Report: Running as Little as Once a Week Can Boost Ability to Talk Incessantly About Running
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On the heels of a major study showing that even a modest amount of running can reduce risk of premature death, researchers have announced another bit of good news: As little as one day of running per week can vastly increase the body’s capacity for talking nonstop about running.
The study appears in this week’s issue of the American Journal of Jawboning, and involved three groups: 1,280 subjects who ran 1 to 5 miles a week; an equally large group who logged at least 40 miles per week; and a group of non-runners. All groups recorded their activity over four weeks; researchers later graphed those data against the subjects’ social media postings over the same time period.
High-mileage runners, as expected, demonstrated an “unmatched ability” to drone on and on about running. But even the most casual runners showed similarly impressive abilities.
Among that group, researchers said, the benefit is not tied to things like distance, pace, or intensity. Even an easy jog of 15 minutes, they reported, can boost the ability to post incessantly on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram about any number of running-related subjects, including diet and nutrition; shoes and gear; training and racing; and, of course, the details of recent runs.
“We were surprised,” said Mark Hollis, Ph.D., lead author of the report. “We knew that relatively high-mileage runners—the one technically known as ‘avid’—had this super-developed ability to talk about the minutiae of running with anyone who would listen, but had no idea those benefits could be had even for very casual runners.”
“The upshot,” he concluded, “is that runners of every ability can reap these benefits.”
Hollis cautioned, however, that sedentary people shouldn’t just rush out and start running and then posting about it on Facebook.
“Start slowly,” he said. “Begin with, say, a simple tweet reading, simply ‘Went for a run’ or a single Instagram photo of your feet in running shoes.”
“Try to do too much, too soon, and you could get hurt.”
Hollis paused.
“Which, I suppose, you’ll also want to talk about.”
