Is Running Damaging your body?

Not long ago, strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle wrote an article that got some women riled up. His article was entitled Should Women Run? He pointed out that some women, due to their wide hips and larger build, weren't meant to run long distances. That their wide hip structures made them prone to lower body injuries when running long distances in training or races.

As this drew some criticism from women, maybe thinking that this was an attack on them, I'm not going to add fuel to the fire. However, I do believe that some people, both men and women, would be better off with shorter distances in their runs and replacing these long runs with other activities.

I've actually worked with several runners, helping them get past some of the soft tissue injuries or tension that comes with repetitive movement. A chiropractor I used to work with had an association with the local running club and treated many of their members. I especially remember that the year our area hosted its first marathon, there was several people that came down with training injuries, as they increased their distances run to prepare for the marathon.

Running 10K's hadn't caused any problems for them, but the added training stress of a marathon did. In some of these cases, maybe adding too much distance too soon was the problem. Since most of them were following established training protocols from experienced running coaches however, I think that their build or slight muscle imbalances may have been the culprit.

I remember working with one runner in particular, a man about 50ish with a large frame. He wasn't training for the marathon that I recall, but enjoyed running 5 and 10K races or just running in general. He had quite a bit of tension in his lower body including his hips. He was over 200 pounds and had played football in high school, a lineman. My point is that while you may enjoy certain activities like running, your build may be less than optimal for this activity and may put you at increased risk of injury.

Just look at your local sports page in the Fall. Look at the difference in builds between the high school football players and the cross-country runners. Generally, the frame that suits a runner is not envious when it comes to playing football and vice versa. This doesn't mean that the biggest players are always the best players at this level. There are many high school football players who perform well without having the most imposing physiques. At the same time, you don't see many 200 pound cross-country runners. They are just not built well for it.

I remember one time while working in physical therapy, I was working on a high school football player with some minor back issues. He was about 5'8" and maybe 150 pounds, not exactly the ideal football frame. I was about 6'5" and 240 pounds at the time and he asked me where I played football. When I told him I never played football, he turned around with a disgusted look and said "well that's kind of a waste of size!" I told him that I grew after high school and was much smaller then.

But you get the point, his was not an ideal build for football and me, at a current weight of about 250 pounds, ten of which could stand to be lost, would not fare well in trying to run a marathon. Not that there is any desire on my part to do this. So if you like to test your endurance, your body might suffer less damage with triathlons, where you also swim and bike.

Not full triathlons like the Ironman, but shorter more moderate ones. You just might be better off sticking to shorter distances such as 5 or 10K's. If you have a smaller frame with narrower hips than most men or women, you will probably do better with the longer runs, if that is what you want to do.

In finishing, it might be a good idea to get checked out by a local health or fitness professional who is knowledgeable in posture and muscle imbalances. Just like your car, if your are in proper alignment, your "wheels" should suffer less wear and tear.