Of telomeres

[Andrew A.]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/01/MNFC1BID8F.DTL&type=health
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/phys-ed-how-exercising-keeps-your-cells-young/?ref=magazine

And, pretty much how I see it: http://wpblogs.runningtimes.com/blogs/talktest/2010/02/02/how-long-are-your-telomeres/ 

[Ryan]

I think Douglas hits the mark for probably most of us here. That is great news and it's news that I took delight in hearing. It's not going to change my running habits one bit. Had the results been exactly the opposite, it also wouldn't have changed my running habits one bit. While health is definitely a nice side effect of running and one I fully appreciate, especially given my family health history, I'm not a runner because of the health benefits.

The one thing I take delight in with this is that, when someone tells me that running so much is bad for me, now I have evidence I can use to say it's actually good for me.

[Andrew A.]

Yes, items such as this seem to always bring me back to this passage:

Quenton Cassidy’s method of dealing with fundamental doubts was simple: He didn’t think about them at all.
These questions had been considered a long time ago, decisions were made, answers recorded, and the book
closed. If it had to be re-opened every time the going got rough, he would spend more time rationalizing than
training; his log would start to disclose embarrassing information, perhaps blank squares.  Even a self-made
obsessive-compulsive could not tolerate that. He was uninterested in the perspective of the fringe runners,
the philosopher runners, the training rats; those who sat around reading abstruse and meaningless articles in
Runner’s World, coining yet more phrases to describe the indescribable, waxing mystical over the various states
of euphoria that the anointed were allegedly privy to.

On the track, the Cassidys of the world ate such specimens alive.

Cassidy sought no euphoric interludes. They came, when they did, quite naturally and he was content to
enjoy them privately. He ran not for crypto-religious reasons, but to win races, to cover ground fast. Not
only to be better than his fellows, but better than himself. To be faster by a tenth of a second, by an inch, by
two feet or two yards than he had been the week or year before. He sought to conquer the physical
limitations placed upon him by a three-dimensional world (and if Time is the fourth dimension, that too was
his province). If he could conquer the weakness, the cowardice in himself, he would not worry about the rest;
it would come. Training was a rite of purification; from it came speed, strength. Racing was a rite of death;
from it came knowledge. Such rites demand, if they are to be meaningful at all, a certain amount of time
spent precisely on the Red Line, where you can lean over the manicured putting green at the edge of the
precipice and see exactly nothing.

Anything else that comes out of that process is a by-product. Certain compliments and observations made
Cassidy uneasy; he explained that he was a runner; just an athlete, really, with an absurdly difficult task. He
was not a health nut, was not out to mold himself a stylishly slim body. He did not live on nuts and berries; if
the furnace was hot enough, anything would burn, even Big Macs. He listened carefully to his body and
heeded strange requests. Like a pregnant woman, he sometimes sought artichoke hearts, pickled beets,
smoked oysters. His daily toil was arduous; satisfying on the whole, but not the bounding, joyous, nature
romp described in the magazines. Other runners, real runners, understood it quite well.

 

[ksrunner]

It's not going to change my running habits one bit. Had the results been exactly the opposite, it also wouldn't have changed my running habits one bit.

Interesting, now that I have determined that I am comfortable with training in XC flats, I have a similar attitude toward the BFR debate. I look at the minimal shoe thread here and look at headlines every now and then, but I rarely read full articles about it any more.

[Andrew A.]

Very good point, I feel the same way.  I am simply finding it interesting to see how this plays out through the various sectors.  The mainstream media has seemingly been rather quick to embrace and investigate the merits of BFR.  The mainstream running media (namely, RT & RW) has of course been reluctant, at best, and outright obnoxious, at worst.  It seems like the most vocal opponents of anything resembling BFR are firmly indoctrinated with the running shoe industry corporatespeak, whether they profit from it or not. 

[cesar]

Nice articles.

Andrew, out of curiosity, do you know how can i get "once a runner" book online?

[Ryan]

Interesting, now that I have determined that I am comfortable with training in XC flats, I have a similar attitude toward the BFR debate. I look at the minimal shoe thread here and look at headlines every now and then, but I rarely read full articles about it any more.

I understand where you're coming from. Once you find what works for you, how much does what others say matter? That said, while my opinion may not be swayed, I still like to know what knowledge and opinions are out there. Of course, some people call me a glutton for punishment. Personally, I just think it helps me give better advice to others when asked. I realize that, just because something works for me, it might not work for everyone. Given that, I want to know what's out there so, when someone asks me what I recommend, I can try to give them the best advice I can, with all the necessary qualifications (which usually sums up to "we are all individuals, what will work for most will not work for everyone so keep an open mind").

[Ryan]

Cesar, if they ship to you, Amazon.com has the 2009 printing in hardcover and paperback. Click the "Running Store" link on the left and you can find an Amazon.com ad in the wider left column under "Or visit these sites for more". Use the Amazon search for "Once a Runner" in the books category and it will come right up.

(I know, I need to make a lot of updates to the store, including the books section - it tends to fall to the bottom of my priority list because I'm more excited about bringing new tools to runners than trying to sell them things. Yes, I'm a bad salesperson.)