Hello lovely people!
I made a deal with my sister-in-law to do the Memorial Day Murph with her this year. For anyone who doesn't know what the Murph is, it is a Hero Workout of the Day (WOD) to honor Lt. Michael Murphy, a fallen Navy SEAL. This workout was one of his favorites and was named after him upon his sacrifice. You can read more about him here https://veteransfuneralcare.com/obituary/lt-michael-p-murphy-seal
The Murph WOD is a workout consisting of a 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and another 1 mile run while wearing a weighted vest (reminiscent of body armor). The vest is 20lbs for men and 14lbs for women.
This past month, I have been walking with a weighted vest on as an added preparation to my workouts for the Murph. While I know I am not strong enough to do the pull-ups, I will do what I can. This is my first year doing any sort of CrossFit style WOD. (I'm more of a traditional strength training lifter, but I digress).
While walking on the treadmill one day, I was asked a question that got me thinking about perceptions of fitness and health in our modern society. I was asked "Do you run with the vest on a lot?" and my answer was no. And I will not run with it for the whole miles for the Murph, either. The reason for this is, while it looks totally BA and awesome, it is not super great for the low weight-bearing joints.
When we run, there is tremendous pressure being put on our knees according to how much we weigh. This could cause damage in the long run, as one would expect from pounding the same joints step after step. While I have lost weight and can definitely run longer than before, I do not want to run with the vest on because I do not think my body is ready for that, nor will it be any time soon. Even after I reach my ideal weight, I will not want to subject my knees to that much of a pounding on a consistent basis. I would much rather only run with the vest on once in a great while. But that is just me, if you think your body can take it and you have the proper form and preparation, more power to you!
That being said, there are more factors to consider. Bone density, nutrition, muscle mass, muscle balance of the quads and hamstrings, and how a person runs are some of many factors that contribute to risk and reward when it comes to running with extra weight on. Once I have been training for a while and am down another 30lbs, I will probably consider more running with the vest on, but not for miles and miles at a time. But again, that's just me and my opinion.
Stay safe, stay strong, stay fierce.
Hope you all have a wonderful day!