This weekend, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy was reported to have
collapsed while jogging prompting some debate on whether or not running is good for you or not.
Now, Mr Sarkozy and his wife are known for going running so it seemed surprising that he collapsed. According to the reports, he suffered a
vasovagal episode brought on by exhaustion and dehydration. I've not heard of this before but I guess it makes sense that running in extreme heat is tough going.
Despite the fact these episodes are few and far between, I was intrigued by the
bbc article which decided that the French president's collapse meant they had to summarise the good and bad of running. According to
runners world, the benefits of running are:
increased fitness levels - pretty obvious really...
Good for weight control - as all exercise is, this isn't limited to running...
Heightens sense of well-being - again, not limited to running
Reduces long-term risk of cardiac problems - ditto
Good way to explore a city or enjoy the countryside - this for me is my main reason for running. I like to feel fit but I really like the fact that running can take you to see all sorts of places (whether you are in a place and decide to go for a run when you are there or whether you've gone somewhere specifically for a race).
So yes, I agree with the bbc article but I am not sure they needed to restate all this really...
