
Part of me doesn't want to publish right now while the nation continues to mourn for those killed on Friday. Sometimes running sounds so trivial, and this is one of those times.
That said, I wanted to be sure everyone at some point takes a look at a New York Times piece on a recent study that was addressed on this blog too about the marginal, sometimes even morbid, returns on running as we age. It's potentially bad news for anyone training for an Ironman in their 40s, 50s and beyond, provided health and fitness and longevity are what drives you.
No surprise, that study generated a lot of public discourse. And, of course, there were plenty of other studies to trot out showing just the opposite. That's the problem with studies, and with runners. They come in all sizes and flavors and you don't have to look too hard to find one that agrees with your own stance. And that's the gist of the Times piece. That and why people exaggerate their pace when it's easy to prove with published race times.
One thing the author does get right is the opening paragraph about how runners are regarded by the general public:
That said, I wanted to be sure everyone at some point takes a look at a New York Times piece on a recent study that was addressed on this blog too about the marginal, sometimes even morbid, returns on running as we age. It's potentially bad news for anyone training for an Ironman in their 40s, 50s and beyond, provided health and fitness and longevity are what drives you.
No surprise, that study generated a lot of public discourse. And, of course, there were plenty of other studies to trot out showing just the opposite. That's the problem with studies, and with runners. They come in all sizes and flavors and you don't have to look too hard to find one that agrees with your own stance. And that's the gist of the Times piece. That and why people exaggerate their pace when it's easy to prove with published race times.
One thing the author does get right is the opening paragraph about how runners are regarded by the general public:
Do you roll your eyes when they start talking about their races and times? Do you snigger when you see bumper stickers that simply say "26.2," the number of miles in a marathon, or "13.1," the half-marathon distance? Do you lose patience with family members who have to go for a run - even if it means waking up at 4 a.m. before leaving on a vacation?
