2024.06.05- Why we run long

I remember being asked if racing the marathon was healthy. It was hard to admit but I did say, perhaps not for physical health but for so many other reasons. First off, the training and lifestyle is incredibly healthy, then, there is the tremendous psychological value in accomplishing hard to reach goals. This is the good stuff that will sustain us, along with the skills marathon training teaches us, preparing us for so many things in life. As for the race itself being healthy? I’m not talking about just covering 26 miles, but hammer down, max heart rate racing from start to finish. Is it physically healthy to do something that takes weeks to recover from, often having to inch back to the fitness we had when we lined up? I look at it as a risk reward question with physical risks on one side and life changing rewards on the other.

Put the hammer down today!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, until they throw the dirt on.