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Part of McDougall's point in the book is not just that we CAN run long distances but that, over the long term, it's good for us. For most intensive sports, you

Part of McDougall's point in the book is not just that we CAN run long distances but that, over the long term, it's good for us. For most intensive sports, you can only keep up with them for so long before your body starts to wear and tear. Runners (with proper technique, which is encouraged by minimal footwear) remain healthy and effective until old age. One of the coolest anecdotes from the book: the average performance of marathon runners increases from age 19 to 27, when it reaches its peak. Performance returns to the 19-year-old level at age 64. That's not true for any other sport. (Citation needed, obviously, but I don't have the book handy.) The book also gives interesting examples of biological traits we possess, such as bone and muscle configurations, that only appear in animals that run a lot. I'm not saying the book is scientifically rigorous or conclusive, just that there's more to it than appears in this article.

davidw 17y ago
> That's not true for any other sport. Cyclists have their best years in their late twenties and into their early thirties. Lance was still competitive at the Tour last year, at 37 years old. Road racing is also very much a long distance sort of sport where endurance is as much if not more important than raw power. I agree with the premise that we're meant for 'cruising'. I feel best when I go out for long, not particularly fast rides. My favorite thing on a sunny day is to go out for 5 or 6 hours - you feel really good when you're done.
- grinich 17y ago
  Rowing is also one of these sports.
Evgeny 17y ago
What about martial arts? Not the full-contact ones, I guess, but aikido comes to mind when I think of the one where a person could keep practicing till very old age.
- elblanco 17y ago
  We're actually evolved to do Taiji.
- mazuhl 17y ago
  Helio Gracie comes to mind (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helio_Gracie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helio_Gracie). Apparently he was still training at the age of 95. Some of the videos of him in his 80s in YouTube show him still to have been a force to be reckoned with.
nimrody 17y ago
Not only running. Maximizing one's endurance takes years. Of course there are other factors that affect performance and deteriorate over the years (Force for example) -- which is why endurance athletes peak at their 30ths.
mazuhl 17y ago
Feet in the Clouds: A Story of Fell Running and Obsession by Richard Askwith is about the British pass time of running up and down very steep peaks, fells and hilltops. He says fell runners usually peak in their mid-thirties to fifties. Youngsters don't have the stamina that a Bob Graham (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Graham_Round http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Graham_Round) or Joss Naylor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Naylor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Naylor) have.

davidw 17y ago

> That's not true for any other sport. Cyclists have their best years in their late twenties and into their early thirties. Lance was still competitive at the Tour last year, at 37 years old. Road racing is also very much a long distance sort of sport where endurance is as much if not more important than raw power. I agree with the premise that we're meant for 'cruising'. I feel best when I go out for long, not particularly fast rides. My favorite thing on a sunny day is to go out for 5 or 6 hours - you feel really good when you're done.

grinich 17y ago
Rowing is also one of these sports.

Evgeny 17y ago

What about martial arts? Not the full-contact ones, I guess, but aikido comes to mind when I think of the one where a person could keep practicing till very old age.

elblanco 17y ago
We're actually evolved to do Taiji.
mazuhl 17y ago
Helio Gracie comes to mind (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helio_Gracie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helio_Gracie). Apparently he was still training at the age of 95. Some of the videos of him in his 80s in YouTube show him still to have been a force to be reckoned with.

nimrody 17y ago

Not only running. Maximizing one's endurance takes years. Of course there are other factors that affect performance and deteriorate over the years (Force for example) -- which is why endurance athletes peak at their 30ths.

mazuhl 17y ago

Feet in the Clouds: A Story of Fell Running and Obsession by Richard Askwith is about the British pass time of running up and down very steep peaks, fells and hilltops. He says fell runners usually peak in their mid-thirties to fifties. Youngsters don't have the stamina that a Bob Graham (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Graham_Round http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Graham_Round) or Joss Naylor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Naylor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Naylor) have.