Can you run 1 mile right now, without stopping or having a heart attack?

I just read some records for marathons...people are running well into their 80s...keep you head in the game COL Ted Mc

SSG - I have NEVER seen a happy octogenarian marathon runner and seldom seen a happy octogenarian jogger. The few octogenarian marathon runners that I have seen wouldn't last more than two days in the field before hypothermia carried them off - IF they could have hefted their gear and made it that far.

But I do thank you for your kind thoughts.

Contrary to popular belief, running does not cause knee arthritis...what does is weight lifting heavy weights and creating conditions like patellar tracking problems, or playing football and injuring your medial meniscus...but not running. Full Marathon at 44 brother, just this year. Give yourself a 5 month window and train.

The benefits of running outweigh the disadvantages, unless you are overweight in which case you should lose the weight and then start running. How you run also affects what damage you might do to your knees.

If you pound your feet into the pavement instead of gliding, you're going to be hard on your joints. "Pretend you have a string tied to your head and when you run, try not to let your head bounce up and down. Try to keep it level. Run from the waist down, and let your arms swing naturally (front to back; not side to side)." [< That's what my Cross Country/Track coach used to tell the distance runners.] If you run properly, you will keep your joints lubricated and the benefits of running aren't just cardiovascular.

Conversely, a very sedentary lifestyle can cause knee arthritis through atrophy of your joints from lack of use.

The following is just some wisdom I've picked up over the last 50+ years and it's a little more than an answer to the above question, but there's some stuff here I wish someone could have told me way back when:

I live in a rural community and the people that tend to live the longest are the farmers and they pretty much stay busy all the time. I do farming with a 77 year old man, who is as strong as most 20 year olds and he's only 5'6." He gets out and climbs all over his tractor, cuts trees, trims branches and can STILL outwork most young guys. He just needs more time to recover in the evenings.

If you sit for extended periods of time in front of the computer (hours on end) your joints will atrophy and you will find yourself with bad knees and a bad back from lack of use. You need to get up and move around and get your blood flowing. Your muscles contracting is what moves the lymph through your body boosting your immune response. Also, instead of spending so much time in front of the computer, get out in the sunshine (where you can process Vitamin D which is good for maintaining bone density) and walk. Regular sleep patterns and sleeping in total darkness (where your brain can produce more melatonin) are also essential for avoiding depression. Even the glow from your alarm clock can be enough to disrupt natural circadian rhythmns.

What you eat and where and when you sleep can have dramatic impacts on your health to include aggravating the above symptoms.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/19/why-you-should-never-sleep-with-tv-or-dim-lights-on.aspx

MSgt Kevin Willoughby the low fat diet leads to inflammation and then to heart disease...its best not to skip the fat, instead skip the sugar. The world of Nutrition has been turned on its head. The worst advice ever was going low fat...granted fat does have a lot of calories...but if you did a no/low carb diet and high fat diet instead...all your labs would improve...try it for 30 days get a CBC and CMP blood panel and check back with me. Plus the 20 lbs you lost would be a tremendous boost to your morale.

SSg Michael LoGuidice, there are multiple schools of thought on that, each belittleing the other. I'll stick with my low fat diet, as it has helped where others have not, and know that it is not a fat free diet. The fish and veggies that I eat, as well as white meat make me feel pretty healthy, and so does the smile it brings knowing that I lost weight, and feel good. Thanks for offering. It is appreciated.

Fartlek training, and thst is how you spell it...youtube it. It is speed training. For example on a stationary cycle @ 50% resistance pedal for 2 mins, then 30 secs at full resistance, and then back to 50% for 2 mins, then do 45 secs at full resistance....that my friend comes from Arnold....the body builder. That too will improve your times.

SGT(P) (Join to see) - PV2 - I will download that article and try as it suggests. If I start now, perhaps it will be habit by the next APFT. I'd like to nail at least one more 300 before hanging it all up.

SSG(P) (Join to see) - I do the interval training now: 30 seconds full bore, than 1:30 jog. Do that 8 times, and I swear you'll be begging. It's actually helped my speed, but I find I need to augment those workouts with long steady distance runs of 3.5 - 4.5 miles to maintain endurance.

Study speed training, I suggest you pick up a few running magazines, they almost always have a speed training article....lots of good ideas. Short runs should be faster...I had a masters runner share some of the coaching tips they paid for...

SPC David S. we did Fartlek training way back in 1984 in HS Track and field...still use it today. For the uneducated runner, this is something that will significantly improve your run time. Thanks for sharing.

SSG Justin McCoy - unfortunately, in BCT-land, cadre can't control what Privates eat. If it's on the shelf, it's up for grabs. Some of the choices available at the DFACs aren't the world's best for teaching IET Soldiers the value of proper nutrition.

COL (Join to see) - back in the day, I didn't think much of the nutrition argument. Now that I'm older, however, I don't know how I could have ignored it.

it catches up to up fast then we go from eating anything we want to a more cleaner diet. We used to think we were invincible. I would like to think we still are!

SSG Justin McCoy - It's a never ending battle, uphill both ways