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From Keith's comments the other day, I still sense a bias against jogging
in this forum that I'm not sure is totally accurate.

This weekend I went to a Christmas party and talked with a runner.  He is
69 years old, runs multiple times each week, looks to be in great shape,
and can run 5k in the low 20s.  I started thinking, "if running is so
terrible for you, why does this guy look so good for his age?"

I think part of the problem lies in building up an aerobic base.  If you
add walking or slow jogging to a fitness program, it may not do much to
immediately change your body composition.  But if you want to become a
runner(faster than a jogger), those are the steps you have to go through.
Once you get in shape and your body gets used to running, then r
unning
becomes a viable means to change your body composition and achieve other
health benefits.

I think for this reason, jogging gets a bad reputation.  Also, some people
out there jogging don't know what they're doing (ie, the guy who hasn't run
in 20 years goes out and pounds himself into the ground).

Is there any real evidence that jogging or running is bad for you?  Of
course, running can be taken to the extreme with marathons or ultra-
marathons.  But I would like to say to those running skeptics, go out an
look at the people getting good times in 5k races.  They look to be in good
shape to me.

Certainly, our ancestors engaged in both short-term high-intensity exercise
and long-term endurance exercise.  I fail to see how running wasn't a part
of this.  Running should not be the only form of exercise one does, but I
don't see why it shouldn't be part of a well-rounded fi
tness program.

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