"Running Is Bad For You"

At work the other day, a co-worker said something to me that I have not been able to get out of my mind. I was walking out after a long day, and I saw a group of male co-workers - so I did the nice thing and I said "Have a good night." One of them said, "Are you heading out for a run?" to which I replied "OF COURSE!" Another guy, the youngest in the group, piped up and said "You're going to die soon."

UMM, EXCUSE ME?

My head whipped around like I was straight out of the exorcist. First of all, "you're going to die soon" is probably something you should never say - unless maybe you're a doctor. Also - this idiot does not know me well enough to something like that so casually. He justified himself by saying, "Running is bad for you. You only get so many heartbeats in a lifetime and you're speeding yours up."

This is nothing new. We've all seen the very depressing and scary articles that try to bash the benefits of a runner's lifestyle. I swear I read a new one every week. Here are the "reasons" why running is the equivalent to downing a pint of cyanide:

• Running will ruin your joints 
• Running will is a boring waste of time
• Running will put unnecessary stress on your heart
• Running is an ineffective way to lose weight
• Running will cause you to implode when you reach an unspecified number of miles

Don't send me a bunch of hate mail; I am not saying that these risks do not exist to some degree for some people. Running can be intense and it does have some risks. More importantly, I am saying this: I think all of these articles about the problems associated with running are IRRESPONSIBLE. They do not paint a complete picture including the many proven benefits of running. I know way too many unhealthy, inactive people that don't need someone to say "running is dangerous and you shouldn't start." DO NOT ENABLE INACTIVITY. DO NOT ENABLE OBESITY. I've already been lectured by extremely over-weight family members because "Running is bad for you. You need to take it easy." Guess what else is bad for you? Sitting and bacon. All things in moderation, homies.

My second problem with my co-worker's complaint and the message in these articles is that it devalues a huge part of my life. I work really hard to be a competitive athlete living a grown-up's life. This means making a lot of sacrifices (time, socialization) and healthy choices (diet, sleep, whole-body work outs.) Runners put an incredible amount of thought into most, if not all, of the choices they encounter in a day, because they can't be successful without good choices. No, I am not saying that non-runners are not thoughtful - but I don't want my work and careful choices to be bashed by people that do not understand what they are saying. The fact of the matter is that running has greatly improved every part of my life - particularly my sanity - and I will live with that "research" over what I read on some shitty blog.

RUNNING IS GOOD FOR ME