Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Too Much of a Good Thing!


      Exercise.  Good for you.  Too little, not good.  Too much exercise, also not good. There is an optimal amount and I overdid it a few weeks ago and I am now paying the price.  I thought my 55 year body could take the stress of increasing my running mileage which had been 15-20 miles per week, to 20-25 a week.  It doesn't sound like much but to go from 17 to 23 is a 35% increase.  To add injury to injury, I went from running flat courses to running a 6 mile loop that included a 1.9 mile hill, the last 400 yards at a serious incline. That particular course I ran 3 times in the last 8 days before my injury. 
    So you may be thinking muscle pull.  I wish.  Runner's knee?  Been there, done that.  No, my glamourous injury is an inguinal hernia.  I had been feeling pain for a while in the groin area but it wasn't until playing ice hockey after those arduous 8 days of running did it magically appear in the shower.  This is my 2nd one.  It will require surgery to fix and that is on the horizon in a few weeks.  Moral of the story, moderation in all things.   After all apples are good for you but would you eat 9 a day?  Sleeping is good.  Sleeping for 12 hours - not good unless you are an infant.  Moderation in all things healthy.  The suggested dose of exercise is still (basically) 30 minutes a day, with your heart rate approximately 70% of maximum, and 3 - 4 times a week.
    One more example.  Think of the benefit you get from running 3 miles.  That benefit is a lot more than the same 3 miles that occur between miles 17-20 of a really long run.  It's the same distance but one will give you vitality and one will give you bragging rights with a moderate dose of risk and physical breakdown.
Be sensible and be safe, and that includes a gradual increase in intensity.  A lesson I knew but chose to ignore.

No comments:

Post a Comment