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Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

nytimes.com

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Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#121

Post by dajohnson89 »

tempestn wrote: post #80
dajohnson89 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A beer is, say, 150 calories. A mile of running burns about 100 calories. When I ran, cruising speed was 7 minutes per mile. So a light 6 mile (10k) run would be about 45 minutes, 600 calories, or 6 miles.

And that doesn't even take into account the increased metabolism after the run is finished, nor the increased resting burn rate (over time) due to increased muscle mass.

Very true. Again this is anecdata, but when I ran my metabolism was insanely high. Runners are notorious for basically being pigs.

One of the marathons I ran had a "carbo-loading" event. Basically huge vats of spaghetti were cooked, and runners would absolutely gorge. It's totally unnecessary, IMHO. It's good to eat enough and cleanly before a big run, but stuffing yourself just weighs you down. And come mile 20 or so, you're not going to be worried about how much energy you have to burn, but rather how much everything hurts.

Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#122

Post by JoeAltmaier »

Humdeee wrote: post #120
brianwawok wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a sometimes fat runner, I cite myself. Weight is won or lost in the kitchen. Full stop. A 1 hour run might burn 500 calories. If you go and eat till you are not hungry, you can easily eat 800 or 900 calories. You are not going to lose much weight at the method.

It's a bit more complex than the commonly spouted calories in/calories out argument. There is still a lot that we don't know with regards to metabolism. I am usually a higher mileage runner during spring to fall months (70-90km / week) and although I scale my eating to offset my calories burned, I will still lose weight. I will not provide a citation but it's quite widely known that metabolism increases as the body n…

That's the consumer-side of it. The supply-side argument is what's usually 'spouted': if you're gaining weight, its because too many calories in. Full stop.

Of course the body can/will waste calories, burn them at a higher rate depending on other things. That's not most peoples' problem though: unexpectedly losing too much weight. There's not a billion-dollar industry around that issue.

Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#123

Post by rconti »

SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #84
rconti wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find I think more while I'm running. Probably because running is so damn boring!

Me too. I get to the finish line of a half marathon and wonder what I've been doing the past 2 hours because I've been so lost in thought!

appropriate username

Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#124

Post by throwanem »

VA3FXP wrote: post #113
monkmartinez wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had 2 herniated discs (L4-L5, L5-S1) in 2014 due to swinging an axe over my head for an extended period of time on a large structure fire. I say that to say this; running is way better for my back than cycling. My left leg, mostly my foot, still haven't completely recovered from the nerve impingement, but I am running 30 to 40 miles a week with no problems (lots of trail running too, check my Strava :) ) I can't cy…

I beg you to consider recumbent bikes. I am an avid cyclist. I ride daily to work. (less so now that the roads are icy) I have had back surgery (L4/L5 is now fused). I went on a bike tour where I rode for 13+hrs a day for a month. At the end of the day the only thing sore was my muscles. I weigh almost 300lbs. A recumbent bike is a complete life changing, world altering, paradigm shifting, bundle of awesome. I beg yo…

On topic: What's a recumbent bike like to ride on the street? I live in Baltimore, and while I've ridden a conventional bike successfully in daytime traffic, it's not something with which I can imagine ever being really comfortable. A recumbent bike, having the rider much lower to the ground, seems like it'd be even scarier - how have you found it? Or do you ride on roads where it's not a problem?

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Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#125

Post by chrisan »

eutectic wrote: post #11
gragas wrote: post #7

I hate how much the authors of this article imply causality. >There also, interestingly, was less activity among the runners in a part of the brain that tends to indicate lack of focus and mind wandering. Could it not be that people who have the willpower to run regularly also have the willpower to stay focused? >In essence, the runners seemed to have brains in which certain cognitive skills, including multitasking a…

There are plenty of compelling arguments against excessive running: 1) It is destructive to your joints and tendons. Injury rates are very high among runners. 2) It is stressful, resulting in chronically elevated cortisol levels. 3) It is time consuming and boring (of course this is subjective), and very inefficient at improving fitness.

> 3) It is time consuming and boring (of course this is subjective), and very inefficient at improving fitness.

Whether you run, bike, hike, swim, row, or whatever it doesn't have to be boring.

Running/biking on a rural Midwest road IS insanely boring alone. I frequently listen to audiobooks or podcasts either educational or entertainment and that boring road becomes something I look forward to. The times I elect no audio I use it to think on hard problems I am trying to solve or plan for

These eliminate your counters of time consuming and boring. Regarding the inefficiency, you can do cardio that isn't running if you believe running is bad for you. I listen to the same thing during strength training

Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#126

Post by ashark »

notacoward wrote: post #119
hueving wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't call 150 calories of beer heavy drinking. A pint of something like Guinness is a little over 200 calories. "SAMHSA defines heavy drinking as drinking 5 or more drinks on the same occasion" So you're right that heavy drinking of beer could be undone with running, but it's going to take a 10-11 mile run every day.

Why can't you just admit you were wrong? You said no amount without specifying how much eating/drinking you were talking about. That's a pretty absolute statement, refuted by the facts others have provided.

> If you're eating unhealthy and drinking a lot, there is no amount of running to undo it.

Emphasis mine.

Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#127

Post by throwanem »

hueving wrote: post #40
notacoward wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anything done excessively can be unhealthy, by definition, but there's only a grain of truth to what you're saying. To your point 1: done properly, running isn't particularly harmful to joints and tendons, and some studies even seem to show that running can be beneficial in that regard[1]. The rapid changes in direction that cause the most stress are less prevalent in running than just about any other sport, not even…

Biking, swimming, and rowing are all better on the joints than the impact from running. >P.S. Instead of getting your friends to downvote, how about suggesting an actually-healthy alternative? Don't complain about downvotes, it makes for boring conversation.

> Don't complain about downvotes, it makes for boring conversation.

And more downvotes.

Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#128

Post by ashark »

tempestn wrote: post #82
dahart wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a couple of citations for you. Both are generally exercise vs calorie control, not specific to running. Of course, running lands in the exercise category. https://youtu.be/ztiHRiFXtoc https://youtu.be/eXTiiz99p9o My personal experience of a lifetime of moderate amounts of running has been that it didn't help me lose weight at all, it increased my strength and endurance. But when I run and when I exercise, I ea…

Presumably this varies a lot person to person. I find it much easier to lose weight with a combination of exercise and calorie restriction than with the latter alone. Yes, I get a bit hungrier when I exercise, but that just helps with focusing on eating when I'm hungry. It also allows me to eat somewhat more, thereby enjoying the experience of eating healthy food more, so it lessens the perceived hardship of calorie…

Calorie restriction isn't nearly as effective at weight loss as it "should" be for me, which sucks because I find it fairly easy. Aerobic exercise also isn't very effective, which is fine because I find it incredibly boring unless it's part of a sport.

Strength training, on the other hand, is way MORE effective at cutting fat for me than it "should" be. Go figure.

Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#129

Post by VA3FXP »

throwanem wrote: post #124
VA3FXP wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I beg you to consider recumbent bikes. I am an avid cyclist. I ride daily to work. (less so now that the roads are icy) I have had back surgery (L4/L5 is now fused). I went on a bike tour where I rode for 13+hrs a day for a month. At the end of the day the only thing sore was my muscles. I weigh almost 300lbs. A recumbent bike is a complete life changing, world altering, paradigm shifting, bundle of awesome. I beg yo…

On topic: What's a recumbent bike like to ride on the street? I live in Baltimore, and while I've ridden a conventional bike successfully in daytime traffic, it's not something with which I can imagine ever being really comfortable. A recumbent bike, having the rider much lower to the ground, seems like it'd be even scarier - how have you found it? Or do you ride on roads where it's not a problem? Platform note: Hack…

My bike is 'average' height. Lower then some, higher then some. (There is incredible diversity in recumbent designs.)

I am "eyeball-level" with most cars/sedans. I am lower then most mini-vans.

As a general rule-of-thumb 75% of vehicles give me more room then they do when I ride a traditional bike. I would say that the majority of cars give me "half the lane" (which would mean that they pull over far enough that their right-side tires are in the left-side wheel track).

BUT, I still get atleast 1 vehicle a day that drives too close. In some parts of town this is more likely to happen then others, it also depends on road/traffic/other conditions too. When I am areas or during times-of-the-day where it is not as safe for me, I 'Take the Lane' and don't let cars try to drive beside me.

In my city I can either take road (12km route) or dedicated bike paths for most of the trip (20km route). I always prefer the bike paths.

Re: Running as a Thinking Person’s Sport

#130

Post by brianwawok »

njs12345 wrote: post #92
brianwawok wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a sometimes fat runner, I cite myself. Weight is won or lost in the kitchen. Full stop. A 1 hour run might burn 500 calories. If you go and eat till you are not hungry, you can easily eat 800 or 900 calories. You are not going to lose much weight at the method.

A 1 hour run for me burns 1000+ calories: https://www.strava.com/activities/800853045 Of course it's possible to eat 1000 calories' worth of food in one sitting, especially if you're eating something with tons of carbs in. But if you keep your diet roughly the same and go on a 1 hour run three times a week, you'll definitely start losing weight..

I think that 1000 is also including your base calorie burn. I.e. if you sit in chair you burn 300. if you run 10 minute miles, you burn 700. Some of those calorie estimates are a bit off..
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