Comments on: Running? Good. Marathoning? Bad! http://greatganesha.com/2006/12/12/360/ idol ramblings, holy irreverent. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:58:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: The Great Ganesha http://greatganesha.com/2006/12/12/360/comment-page-1/#comment-302 The Great Ganesha Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:48:01 +0000 http://greatganesha.com/?p=316#comment-302 yes, "skepticus" (an excellent moniker, i might add), you bring up a good point. given that everyone and their grandmother (<a href="http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/06/03/sports/amateur/22_06_406_2_04.txt" rel="nofollow">literally</a>) is running a marathon these days, people seem to have forgotten that it's not just any old pilates class, as you point out. in fact, i should also quote one of the cardiologists in the article: <blockquote>Still, the majority of cardiologists remain avid fans of marathons. "It is an extraordinary event," said Dr. Frederick C. Lough, the director of cardiac surgery at George Washington University Hospital in Washington. "But you have to respect that distance. It's not something everyone necessarily should attempt." [<a href="http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F70916F83D550C748CDDAB0994DE404482" rel="nofollow">link</a>]</blockquote> And also, it's not a cure-all for heart disease either (as some people believe). <blockquote>Dr. Lough, 57, was less than a block behind Mr. Turner when the older man collapsed. He interrupted his own race to help revive Mr. Turner and accompany him to the hospital, before completing the marathon. "It was a vivid reminder that running does not make anyone immune to heart disease," Dr. Lough said. [<a href="http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F70916F83D550C748CDDAB0994DE404482" rel="nofollow">link</a>]</blockquote> yes, “skepticus” (an excellent moniker, i might add), you bring up a good point.

given that everyone and their grandmother (literally) is running a marathon these days, people seem to have forgotten that it’s not just any old pilates class, as you point out.

in fact, i should also quote one of the cardiologists in the article:

Still, the majority of cardiologists remain avid fans of marathons. “It is an extraordinary event,” said Dr. Frederick C. Lough, the director of cardiac surgery at George Washington University Hospital in Washington. “But you have to respect that distance. It’s not something everyone necessarily should attempt.” [link]

And also, it’s not a cure-all for heart disease either (as some people believe).

Dr. Lough, 57, was less than a block behind Mr. Turner when the older man collapsed. He interrupted his own race to help revive Mr. Turner and accompany him to the hospital, before completing the marathon. “It was a vivid reminder that running does not make anyone immune to heart disease,” Dr. Lough said. [link]

]]> By: Skepticus http://greatganesha.com/2006/12/12/360/comment-page-1/#comment-301 Skepticus Fri, 15 Dec 2006 06:49:16 +0000 http://greatganesha.com/?p=316#comment-301 Not to knock "Marathoning" or anything, but what do you expect from a race modelled after the legend of a run that killed the first person who ran it? It does come down to numbers, and as the race gains in popularity among those who need to prove something to themselves (as opposed to those who are habitual runners) it will attract more and more people ill-equipped to run it. The bottom line is that it is a gruelling test of endurance that should not be taken lightly and best left to the fittest amongst us. Lately it's evolved into an industry that makes very little distinction between training for a marathon and going to a pilates class, and every other person you meet during the summer seems to have "temporarily stopped drinking" because they're training for some marathon. Not to knock “Marathoning” or anything, but what do you expect from a race modelled after the legend of a run that killed the first person who ran it? It does come down to numbers, and as the race gains in popularity among those who need to prove something to themselves (as opposed to those who are habitual runners) it will attract more and more people ill-equipped to run it. The bottom line is that it is a gruelling test of endurance that should not be taken lightly and best left to the fittest amongst us. Lately it’s evolved into an industry that makes very little distinction between training for a marathon and going to a pilates class, and every other person you meet during the summer seems to have “temporarily stopped drinking” because they’re training for some marathon.

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