Running increased in popularity during the pandemic when gyms were closed. In a study conducted at the height of the pandemic, “across 10 surveyed countries, four in 10 people consider themselves runners, and 30 percent of those run at least once a week” (Durand, 2021). People of all ages start running because it requires minimal investment to begin, offers numerous health benefits, and provides an effective way to burn calories and aid in weight loss. It is common for new runners to experience shin splints as they increase their running distance too quickly, which is a common problem from overuse of the same muscle group, “most soft tissue injuries are caused because the muscles are too weak and too short to do the job they’re designed to do, so as you increase the mileage, they start to break down” (Runners World, 2022). Runners often receive feedback from non-running peers, suggesting that running is bad for the knees and joints and will cause problems over time.
When new runners experience shin splits or other issues, they often seek advice wondering if they should stop the activity concerned that these problems from running would outweigh the health benefits they hoped to gain. Consulting a physical therapist or personal trainer can help new runners identify the source of their discomfort or pain. These professionals can dispel the misconception that running harms bones and joints, providing valuable information to demonstrate that running actually strengthens the musculoskeletal system.
They will likely advise a new runner to visit a local running store for proper shoe fitting. After working with a personal trainer for a few weeks, the runner should notice improvements and eventually be able to run with less discomfort by building strength and endurance through a consistent, well-rounded routine. While many individuals take up running for its numerous benefits, it is crucial to remember that running alone does not create a balanced regimen to prevent repetitive injuries. Incorporating strength training into the routine is essential for overall fitness and injury prevention.
Incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine improves your health, but it’s important to raise your heart rate long enough to benefit cardiac health. Running is a popular activity because it requires little equipment, minimal investment, and can fit into any schedule. Runners appreciate the mental and physical health benefits of this activity, including protecting bone health from osteoporosis, improving heart health, aiding in weight loss, and fostering a sense of community. The study A Profile of Health, Lifestyle and Training Habits of 4720 Australian Recreational Runners-The Case for Promoting Running for Health Benefits surveyed individuals who proclaimed themselves recreational runners who averaged at least 2 – 5 times a week with an average of 20 – 40 kilometers (Approximately 12-25 miles), over a 25-month period reported this activity was beneficial to their health.
Recreational running is associated with benefits across a range of measurable health outcomes. “A high proportion of the Australian recreational runners who participated in this study had a body mass index within the healthy weight range, seemed to be meeting the WHO Physical Activity Guidelines each week for many years, and were non-smokers (Kozlovskaia et al., 2019).”
Compared to other exercise activities, running burns a high number of calories quickly, making it a great way to lose weight.
The mental health benefits from running regularly help with improvement in mood, learning, memory, and clearer thinking. The high intensity of running increases blood flow and oxygen to our brain, hormones are released that elevate our mood.
Exercise modulates the secretion of major neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin which are linked with treating depression. Indirectly, Exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. Trouble in these aspects of our lives frequently causes or contributes to cognitive impairment (Sharma, 2022).
Although this is such a great benefit to improve mental health, it’s often difficult for those who suffer to from depression to stay motivated to feel better. There are many free running and fitness apps to help with goal setting and to stay motivated by tracking progress and improvement over time. Scheduling dedicated times a few days per week as a daily routine will help with creating a consistent routine to be able to receive the best benefits.
While running does not require a lot of equipment and minimal investment, supportive running shoes are a must if one plans to consistently run greater and greater distances. Going to a local running store, not a big box store, as they have staff that are trained to help determine your gait and running style which will help determine which shoes will work best and help you narrow down your selection to one that will work best for you. They usually have a treadmill so the shoes can be tried out before leaving the store. Socks with padding on the heel and toes are also worth considering for prevention of blisters, especially on longer runs. It takes time to try different combinations of socks and shoe brands to see what feels best. It’s also worth noting that running shoes wear out faster than one may suspect when running an extensive number of miles each month. Periodically inspect the soles for signs of wear, or creases on the sides that are signs it may be time to retire them from running. In an article from Runners World, “Shoes should be replaced every 300 to 500 miles depending on the brand and model. Keep track of the date that you bought them in your training log and make note of when they start to feel worn down” (Beverly, 2022). Listen to your body and take notice of feelings of discomfort that seem out of the ordinary, consider how many miles the shoes have racked up, it may be time to replace them.
Health benefits from running as little as 30 minutes on a regular basis, which will benefit heart health with lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Running will also strengthen your heart muscle, allowing it to pump blood efficiently. Runners typically have a lower pulse rate and a higher oxygen level, allowing the heart to pump more blood without having to work as hard. The article Five Ways Running Improves Your Heart Health explains, “Running helps prevent blood clots in the arteries and blood vessels. It also supports healthy blood flow, blood pressure, and cholesterol” (Bronson, 2016). The activity of running is metaphorically a cardiac stress test, both will push the workload on your heart. When running regularly, it will help to strengthen the heart and reduce heart disease by 35 to 55 percent.
As runners partake in this activity regularly, especially as they increase their miles per week, it is important to incorporate strength training and stretching to prevent injury and improve muscle strength. One misconception, especially heard from women, is that if they participate in strength training, they may bulk up and get too big. The reason why this is not true, women are physiologically not able to build up large amounts of muscles, and it would take intentional training for hours and a nutrition plan to look like the women bodybuilders. Prevention Magazine explains that most women are not physiologically able to build muscle to become bulky, “it is simply a function of estrogen and lack of testosterone; you will never build muscle like men unless you are trying to achieve that result” (Sole-Smith, 2022). Strength training with weights will help prevent loss of muscle, which is important as we age.
The musculoskeletal benefits of running are the preservation of bone density that helps to fight against osteoporosis, which is the decline in bone density that begins after the age of thirty. To paraphrase an article by Liam Nelson, when stress is applied to a bone, such an impact of striking the ground while running, it breaks down part of the bone tissue and this encourages growth to replace with new bone tissue, making the bone stronger and denser. “Running has the greatest influence on increasing [bone mineral density] BMD because of its repeated weight-bearing foot-to-floor nature. Some literature suggests that running 20-30 Km per week increases BMD – particularly in the lower limb and spinal bones” (Nelson, 2018). The benefit of improving bone density by running is not as commonly known compared to the other health benefits that motivate people to take up running to improve their health.
Strength training will benefit runners to help strengthen their muscles and tendons. The combination of strength training with a running routine adds impact to promote the process of bones growing new tissue to make them stronger is important for runners of all ages and experience levels. Studies have shown, “the women who included both upper and lower body strength training showed the most benefit lower body strength training alone was not enough” (The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute in Fort Worth). Strength training assists with helping runners build stronger muscles to have more power for endurance and speed. Programs for runners should also include balance and stability, as well as strengthening the core and hip muscles. Since much of the modern-day activities of our time are spent sitting for work, driving, or relaxing at home; to begin a running routine the muscles of the backside of our body need to be strengthened, “together, the weak back and contracted front muscles create an imbalance. During running, this imbalance can lead to poor biomechanics and, over time, injury” (Ericksen, 2019). A good combination of strength training incorporated with runs that slowly increase in mileage over time will help to prevent injury.
There are also myths that running will cause problems for bones and joints, and that it is better to participate in lower-impact forms of exercise. Exploring a study from PLOS ONE performed in Canada, that included 114 non-runners, 368 runners, and 329 healthcare practitioners were evaluated to understand their perception of running and knee joint health (Esculier et al., 2018). The overall conception was that 48% believed that running is damaging to knee joint health. In HCP, 8.2%, 9.1%, and 22.2% perceived that running in general, running frequently, or running long distances are risk factors for [Knee Osteoarthritis] KOA, respectively. 37.1% and 2.7% of HCP typically recommended patients with KOA to modify their running training or to quit running, respectively” (Esculier et al.). This study revealed that there were high amounts of the public and healthcare practitioners who feel there is a need for additional studies about running and knee joint health. Providing additional studies will help to inform and educate to develop a better awareness of running and knee joint health. Another study of elite runners who trained at a high level for several decades showed that there was a higher amount and more extreme cases of hip osteoarthritis compared to those who have not trained. While they feel there is more incidence of hip osteoarthritis, they still feel there is that there is not enough evidence to prove that runners are at a higher risk for knee arthritis. They concluded that “indeed, it’s a much safer activity for your joints than sports which carry a high risk of traumatic knee injury or carrying a high body mass index” (Says: et al.). For most runners who are not pushing their bodies competitively by running high mileage, the activity of running is not the cause for damaging knees and joints; the problems arise when running is done daily without allowing for rest days, and without adequate cross-training to strengthen muscles to protect against repetitive injury.
In conclusion, strength training has many benefits to cross-training runners of all skill levels to avoid repetitive use injury. If an individual would like to get started with running, the best thing to do is make sure they get fitted for a good pair of running shoes, plan to diversify their training to include strength, and increase their mileage slowly. Many of the smaller local gyms offer personal training and group programs for athletic strength and conditioning; getting individuals started with an assessment to see what areas will need improvement. Anyone interested in taking up running should not be so quick to buy into the myths about it causing damage to their joints. As long as a well-rounded running and strength training routine is created, including rest days, slowly building up a progression of mileage each week should be the best way to prepare for the goal of running a longer distance. “Generally, if you undertake training for any endurance event in a progressive manner over a period of time, factoring in adequate recovery, your body should safely adapt to both enhance and prolong your aerobic respiration capabilities” (Nelson, 2018). When getting started, consult a physician about any health concerns, and be sure to create a routine that includes at least 2 days of strength training in addition to a set amount of running per week will also help to build up muscular strength and power to improve speed and endurance.
Work Cited
Beverly, Jonathan. “How to Pick the Absolute Best Pair of Shoes for Your Runs.” Runner’s World, 13 June 2022, https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a20842305/how-to-buy-the-right-running-shoes/.
Durand, Jean-Pierre. “New Research Reveals Running Boom during Covid-19 Pandemic: Press-Releases: World Athletics.” Worldathletics.org, World Athletics, 2 June 2021, https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/global-running-day-research-nielsen.
Ericksen , Shauna. “May 2019.” The Center Foundation, May 2019, https://www.centerfoundation.org/2019/05/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5s6WBhA4EiwACGncZVMouTh9JFDBivQlgyaM4GBF_iyPTFjY6tLJBJpW_AzFI6DwFwgE9RoCr04QAvD_Bw\
Esculier, Jean-Francois, et al. “What Are the Perceptions about Running and Knee Joint Health among the Public and Healthcare Practitioners in Canada?” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, 1 Oct. 2018, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0204872.
“Five Ways Running Improves Your Heart Health.” Bronson, 28 July 2016, https://www.bronsonhealth.com/news/five-ways-running-improves-your-heart-health/. Accessed 21, Jul. 2022.
Kozlovskaia, Maria et al. “A Profile of Health, Lifestyle and Training Habits of 4720 Australian Recreational Runners-The Case for Promoting Running for Health Benefits.” Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol. 30, no. 2, 2019, pp. 172-179. doi:10.1002/hpja.30
Nelson, Liam. “Endurance Sport & Its Effect on Musculoskeletal System.” Six Physio, 20 Apr. 2018, https://www.sixphysio.com/blog/media/endurance-sport-its-effect-on-musculoskeletal-system.
“Shin Splints – How to Treat Them and How to Prevent Them.” Runner’s World, Runner’s World, 19 Jan. 2022, https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/health/injury/a760234/shinsplints-how-to-beat-them/.
Says:, Ian, et al. “Can Long-Term Running Impact Joint Health? What the Science Says about the Risk of Osteoarthritis from Running.” Runners Connect, 25 May 2014, https://runnersconnect.net/is-running-bad-for-your-knees/.
Sharma, Dr Amrita. “Exercise and Brain Health.” Whole Brain Health Initiative, 26 Feb. 2021, https://www.wholebrainhealth.org/exercise-and-brain-health.
Sole-Smith, Virginia. “10 Strength-Training Myths You Need to Stop Believing.” Prevention, Prevention, 6 Apr. 2022, https://www.prevention.com/fitness/a20484013/10-strength-training-myths/.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute in Fort Worth. “Bone Density and Weight-Bearing Exercise.” The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute in Fort Worth, 20 Dec. 2015, https://www.osmifw.com/sports-medicine/bone-density-and-weight-bearing-exercise/.
Written date: July 24, 2022
