Even if you’ve never laced up your sneakers and hit the road, you probably hold some common beliefs about what it means to be a runner: They need a lot of bagels. Their knees will be shot one day. All that running — who needs a gym?




But just because a notion is widely held, doesn’t make it true — nope, that Trident’s NOT going to stick around in your gut longer than Breaking Bad was on the air; uh uh, your New Girl marathons WON’T turn you blind; and, sorry guys, the 5-second rule DOESN’T make that hunk of Oreo under your desk any less filthy and disgusting. 

So we wanted to know: What’s the truth behind some of the most popular beliefs surrounding runners and their training?

Running Myth #1: I’m a distance runner, so I don’t need speed training.

On the contrary, you should run above your lactate threshold (about 70 percent of max heart rate) for 15 to 20 percent of your mileage. Not only will speed training make you a significantly faster runner, but fast running elicits the greatest sustained rise in natural growth hormones in the body. GH signals cells to reproduce, therefore renewing and increasing lean muscle mass, bone density, and the connective tissue in tendons and ligaments. 

GH also increases fat metabolism, making us leaner.

Running Myth #2: Weight training will bulk me up and slow me down.

In fact, strength training will only add speed, endurance, and power to your running. Increasing muscle mass will also make you leaner as your body has only two vessels to store excess calories — muscle and fat — and muscle cells burn more energy than fat cells. Weight training can also correct muscle imbalances caused by the repetitive act of running, which overdevelops some muscles and under develops others, which can lead to injuries. 

A study of triathletes who did weight training showed that their running economy (stride efficiency) improved, which enabled them to use less oxygen per stride and therefore increase speed and endurance.




Running Myth #3: Lots of running means I need lots of pasta.

This may be true for some, but if you have a few pounds to lose, going carb crazy may not do your body any favors.

This dietary change was sparked by advice from Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a neurometabolic researcher at McMaster University, who says that women don’t carb load nearly as effectively as men, so those extra calories are more likely to result in excess fat rather than the desired result, which is packing muscles with glycogen for energy. 

Running Myth #4: All this running is hard on my knees and jarring on my bones.

Actually, running is one of the best things you can do to increase bone density and it also keeps your weight in check, which reduces the load on your joints, including your knees. Runners are significantly less likely to develop knee osteoathritis compared to non-runners.

Running Myth #5: I’m over 30 so I’ll never be a world-class runner.

The evidence suggests otherwise. At age 50, Linda Somers Smith qualified for the US Olympic Trials a record seventh time, along with 20 other masters-aged (over 30) women. Masters athletes now have an array of competitions to test themselves against their peers and also set age-group world records. Gwen McFarlan, who did not start running until after her breast cancer diagnosis at age 60, ran a marathon at age 75 that set a world record for women over 75 — her 3.57 time was also faster than the average finishing time of men between 20 and 40 in the New York Marathon.


Source: Fitbie