How would you respond to someone who says to you: “Running marathons isn’t even good for you.”

Sounds like you're still in a good rhythm with it, great to hear. A distance I've fallen in love with, as I've run 5k-Marathon, the 10 mile distance. Training run or a race, it's a nice blend of speed, strength and endurance. The training for a marathon, if done appropriately with rest and recovery days supplemented in weekly, can def have some great strength gains, but can easily be overdone. It's def not a distance I plan to run on a regular basis. I've only run one, and I am curious what I can achieve in it, but it won't be my yearly focus. I believe a trail 50k can be easier on the body than a road marathon. The marathon distance on pavement is very tough on the body. If I never race again, a nice 30-40 minute run before breakfast with some push/pull ups will always be a great way to start the day!

I would simply say, "It was good for me." I only ran one and it was worth it even though I hurt my hamstring which ended up taking two years to completely heal. The preparation got me in the best shape of my life. I will never forget that race, all 3:00.44 of it! I would add, "No one is forcing you to run one. If you think it's bad for you, don't do it. Why should anyone care?"

"You're probably right."

You could ask your wife's friend: when was the last time you had french fries?

You shouldn't have fried food every day and you shouldn't run marathons every day. Once in a while, these things are ok. Joy and meaning are good reasons to do things too.

I think your wife's friend's question is coming from a place of insecurity. Running a marathon gets a lot of praise from people (and you are probably noticeably physically fitter than the people you were hanging out with). Your wife's friend felt her own status threatened, and felt insecure about her body, and probably also felt a little jealous of your wife (one presumes you're a more, shall we say, capable lover than many of your peers). So in that light, the snide remark was a backhanded compliment.

That and she probably wanted to look smart by citing a study she had read about in the NYT or something.

Is that the study in the WSJ too?

Tell her not to run one then. Why do you care what this person thinks, who's only knowledge of the subjects is from a click bate article.

Stupid shallow and insecure people will try to discredit anything they are not able to do or understand.

daydreamer wrote:

I would probably shrug and laugh, neither is drinking this beer. This would start a chain of events that leads to a threesome with the wife and the friend.

Nobody else's responses matter, this right here is gospel.

What’s the latest based on good research???

As a life long runner I hate to tell you, Marathon running is not healthy. It's not healthy at all. Nobody every said that. Only the training and the better lifestyle makes it overall a better choice. But the Marathon race itself is not healthy.

I'd run away.

VaderBane wrote:

I'd run away.

Run away from what??

Bait or bate

Whatever happened to be stored in my colon at the time would be let loose. Stool, gas, blood, pus, etc.

Racing marathons is not good for you. The training is great for you though.

Since its not good for you then you should only do it a few times a year. Just like getting drunk is not good for you. But there’s a difference between getting drunk 2-3 times a year and doing it everyday.

Best Answer

Although the actual running a marathon doesn't help your health it motivates many to healthful dieting and regular exercise. It helps them avoid the all too common, minimal exercise patterns that cause so many people to have so many health problems.