Robert J. Winn takes a deeper dive into running myths to determine which well-circulated "facts" are actually fiction.

1. Popular
Myths About
Running
ROBERT J. WINN

2. Running is bad for you.
Or, at least, that's how it seems when you listen to your coworkers talk
about how much they hate their health club's annual 4K.
Running gets a bad rap. For all its popularity, the sport is plagued by
misconceptions and fad-like myths that scare people away from making
it a common practice. Here, I take a deeper dive into running and
separate sport fact from sport fiction.

3. Running Shoes
are Bad
Barefoot running enthusiasts believe
that by wearing thin running flats or
no shoes at all, runners could run and
feel better for longer than those who
used traditional running shoes. The
fad has since fizzled out; in 2014,
several studies presented at the
American College of Sports Medicine
“found no significant benefits, in
terms of economy, from switching to
minimalist, barefoot-style footwear.

4. Only Young
People Can Run
The idea that only younger athletes
can run is ageist and factually
incorrect. Mindset makes more of a
difference than years ever could; a
driven forty-year-old is more
equipped to handle a marathon than a
couch-potato twenty-something ever
could be.

5. Running Wrecks
Your Knees
Running does not wreak havoc on
your knees! The idea that running can
wear away at your cartilage or
negatively impact your joints is truly
and resoundingly a myth. In fact,
recent research from Johns Hopkins
indicates that regular runs might
actually protect the knees from joint
degeneration down the line.

6. Running Is a Free
Pass to Junk Food
No, going for a run twice a week does
not give you a free pass to binge on junk
food. While it can be tempting to gauge
athleticism and food within the context
of an equation - one 400 calorie chicken
tender meal in exchange for a 400-
calorie burner workout at the gym - that
sort of distillation just isn't good for
you. Cardiovascular activity can help
you fend off heart disease and lose
weight, but only if you adopt an equally
healthy diet and lifestyle!

7. Thank
You!
RobertJWinn.co