Running marathons is safer than sitting in an easy chair...

Sunday, November 19, 2011
With two deaths in the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday, the question again is being asked “is it safe to run?”

I’ve got a pat answer, but turned to the ‘Sports Doc’ for ‘Runner’s World’ magazine to see what he had to say on the subject.  William Roberts, M.D. is the Medical Director of the Twin Cities Marathon and a regular contributor to Runner’s World.  He points out that over 1.5 million runners a year are participating in half marathons (13.1 miles) and marathons (26.2 miles) which are very stressful events that can and sometimes do trigger issues in people with a susceptible heart.  He has been specifically tracking two major marathons for the past 30 years and during that time, has recorded the death rate at one in 87,000 finishers with events occurring mostly in older men.

Yes...running long distances is stressful to the cardiovascular system and race day can be the hardest of all since those that have trained push themselves to finish what they have started...and may ignore signs that a heart attack is imminent.  Should we stop running or not even get started?  It’s an individual question, but when you consider the rate of cardiovascular disease and heart attack amongst the sedentary population, you’ll quickly see that you have a greater risk of having a heart attack while heading from the easy chair to the frig to reload during a TV commercial than you do while exercising.  Should you check with your primary physician to determine if you are ‘at risk’ for heart disease before beginning an exercise program?  Quite possibly...if you’re over 35, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels, are overweight, smoke or have a family history of heart disease.  But again...you’re at a higher risk to do nothing about your fitness levels than to participate.

I think the torn meniscus dislikes painting.  I’m constantly climbing up and down a step ladder and crawling on my knees to cut in along the baseboards.  By the end of the day, I was struggling to climb the stairs and knew that whether I wanted to exercise or not...I was on the sidelines.  I did manage to get in another 7 hours of painting and with a couple of more evenings available, we should be able to get the majority of the house painted before next Saturday’s move-in.

Painting duration: 7 hours

Training Heart Rate: 75 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1400.