Benefits of Running
You may be thinking, why run? It can’t be good for your joints. Or that it only provides cardiovascular benefits—but why risk injury like a pulled hamstring, plantar fasciitis, or a stress fracture? The downsides cancel out the benefits… right?
You couldn’t be more wrong, and I’ll tell you why. There are many, many benefits to running.
Cardiovascular Health
This is the most well-known benefit, and for good reason. Running strengthens the heart, which is a muscle itself. It enlarges the chambers of the heart, allowing more blood to be pumped throughout the body. This improves stroke volume, meaning the heart can pump more blood with each beat, leading to a lower resting heart rate (RHR).
There have been many studies done on running and cardiovascular health. Research by Duck-Chul Lee et al. (J Am Coll Cardiol., 2014) and Zeljko Pedisic et al. (Br J Sports Med., 2020) included large sample sizes. What they found was that running—even just 5–10 minutes a day—not only reduced the risk of cardiovascular mortality, but also all-cause mortality and cancer mortality by around 20%, and cardiovascular mortality by around 30%.
So yes, running improves cardiac efficiency and overall cardiovascular health. It’s associated with a lower risk of heart disease—but it also reduces all-cause mortality and cancer mortality.
Brain Health
Many people don’t know this, but there is research showing that running improves brain health—specifically the part of the brain responsible for processing and regulating emotions (the anterior cingulate cortex).
One study on adolescents aged 12–14 with sub-threshold mood syndromes—including manic and depressive symptoms—found an increase in gray matter volume in the left rostral ACC and increased thickness in the right rostral ACC after 12 weeks of running (30 minutes, 4 days per week), compared to a control group that didn’t run.
More research is ongoing, but aerobic exercise has been shown to help alleviate mood symptoms in less severe cases, offering a potential alternative to medications that can come with side effects.
Not only can running help with depression, but it has also been linked to improvements in memory, stress, and focus.
Musculoskeletal System
Believe it or not, running helps strengthen bones by increasing bone mineral density. One study of 14 individuals aged 55–77 concluded that regular running appears to reduce age-related bone loss in both men and women over 50.
Running increases bone density because repeated impact forces (about 2–3× body weight with each step) create mechanical stress on bones. This stress is sensed by bone cells called osteocytes, which trigger a remodeling response described by Wolff’s Law. In this process, bone-forming cells build new, stronger bone faster than bone-resorbing cells break it down. Over time, this leads to increased bone mineral density and a stronger, more resilient skeletal structure that is better adapted to handle load.
These are just a few of the benefits of running. There are plenty more: improved VO₂ max, better fat oxidation, weight loss, confidence, discipline, self-esteem, a sense of belonging, and more.
If you’re thinking about starting running but aren’t sure where to begin, I offer 1:1 coaching as well as standard plans to help provide structure and guidance.
https://www.camiamendurancecoaching.com
