This is only guessing, but many scientists believe runners decline after a few years at the top because their Achilles tendon loose elasticity. What if these high mileage folks being tested have less springy tendons and therefore will get back faster
this is stupid wrote:
Did anyone actually skim through the study?
^This.
The "high" mileage cohort ran 25k/week running 3x/week. The low mileage group ran 13.5k/week running 2x/week. For both groups, their primary event was the marathon!
My observation is that most hobby joggers have next to zero body awareness when it comes to injuries. I've also observed that after the initial recovery, running low mileage with a slow, limited range of motion is therapeutic. It's a bit of a stretch to call the "high mileage" cohort runners, but if you do, then they would fall into this slow, limited range of motion group I just described.
The 13.5k/week cohort? It's a bit of a stretch to call that running.
A better title for the study might be "Marathoners who run less than 13.5k/week have persistent injuries."