According to new research, regularly running long distances may be doing more harm than good. A team at the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Lehigh Valley Health Network found that the life expectancy of long-distance runners—who ran more than 20 miles a week—was notably shorter than that of “moderate” runners. Though the researchers couldn’t identify what factors actually led to long distance runners having a shorter lifespans, the findings suggests that obsessive running could simply be wearing out the body. One of the lead researchers told CBS News that his recommendation is to not run more than 2.5 hours a week, and to break that up into two or three runs. He told the news outlet, “If you want to run a marathon, run one and cross it off your bucket list.” So now long-distance running is added to the list of things that is bad for you? Thanks for nothing Forest Gump. Maybe Phil Dunphy was on to something with his power-walking thing after all …
