At the Comrades marathon, a few — the elite — will be highly tuned thoroughbreds who have had every aspect of their training monitored by an army of specialists — trainers, physiotherapists, dieticians and sports scientists.
But the vast majority will be those courageous souls who are largely self-trained, usually by following punishing schedules slotted between work and family commitments. Of course, the health benefits of running are obvious. It’s probably the most effective way of keeping our waistlines in check, especially as it burns more kilojoules a minute than any other form of cardiovascular activity.
But running has many other health benefits that most are not aware of. For instance, running raises the levels of “good cholesterol” in the body. It reduces the risk of blood clots. It boosts the immune system by creating a higher concentration of white blood cells that protect us from disease. And it reduces stress.
In the case of a strenuous activity such as a marathon (let alone a double marathon such as the Comrades) there are some health risks to such an intense level of training. First, although extremely rare, there have been cases of seemingly fit and healthy runners with no history of heart problems suffering fatal cardiac arrest during or after a marathon.
Recent research conducted in Canada showed that during a marathon, the hearts of the runners tested experienced tissue damage caused by inflammation and restricted blood flow through the muscle. It also led to the four chambers of the heart losing some degree of function. However, this condition is usually as reversible, with no lasting damage.
A real danger is the presence of clogged arteries caused by a high-fat diet, which restricts the oxygen transported around the body and increases the risk of a heart attack. To be safe, runners should get a thorough medical check-up before they take up running to ensure that their blood cholesterol is at the right level and that there is no underlying heart condition.
Far more common are injuries such as muscle tears, shin splints, joint and lower-back problems. But all of these painful conditions can be prevented by stretching properly before and after a run and by not overtraining.
Have you ever felt your muscles go into a spasm after a long run? This is because your muscles and tendons have tightened or shortened in length. When they are in this state, they are in danger of tearing or being pulled. Between 20 to 30 minutes of stretching exercise will alleviate this and help muscles and tendons to return to their full length, which will ease joint pain.
Warming up properly before a run and warming down after one cannot be emphasised enough. Muscles that have not been warmed up are susceptible to tearing and damage caused by lactic acid, which is produced when the body fails to get sufficient oxygen to the muscles.
And don’t skimp on running shoes. These are the body’s shock absorbers, cushioning it from a huge amount of strain. The constant pounding of running a marathon can lead to the spinal column being compressed temporarily, resulting in a two-centimetre loss in height for the average runner.
The biggest danger of long-distance running is dehydration as a result of sweating and breathing. The average marathon runner will lose between 3kg and 5kg weight and will need to drink 1.5 litres of water for every kilogramme lost.
Early signs of dehydration include: nausea, thirst, a dry mouth, a headache and a reduced output of urine, which becomes dark yellow in colour. To replace lost fluid, drink until you feel the need to urinate. And check your pee’s colour. It needs to be the usual pale-yellow hue.
Running will be the topic of Bonitas House Call on June 4 on SABC2 at 9am
This article originally appeared in the Mail & Guardian newspaper as a sponsored feature