Running on empty: why are so many marathon runners so miserable? | Marathon running
Name: Marathons.
Age: The first modern Olympic marathon took place in 1896, inspired by the 490 BC tale of Pheidippides and his 150-mile run to seek help from the Spartans to fight the Persians.
Maybe 240km should be my next training goal. I love endurance running. In fact, I just got back from a four-hour fartlek. I don’t need to know that. And you might want to consider chilling it. A new study suggests that marathon runners don’t enjoy particularly good mental health.
Absurdity – I’m happy as a clam. Is this a stupid investigation by a sofa store or a slipper seller? No, this is a serious academic study and the first author, Leo Lundy, is in fact a multi-marathoner himself: he has completed more than 400.
He must have calves of steel. And what did Lundy find? Multi-marathoners “generally experience slightly higher levels of depression and anxiety than the general population” and a subset exhibit “clinically significant mental health problems.” Lundy told the Times that although 94 percent of the runners he surveyed thought running was good for them, testing revealed “disturbing” levels of anxiety and depression in 25 percent of subjects.
But decades of research show that exercise is good for mental health! There is exercise and exerciseI guess. It’s not that surprising that the kind of person who demands intense levels of commitment over several months, who slices your nipples, gives you errands, and can make you urinate blood, doesn’t make you the happiest.
What about the euphoria of the famous runner? I get euphoric after long runs – the endorphin buzz is amazing! But how long does it last?
I have to admit a certain… emptiness sets in after a while. This follows – another study from Linnaeus University found that endurance athletes experienced “varied emotions post-race that were both physically and mentally challenging”, including “loss of energy, ambivalence and melancholy”.
It’s no big deal – when that happens, I just start training for another race. Hmm. “For some runners, this habit becomes more of a coping mechanism than a joy,” as Lundy says. How are your relationships?
Amazing! I love swapping PBs with my running club buddies and fitness app friends. I mean intimate relationships – do you have a partner?
For now – but last week they said, “There are three of us in this marriage and one of them is your Strava.” » This is another emotional downside of endurance running. Partners may feel left out and alienated by the fact that a loved one is never there or is completely exhausted when they are. It’s an identity transformation that can potentially jeopardize relationships, research suggests. Some call this “marathon divorce.”
But Harry Styles runs marathons under three hours and he’s dating Zo.-Kravitz! That’s your argument for multi-marathoning, right?
If I stop, I’ll have to face what I’m running from… There, there. It’s good. There is something called “therapy”.
Say: “Marathon runners should prioritize fun, recovery and relationships to protect their mental health. »
Don’t say: “Do you know that Pheidippides died in the end?
