Speed Reading — Level 2 — 200 wpm 

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Running a few kilometres each day is good for our health. However, new research says running too much could be bad for us. Running long distances regularly for many years could make our life shorter, not longer. The study is from the Minneapolis Heart Institute. A researcher said too much running can create plaque inside your heart. This can lead to heart disease. He wrote that running too much for many years takes away the good things from exercise. He added that the risk of heart disease, or of dying of coronary disease could be the same as someone who never exercised.

Researchers looked at the health and training of 3,300 runners over the age of 35. Seventy per cent of them ran over 30 kilometres a week. Men who ran marathons for 25 years had 62% more plaque in their heart than men who did little or no exercise. Another doctor said he feels cheated. He started running marathons and doing triathlons in 1967. He used to run 60 kilometres every week. He said: "I thought I was out there exhausting myself, building an absolutely indestructible heart." The doctor advised people to exercise regularly but not to overdo things.

Back to the long-distance-running lesson.

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