Stephen Vrska, a marathon andultrarunner from Chesterton, Indiana, first discovered the joy of running back in the 6thgrade.“My middle school didn'toffer football until the following year, so I opted to do running because my older brother ran," he says.
Michael Fredericson, MD, director of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation division of Stanford University, says seeing American runner Frank Shorter win a gold medal in the 1972 Olympic marathon is what made him fall in love with the sport. "His historic win got a whole generation of Americans excited about running," he says.
No matter when someone starts or what inspires them to buy their first trainers, running is a sport as old as time – and it comes with a host of health benefits.
When was running invented?
The first recorded running event was held way back in 76 BC in Olympia, Greece. It was a stadium footrace – a sprint that marked the beginning of track running games for sport.
The modern 100-meter dash also first took place in Greece as part of the 1896 Olympic games held in Athens.One year later, the Boston Marathonwas founded,and with it the popularization of long-distance running in the U.S. began.
How fast can a human run?
To date, the fastest a human has been recorded running isUsain Bolt's 2009 record-smashing 100-meter dash. There, he briefly reached a top running speed of 27.78 mph.Sha’Carri Richardson is officially the fastest woman in the world running the 100-meter dash in 10.65 seconds.
Despite such an impressive record, runners are unable to hold maximum running speeds for long, and the average long-distance speed runners usually maintain is about 12 mph.
What are the health benefits of running?
Whether competing professionally or running for leisure, running is one of the best aerobic exercises a person can do. "Running improves heart health by strengthening the heart muscle and improving blood flow to the body," says Austin "Ozzie" Gontang, Ph.D. a licensed psychotherapist and the director of the San Diego Marathon Clinic.
Other health benefits that come from running includereduced stress and anxiety as the body releasesmood-boostingendorphins after a runner hits their stride (the euphoric state known as a "runner's high"), increased bone density, boosted metabolism, improved cholesterol levels, and help obtaining or maintaining a healthy weight.
"Running is a high-calorie-burning exercise that can help burn more calories in less time than walking, making it an effective tool for weight loss," saysGontang.
Running is great exercise, but many struggle with how to get started. Here are some tips.
How to get into running
Many people yearn for such health benefits but find making the shift from walking to running to be overwhelming. "The hardest part is finding the motivation to get started," saysFredericson. "The good news is, few runners ever look back after they discover the joys of the sport."
Sometips to get started include making sure you have comfortable clothing and the right shoes, working up to running by ensuring you can walk for at least 30 minutes first without getting winded, jogging or running slowly before picking up speed, working the practice intoyour schedule so it become part of your daily routine, and finding arunning buddy if you feel the extra accountability would be helpful.
Vrska also recommends for newbies to follow a run-walk program to break up each run with walking breaks."I often observe runners over-exerting themselves," he says. "A great barometer for those beginning is to see if you can hold a mostly normal conversation while you go – if you can't, you're going too fast."
