A reader sent me this interesting link a while back. It shows that there is an optimal running speed for endurance running - a pace that has the lowest energy expenditure. For the males tested, it turned out to be around 7 and a half minute miles, though there was variation due to body size and limb length.
The study really showed that there is a "sweet spot" for the speed of an endurance run. At both faster and slower speeds than optimal, the metabolic cost increased.
All this led me to a thought: maybe it's not that distance running is so bad, but it's the attempts to run long distances faster and faster. If humans ran long distances for endurance hunts, the focus was on endurance - not speed.
In modern culture though, the focus is on running long distances faster and faster, as well as training at these faster paces. It could be that humans were built for moderate-speed marathons, but not high-speed marathons.
Today, the purpose of running is often to race, and over time get faster. While this idea seems very logical (and very American), it may not be what we're built for.
A reader sent me this interesting link a while back. It shows that there is an optimal running speed for endurance running - a pace that has the lowest energy expenditure. For the males tested, it turned out to be around 7 and a half minute miles, though there was variation due to body size and limb length.
The study really showed that there is a "sweet spot" for the speed of an endurance run. At both faster and slower speeds than optimal, the metabolic cost increased.
All this led me to a thought: maybe it's not that distance running is so bad, but it's the attempts to run long distances faster and faster. If humans ran long distances for endurance hunts, the focus was on endurance - not speed.
In modern culture though, the focus is on running long distances faster and faster, as well as training at these faster paces. It could be that humans were built for moderate-speed marathons, but not high-speed marathons.
Today, the purpose of running is often to race, and over time get faster. While this idea seems very logical (and very American), it may not be what we're built for.