Running and the Heart 1
Figure 1. The outside of the heart. The heart gets its blood supply from the coronary arteries. When the heart does not get enough blood through these arteries, a person can experience a “heart attack” or myocardial ischemia. Heart attacks are the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in runners over 40. Image by the The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Bryon Powell is the Founding Editor of iRunFar. He’s been writing about trail running, ultrarunning, and running gear for more than 15 years. Aside from iRunFar, he’s authored the books Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running, been a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, written for publications including Outside, Sierra, and Running Times, and coached ultrarunners of all abilities. Based in Silverton, Colorado, Bryon is an avid trail runner and ultrarunner who competes in events from the Hardrock 100 Mile just out his front door to races long and short around the world, that is, when he’s not fly fishing or tending to his garden.
View all posts by Bryon Powell
