Some thoughts on injuries and physiology

March 11th

Run 6 minutes, walk 1 minute (6 times)

When I sent out my email asking for pledges, I also got some emails back with concerns that I couldn't (and maybe shouldn't?) physically do this. Could my knees, back, and hips take the pounding? Maybe I'm over-sensitive, but I read this as, "Aren't you too fat to run?"

Hmmm, maybe. However, I weight a lot less than the competitors on "The Biggest Loser" (okay, most of the competitors on TBL) and they don't have 18 months of training behind them. I've been doing squats and weight training and all sorts of core exercises that support my back. In fact, I get almost no knee pain at all when I'm running, and two years ago it killed me to go up stairs. I think the muscles that support my joints are as fit as they can be, given my weight. And look how fast the people on "The Biggest Loser" run! Even the men in the 300 lb range run.

Look at it this way. If you weight, oh, let's say 193.5 lbs., and you have bad knees, they are going to give out one day whether you run on them or sit around the house resting them. If you rest them, chances are your weight is going to go even higher. And what will that do? That's right, wear out your knees even faster. Ditto for your hips and back. A big gut is one of the worst things you can do for your back. Working out hasn't made mine go away, but I think doing sit ups and Supermans and running are far better for my back than gaining more weight would be.