I can offer an anecdotal answer: it depends. This is honestly an area where "individuals should speak with their physician before beginning any new intense phy

I can offer an anecdotal answer: it depends. This is honestly an area where "individuals should speak with their physician before beginning any new intense physical exercise program." I'm a runner and a basketball player. In basketball, especially at the higher levels, fast twitch muscles and explosive bursts are favored ... which results in quite a bit of weight+sprint training and plyometrics. The common injuries you see are generally torque related: sprains, strains, ligament tears/detachments. In distance running, it's the opposite: slow twitch muscles and cardiovascular endurance are favored, resulting in some bits of high impact work but mostly just "putting in the miles". In this sport, the common injuries are related to overuse, poor physiodynamics (bad form), and congenital/degenerative problems (mostly joint-related). The short of it is probably something along these lines: not everyone is cut out to do well at both, so there will probably be a fairly obvious option for part of the population. For the majority who are "average", it probably pays to try both, but I'd insert a caveat that easing into a new training routine is CRITICAL and also that endurance sports carry risks that may not surface immediately but which can have long lasting impacts, so be careful, talk to experts, and pay attention to your body.