Running for Health vs. Running for Performance: Can You Have Both?

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Nov 15, 2025

Explore the fine line between running for performance and running for health. Discover insights from a colon cancer study involving ultramarathoners and learn if too much running can be detrimental. The discussion emphasizes the importance of balancing mental health, nutrition, and recovery with performance goals. Find out how training should evolve with age and why VO2 max isn't the only metric that matters. Tune in for tips on creating health-focused training plans that promote longevity and well-being.

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ADVICE

Ditch Routine Lab Tests If Budget Is Tight

Field tests replace expensive lab lactate/VO2 testing for most runners.
Use a 30-minute time trial, Cooper test, or 1.5-mile test to set practical zones.

INSIGHT

More Running Can Mean More Harm

More running isn't always more healthy; injury risk rises with very high volume or intensity.
Severe injuries and repeated stress fractures can impair daily life and long-term exercise ability.

INSIGHT

Preliminary Link Between Repeated Long Races And Polyps

A small conference study found higher rates of advanced precancerous colon polyps in frequent ultra/marathon runners.
The authors hypothesize repeated low blood flow to the gut during long events may cause chronic injury, but results are preliminary.

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Is running always health-promoting - or is there a point where running can be unhealthy? In this episode, we discuss the health benefits of running, examine claims that running increases risk of certain diseases, and explore how training for performance may be different than training for health.

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In this episode, you will learn:

✅ Is there such thing as too much running?

✅ On the colon cancer and running study

✅ Is too much running bad for your heart?

✅ Does running help with mood disorders and mental health?

✅ Age-related declines

✅ Creating a training plan for running for health

Field Tests for our Listener Question:

Cooper test: After a 10-20 min warm-up, run as far as you can in 12 minutes. Record distance and enter into this calculator.
1.5-mile run test: After a 10-20 min warm-up, run as fast as you can for 1.5 miles. Record distance and enter into this calculator.
Lactate threshold test. After a 10-20 min warm-up, run 30 minutes as fast as you can (self-paced, even effort). Your average pace over the final 20 minutes is your velocity at second LT (60-min race pace) and your average HR over the final 20 min is your LTHR.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like:

🎧 How Much Does VO2max Actually Matter (3 Oct 2025)

🎧 Heart Rate Variability and Resting Heart Rate: Do These Metrics Matter for Runners (25 July 2025)

🎧 Hybrid Training as Health Training with Dr. Alyssa Olenick (6 Sept 2024)

References:

🔬 https://meetings.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/244806

🔬 https://www.onlinejacc.org/content/75/1/60

🔬PMID: 28450347

🔬 PMID: 26301178

🔬 PMID: 25128074

🔬PMID: 31691927

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