Just one week away. I have been injured for the last 10 days although I feel I am recovering. In the meantime, I have been reading articles about marathons for mental training. Two of the best articles:
1) Running outdoors can improve mental health (The Telegraph, Sep 28)
“Running helps me to deal with everyday stresses. It never fails to give me a buzz, and a sense of satisfaction when I’ve finished.”
FACT 1: While all types of exercise are thought to help reduce stress, it seems that running – for two miles or 26 – has a particularly beneficial effect on mental health. Research suggests it can boost mood, confidence and self-esteem and may even help in the long term with serious depression
FACT 2: Scientists have long theorised that these natural chemicals, called endorphins, may cause “runners’ high”. Running (and other exercise) may also increase the availability in the brain of other chemicals that affect mood such as serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline. “Running causes chemical reactions in the brain that lead to improvements in mood,” “It also results in a higher level of oxygen in the blood which makes you more mentally alert. But aside from the short-term physiological changes, it’s also thought that running provides a sense of achievement and self-confidence.
2) You are only as old as you run (NYTimes, Sep 23)
FACT 1: A few years ago researchers at the German Sports University Cologne took a close look at the finishing times of 400,000 marathon and half-marathon runners between the ages of 20 and 79. They found no relevant differences in the finishing times of people between the ages of 20 and 50. The times for runners between 50 and 69 slowed only by 2.6 to 4.4 percent per decade.
FACT 2: The number of runners who finished marathons in the United States, where 7 of the world’s 15 largest races took place last year, increased to 507,000 in 2010 from 25,000 in 1976
FACT 3: In 1980, the median age for a marathon runner was 34 for men and 31 for women. By last year, the age had risen to 40 for men and 35 for women. People over 40 now comprise 46 percent of finishers, up from 26 percent in 1980.
