Hi, this is Debbie Boyles, coach at Mojo for Running, and this is episode 10 of the Mojo for Running podcast.

Today we'll discuss the impact of running on your life, your life, my life, or anyone's life.

Every day, I spend 15 or 20 minutes on Twitter interacting with runners of all levels from all over the world. And some of my favorite

conversations are with new runners. I like to congratulate them on making the very wise decision

to take up running. I tell them that if they aren't hooked yet, they soon will be, and that

bodes well for the rest of their lives. They usually report that they're already hooked.

Of course, at that point in their running career, they can't possibly appreciate the wisdom

of their decision to start running. But one day they will, and that makes me genuinely happy

for them. Statistically, more people take up running every year, and in this age of obesity and related

health care problems, that's at least a sliver of good news. Some people, though, actually

many people, won't even consider running. They think it will be too hard on their bodies,

or at least that's their rationalization.

I guess it keeps them from feeling guilty if they can come up with some explanation for some reason why they shouldn't run.

It's commonly thought, at least among non-runners, that running takes a serious toll on your body and ruins your knees. That's just not

true. Sometimes people, non-runners, ask me about my knees, the suggestion being that they must be

bad. When they find out I've been running for over 30 years and that I run at least five days a week.

They're certain of it.

I'm always happy to explain that I have no knee pain.

I've never had any pain in my knees except when I did something else that caused it.

Once, I tried swimming laps with fins.

Someone had told me that it was good for increasing flexibility in the ankles, a stiff area for me, so I thought I'd try it.

Well, I never got to find out if it would help, because after I tried swimming with fins for just a few laps, the next time I ran, there was an uncomfortable feeling in my knees accompanied by a distinct clicking in my knee joint with every step.

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