[brianlash]

If I could solve a technical problem in my head while exercising then either the problem is really easy or I'm not getting very much exercise.

Remember that walking is technically exercise. 5 miles walking is 5 miles jogging is 5 miles running, at least as far as your heart is concerned. Calorie burn is roughly equal too.

I won't pretend to know anything about you (You might run laps around me!) but if you think jogging sucks there's a chance you're making some classic mistakes re: not investing in slow base miles, not developing 'cellular piping' so your body can efficiently wick away waste, etc...

This topic strikes a chord with me because I hated running a few years ago. A marine friend of mine knocked it into my head that I was going about it all wrong, and I finally came around (kicking and screaming) to his way of thinking. I read Galloway's book (http://books.google.com/books?id=3kqUP3upHQ4C&printsec=f...) changed my approach and started running for pleasure. Now I log 20 to 30 miles a week for recreation, and formerly 'breakneck' paces feel comfortable (I think the charge from that natural pace is a positively excellent time to let the endorphins supercharge your thinking). And for the record I'm not blazing fast... my 5k PR is 20 minutes and change. But again speed doesn't really count for beans; It's really about following the fundamentals and letting the miles take care of themselves. BONUS: The boost to my fitness helped me earn a qualifying time for my fire department's Rapid Intervention Team, which was really gratifying.

You don't need to kill yourself to see awesome benefits from running, and I truly believe (moderate) physical exertion can plausibly yield higher order thinking.

[crc32]

can you expand on "'cellular piping' so your body can efficiently wick away waste"?

[brianlash]

Sure. The act of running creates waste, typically in the form of dead blood cells and lactic acid. It's natural, but if the muscle cells are ill-prepared to properly dispose of the waste it can create inefficiencies in the form of poorer performance.

It's important as a runner that you have a solid "highway system" of muscle fibers that can handle the waste throughput of your regimen. The most popular way competitve runners achieve this is by running lots of slow* comfortable base miles over several months. Increasing mileage 10% a week will break the cells down, while planned rest allows the body to regenerate 'heartier' cells capable of handling greater and greater loads. In the most relatable sense that burn you feel when you work out will start happening later and later; In physiological terms you've "increased your lactic threshold." The advantages of building an aerobic base transcend the muscle highway concept and seem to have really solid implications for cardiovascular health. Just something to think about.

*slow is relative and implies that you're running about 2 minutes off your tempo pace. A little huffing/puffing is okay, but it should feel natural to hold a conversation. Maintaining this slow pace - even when you feel you could run faster - is the hardest part of base building and therefore that piece which seems to pay the best dividends (for those who are disciplined).

[thesz]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrion

Mitochondria development occurs when you're running - actually, doing aerobic exercise for long period of time. Mitochondria is responsible for intra cell energy exchange and utilization of "waste".

My trainer told me that professional runners, swimmers and skiers are pretty vulnerable for alcoholism, because mitochondrias greatly help to utilize products of alcohol metabolism. So there is buzz, but no hangover, you can do it over and over again. Until someone becomes physically dependent on alcohol.

You be warned. ;)