‘Running is bad for you.’ – a man told me yesterday. I’ve heard this once before. So I wasn’t surprised or caught off guard when he said it. I actually think it’s a little funny. But let’s talk about it… what do you say when someone tells you ‘running (or whatever sport you like to do) is bad for you’?
I’ll go first 
Let me start off by saying this is a very nice older man. He’s volunteering at the church food pantry, so I’m fairly certain he’s not a jerk. He said it in a conversational way. So, I wasn’t upset or defensive at all. I know he’s not the only person who thinks this.
Coincidentally, the first person who told me ‘running is bad for you, hard on the knees you know…’ was an older gentleman too. And again, he said it nicely. I don’t really mind kind people my grandma’s age telling me what they think is good or bad. They do have more wisdom than me 99.9% of the time.
Back to yesterday…
I don’t remember how it came up, but I told him I run. He asked me a few questions about it and inquired ‘how much did you run today?’
I said 6 miles and he asked if I run that much everyday.
‘Actually, I ran 10 yesterday. I run a lot…’ I let my answer trail off because I realize that most people think that much running is crazy.
Then he asked me if I was worried about running that much being bad for me. He said his daughter-in-law has knee problems from running. He said it can hurt me and I won’t realize it for a long time… he trailed off too waiting for me to see the error of my ways.
I said I wasn’t worried about it. I’m good about listening to my body. But he was fairly persistent, as people with a strong opinion tend to be.
So I said, “Well, you gotta find what you love and let it kill you.”
It’s one of my favorite quotes. But it totally surprised him. It definitely got the conversation away from why running is bad for me!
I had to explain to him it’s a quote and I’m pretty sure it threw him off a bit.
He pushed a little because he genuinely felt like it can be bad for you. I’m not worried about it because something a stranger randomly tells me isn’t going to automatically change how I live my life (unless that stranger is J.Lo and in that case I’d do whatever she said).
I just wanted to share because part of me does realize that running is hard on your body. It is a lot of pounding on your joints – damn gravity. You can lose iron from red blood cells in your feet every time your foot strikes the ground. It can stress your adrenal system. There are other reasons too, but I think you get the point…
There are a lot of Pros and a few Cons to running. I’ll admit that.
But I love it. Not everything I love is going to be good for me (insert relationship joke here). I can choose to do it in moderation to manage the negative aspects or I can choose to go ‘all in’ and take the bad with the good. Sometimes I do ‘all in’ and someday I’ll do moderation.
It probably wouldn’t matter if a 12 year scientific study came out tomorrow that confirmed “RUNNING IS BAD FOR YOU”
I’m going to do what I want to do.
It serves a purpose in my life by giving me…
a hobby, exercise, time to think and reflect, a job via writing about running, a way to burn calories to balance my pizza addiction, ‘me time’, energy and more.
I don’t think ‘running in moderation’ is bad for you. Maybe I would kinda sorta tiny bit agree that running super high distances can do some damage that could be considered bad for you. But I don’t care. I am not in a place in my life where I want to practice moderation with running. I’m sure I will be in that place down the road, but today is not that day.
The entire Charles Bukowski quote:
“My dear,
Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness.
Let it kill you and let it devour your remains.For all things will kill you, both slowly and fastly, but it’s much better to be killed by a lover.”
Question: What’s your FAVORITE thing to do that’s bad for you?
(I swear if one of you doesn’t share something that is actually super bad I’m going to know you’re lying.)
My answer to that one is “being fat is bad for your knees too”.
Oooooooo I love this quote and haven’t heard it before. Thanks!!!!!!
My favourite thing to do that’s bad for me….mmmm, probably worrying too much. Mmmm, another favourite bad thing is: I’m a nerd and I read loads of science stuff. So, with apologies for being a nerd: I’m pretty sure there is no convincing scientific evidence that running will shorten your life; or cause your joints to degenerate; or anything else really bad….but like you guys say you need to know what you’re doing or get advice if you don’t know what you’re doing and definitely get advice before starting if you have a medical issue. So, if somebody tells you “Running is bad for you”, I’d hazard a guess they don’t know what they’re talking about. (There is some evidence that running extremely long distances has effects on the heart but no evidence to date that it kills you)
Just discovered your blog. Love it. Thank you xx
Wine, wine and more wine! Every.single.day
Same same same 🙂
Well you wanted a really truly super bad one so here it is – playing on my phone while driving (I KNOW!!!).
Eat crappy food and be a couch potato
Crisps are my weakness!
Any diet soda…I know, I know…soda is “bad” and diet soda can be considered even worse because of the artificial sweeteners. But oh well! I run/workout a lot, have a decently balanced diet, and drink a lot of water. See? Justification! 🙂
That quote tho. I have to use that! If I had a dime for everyone who said that to me…..
I have a hot yoga addiction. Like 3 classes a day. 104 degrees and I just can’t get enough. is that bad?!?!? Could be worse, right?
Diet tonic water. No gin. Just the tonic part. I try to convince myself it’s better than diet soda but I’m not so sure.
French fries!!!!❤️
Artificial sweetners
I’m sooo not a runner, but I have heard/read that opinion often. I know elderly people who claim running ruined their knees, hips, shins etc. I also know elderly people who have ran all their lives and still run because they’re healthy and love it. I guess it depends on the person, their body composition, training, recovery knowledge etc. I’ve also heard/read this circulating around about Crossfit.
Who knows? I think people will do what brings them joy regardless, and deal with consequences when and if the time should come.
Interesting post.
Coffee, wine and running:)
Eat fries. I don’t want to live to be 100 if I have to give up everything that makes me want to live to be 100 🙂
For starters, I absolutely love that quote! I’ve never heard it before. But I am with you on this running thing. Earlier this year, I tried to back off buying into the “it puts stress on your body and can actually make you hold onto weight”. So I tried the “leisure walking”, and I just can’t do it. I love to run….at the expense of stress weight around my middle or whatever. And even more recently I’ve been battling knee problem and was told just this week by the doc that I have bad knees, BUT he knows I LOVE TO RUN, so we’re working on a way to manage the knee issues (I’m only 43 years old!), so I can run.
I love this quote! I am going to use it often!
two words: muf.fins
Ha! Two words
You know, my Dad has been an athlete (and P.E. teacher) all his life and he’s now approaching 70 and is in so much better shape (physically and mentally) than so many people his age. I think physical exercise is hugely important throughout all your life. Maybe at some point we have to adjust from running to something else, but for now, this is the exercise that I choose.
That isn’t new favorite quote! Thanks for sharing!
I love beer and wine and sweet treats and… Well the list goes on. Everything in moderation!
Food! Of course, food isn’t universally bad for me, and a lot of what I eat is very good for me, but I’m also very fond of the kind of food that isn’t so healthy. But even though a bean burger with a basket full of fries might not be as nutritious as a salad, I do think it’s more emotionally healthy for me to eat that burger and fries that I *want* when I go to the pub with my husband rather than always eat the food with less fat and sugar and more nutrients.
Tequila and crossfit oh and falling face first into a pint of gelato. I’m working on that moderation with the food and drink but crossfit does make me happy. Who knew
Hi my name is Jules and I’m addicted to doughnuts ……..and running
Hi my name is Monica and … um, same.
Great post!
Doritos, Diet Coke. So yummy but so bad.
My mom and husband think running is bad for joints. I disagree. My joints are just fine w a balance of running, body pump and yoga.
So good that you balance it out! That’s part of the secret to running for a long time.
I love that quote!! I CrossFit and love, love, love it. I know it isn’t for everyone and I know people can get hurt, but I point out that I could get hit by a car crossing the street or attacked by a stingray in the ocean. My mom has been telling for years to stop lifting weights but I tell her that I love CrossFit and until it stops making me happy, I’m going to keep it up. So similar to your running even though they’re different sports:)
Funny enough I have thought CrossFit is dangerous because I’ve heard stories about people getting hurt. I wouldn’t tell someone to stop it though. To each their own!! And it’s true things we do day to day are dangerous.
Fascinating post!! I am a generally anxious person and do my best to keep it from ruining my day. But, I can’t deny that part of my personality totally. I am stressed and a worrier and I try to use it to my advantage rather than feel horrible about it or let it paralyze me. I know it’s not good for me to be anxious and prob will produce more stress hormones thus kill me quickly but dang it this is me.
I can be super anxious too. A friend used to joke it’s a super power, instead of a flaw 🙂
Running can be bad for you, if you do it wrong. Too much too soon or poor running form. However, I know plenty of older people (70+) that have been running their entire lives and they are still running. I also know people who killed themselves to run a marathon and ended up getting hurt.
I not sure this counts as bad, but I love cheese and probably eat too much of it. Yep! I’m a wild man! 🙂
Cause of death: cheese.
Seems like a good way to go.
Beer 🙂
putting peanut butter or kraft singles on everything. literally all my food. doubly bad because I’m a personal trainer.
Since no one is commenting, I’ll just say Diet Coke. It’s gross and so bad for you and I quit all the time, but really, I love it.
love the quote!!!
I’ve came to realize that recently… even if running is bad for me, I still want to do it! 🙂