Running, effects good or bad? - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

Most of us learned running is a good way to exercise, but some wonder if too much running can cause negative effects on the body.

Bryan Kelpe with Missouri Running Company said marathon running has become more popular in the past 20 years. He said people like the idea of setting a goal and reaching it, to see what their body is capable of.

Kelpe said he runs "ultra marathons" which can run from 31 to 100 miles.

An editorial in a British Health Journal, Heart, said running long distance, day after day, year after year, doesn't give your body time to heal. The publication's lead author, Dr. James O'Keefe is the head of preventative cardiology at Mid America Heart Institute at Saint Luke's Health System.

But Kelpe said running is beneficial to the body. He said it can help your heart grow stronger, your cardiovascular system get better, and give you more energy. He said runners actually have less injuries – for example knee injuries or replacements – than people that don't work out at all.

But can there be such a thing as too much running?

"There's signs that can show too much training you know if your mood starts to dampen, then that can be too much training, if you're not getting enough sleep, you must have recovery, you know if you're starting to sacrifice your quality of life or your life with your family, that's too much," said Kelpe.

Kelpe said it's all in the training.

"I feel it's not so much too much training, but doing the training too fast, and that's actually two things there, you're actually increasing your mileage too quickly so there's a general rule, increase your mileage 10 percent each week and not to go beyond that, a lot of times people increase their mileage way too fast, and also running the mileage too fast," said Kelpe.

Kelpe said some runners have been known to run a marathon distance a day, so the "correct amount" varies on the individual.

Your body needs time to recover for the amount of effort you put into it.

So, Kelpe said if you're competing at a national speed level running marathons, you will probably need more time to recover than someone taking a casual job.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests adults get about two and a half hours a week of moderate aerobic activity.

Running can be a way to get in that activity and stay healthy.

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