Running has been increasingly popular for decades. That’s not surprising considering its exercise brags: It requires little equipment, just a pair of running shoes. It’s a workout you can do on your own time and take with you if you’re away from home (no gym or class times to worry about). It’s efficient. And it can be great for boosting cardiovascular fitness.
Accordingly, there was an uptick in interest in the sport when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down gyms and other types of group exercise. A report from sports governing body World Athletics that analyzed recreational running trends found that about 13 percent of runners surveyed had started within a year of the start of the pandemic, and more than one-fifth of all runners said they were running more during the pandemic than they ever had before.Let’s start at the beginning. Running is the action or movement of propelling yourself forward rapidly on foot, according to Amy Morris, a certified running coach and head of personal training at CrossTown Fitness, a Chicago-based gym.
It’s different from walking because when you walk, one foot is always on the ground. But with running, there’s a moment when both feet are off the ground. That’s what makes running a high-impact activity