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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Heart Health and Marathon Running: Preparation is Key

Posted February 13th, 2007 at 3:02 PM by Megan Hueter

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

The risk of death from coronary heart disease is decreased almost two-fold in physically active people. Regular exercise has beneficial effects on blood pressure, lipid profile (fats in the body), insulin resistance (ability to break down sugar to use for energy), and overall decreased risk of death.

However, prolonged exercise (such as a marathon running) is hard for the body to endure, especially the heart. The risk of a cardiac event is there, as indicated by dozens of emergency crews present at various intervals of an event such as the Boston Marathon. A 2006 study shows that heart damage from a marathon is significantly related to inadequate training and preparation; a problem seen in some amateur marathon runners.
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