I recently read an interesting article in The New York Times Health Section on long distance running and the idea that humans might actually be built for running long distances.
The article, written by Tara Parker-Pope, deals with some of the ideas in Born to Run, a best-selling book by Christopher McDougall. McDougall researches the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, a tribe that regularly runs very long distances in thinly soled sandals. McDougall argues that it is only in the late 20th Century that we have started to prescribe to the belief that long distance running makes our bodies susceptible to injury.
McDougall argues, on the other hand, that running long distances, in itself, is not the issue, but rather it is the way the modern human runs that causes the problems. He suggests that many marathon runners start to run in their later years rather than in their youth when their body has time to develop for distance running. He also says that running on artificial surfaces and in high-tech, highly cushioned shoes alters the biomechanics of running and makes our bodies susceptible to injury. McDougall even told Parker-Pope that, while researching the Tarahumara, he altered his running form and got rid of his heavily-cushioned shoes and has been running pain-free for 3 years.
The article also mentions some evolutionary features of humans that some scientists think points to the fact that we were born to be runners. One of the most important evolutionary features is our highly efficient cooling system. While other mammals pant, we are able to cool ourselves through sweating. Therefore, humans are able to stay cool at distances that would cause other animals to overheat. Two evolutionary biologists, Daniel Lieberman and Dennis Bramble, even claim that, on a hot day, a human could outrun a horse in a 26.2-mile marathon!
You can read this very fascinating article by clicking on the link below.