The official jogging thread

Maybe someday there will be an VR device that you can hook up to that thing that will make you believe you can run everywhere even…to the moooooon! :full_moon:

You can already hook up a VR device on that “torture track”. :slight_smile:

But there are indeed platforms for VR like this one:

I’m not sure at the moment if you can jog or run on it. But it looks like. :slight_smile:

I’m somewhat glad when I just have to press a stick and let a virtual character run to the moon.
Guess I’m in the wrong thread then…

Well…

Me too. I could never run, I was (and still am) slow and I hated I couldn’t breathe right after a small time, that’s why I’ve always preferred cycling.

However, I need to move, since I’m kind of… full with nervous tics and other stuff. And I found out that exhausting myself physically is the only way to get rid of them. And one day, I got ran over by a car, my bike was broken and I was too scared to take on biking again, so the only alternative was to run.

And, as I said, I hated it. It turned out that…

A friend of mine gave me one of those “from 0 to 5k” training schedules, I was skeptical. The first day was just “run one minute, walk one minute” and I thought it was useless. But it helped. I followed it precisely and after a couple of weeks I was surprised that I, the one who never ran for more than two minutes, could actually jog for a quarter of an hour. That gave me confidence to continue. After I got to 5k, I stopped there for a long time, it was “enough”, after 5k I was tired but happy (don’t forget the hormones that the body releases after a workout!).

But then I got to know a 50-something computer science professor who ran marathons. And I said to myself, why can’t I?

So to answer the question: why do I like running? Because it helps me reduce my stress, and because it’s a good challenge against me and my older self. It’s good to think “wow, I ran for 10 kilometers”. For example, I’m now trying to improve my speed. Last year my 5k record was around 30 minutes, now it’s 24. And I know it’s quite slow compared to people who do it regularly, but for me it’s something I’m really proud of :slight_smile:

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By the way… those who run, try to do it without music :smiley: it’s way more difficult in the beginning, but it’s worth it, especially if you run in forests or other quiet places

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False. If that doesn’t work, this could:

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mhmmmm… Sorry mate, this would fit better in the “official medical misinformation thread”! :smiley:
Jokes apart…
Jogging and running are both bad for your knees.
The fact is that in western society obesity and cardiovascular disease are far more a social problem than knee arthritis. Come on, obesity and cardiac failures kill people. Knee arthritis make doctors rich, so…
Let’s run! but in societies in which people still starve, or have to cope with real problems, running is not a priority.

It was a priority back then, when “no running” meant “no food”. So, yes, we where somehow designed for running. But remember: we WERE NOT designed to live 90 years.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived maybe 30-40 years maximum, so they didn’t have to think about arthritis.

It is not said that if “a body is designed to run”, running is automatically good for it.
A Ferrari is designed to go fast. And to race.
But if you rev all the time, do fast shifting all the time, do limit brakes all the time, you’ll destroy your car.
It will last you 20k miles.
You have to use your Ferrari wisely, that doesn’t mean you have to lock it in a garage. That is bad, too.

For your body it is the same.

In addition: it is even not completely true that we are designed to run… We come from the monkeys, you know. Only recentely some new model had the feature of upright standing position.
Well, let me say that WE ARE NOT designed to be upright. A lot of design improvements were made from the first upright experiments, but they’re not enough.
We are the only species suffering for slipped disks, or hemmorroids… and that’s because of gravity. And all the quadruped species suffer from arthritis a lot less than us.
Our upright design is full of flaws.

Anyway, the problem of running and jogging is the suspension phase of the gait, which causes a shock on articulations on the heel strike.

Running and jogging are the best if you are aiming to get the maximum amount of aerobic in the smallest time unit, but if your aim is to preserve your joints, you should aim to obtain the same result with a longer exercise, maybe with a walk or a bike ride.

source: I’m an orthopaedic surgeon

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Why no one ever points out that we are living beings in an environment.

It’s not just the leg, it’s also the surface where the leg press.

Third law of dynamics (mechanics): When a first body exerts a force F1 on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force F2 = −F1 on the first body. This means that F1 and F2 are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

We basically press the terrain to receive a counterforce that push us high and forward.

So what?

To simplify, when you walk, jog or run on the concrete, or a surface that is installed on the concrete (or solid rock or another solid compact matter), you will take back almost all the force you impressed (read: high stress of joints, in particular leg joints).
When you walk jog or run on a not so solid compact matter, the force you impress will be broken up in different directions resulting in a counterforce that is not as high as the original one and thus not so bad for your joints.

Have you ever tried to run on grass, or earth? It’s better.
Have you ever tried to play Tennis on red clay and on concrete? On red clay the ball goes slower (less force impressed, less acceleration) but it is less stressful for your joints.

That’s also why I love parks, and earth in general and dislike all the rigid surfaces, indoor as much as outdoor.
Also the surfaces on which professional runners run (stadiums and so) are made with elastic materials that are soft but elastic.

All true. I didn’t mentioned it just because it doesn’t change my statements: obviously an absorbed shock is less shocking than a full shock. But no shock at all (eg: bike) is even less shocking :upside_down_face:

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:exploding_head:

That was intentionally intentional.

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Or swimming…

Easy to say… you’re a fish…

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Hey balloon can I fly with you?

Is that some sort of indecent proposal? :thinking:

Meh, I liked you better when I thought you were a girl…

I can wear a wig to make you feel more confortable, pal.

Ha funny, I always took your avatar for a rasta hat (worn above dreadlock wig)

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Mhhh, needs to be the full attire I´m afraid…

:neutral_face: Anyway…

I went for my run this morning, hooray. Only 4.5K this time but feel good for it. And I did it in the bloody cold UK weather. Achievement unlocked: purple hands.

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