Do You Like to Run?

     So, I am minding my own business at work, and a colleague asks, "Hey Sam, do you like to run?"
I sit there for a second, blindsided a bit by the question.  Then he continues, "we are putting together a relay team for a marathon..."
     "Have you seen the Lord of the Rings?"  I cut in- hoping he knows the scene with Gimli huffing and puffing across the mountains.
     "No," he replies.
     I can see he is slightly confused by my response to his question.  So I quickly explain that I am like a dwarf.  I am very deadly over short distances.  He then says I can run a short distance because each team member only needs to run a few miles in the relay.  I laugh politely and explain that I pretty much top out at one mile, if the surface is flat.  (Lest you think I am just too lazy to run, I can throw down a 6.5 minute mile, or a 32 minute 4 mile pace at high altitude weighing 230.  Even at my heaviest weight of 260 I could run 4 miles in 34 minutes.)
     In any case, his question got me thinking about the fact that I really don't like running for exercise.  It isn't that I don't like to run.  I love it.  As long as I am either about to tackle someone, or someone very big is chasing me.  In either of those two scenarios I will lay it down as well as the next 230 pounder can.  But, I don't like running for fitness in the sense that most people think of it.  Honestly, it's boring.  Other people tell me about the "high" they get from running, but that doesn't work for me.  The only thing I get from running miles on end is a stitch in my side, and knee pain.  (And occasionally lungs that burn like the reflux you get after all you can eat Taco Tuesdays made with more peppers than humans were designed to consume.)
     Now, many people swear by running, and it does work.  There's no disputing that.  However, it wouldn't really work for my goals.  I want a significant amount of muscle mass, and I want a low bodyfat percentage.  Running four or five miles a day will certainly trim me down, but it will also metabolize a large portion of my muscle tissue in an attempt to "jettison unnecessary weight."  Think about it, how many marathoners do you know who could compete in bodybuilding contests?  Sure they have lean bodies, but they also are a bit short on muscle mass.  (If that's your goal, by all means, don't let me dissuade you, I am just explaining that I don't want to look like that.)
     However, there is a better way to go about running if your goal is a hard, toned and muscular body.  Remember doing sprints for football?  They're hard, they suck the breath right out of you, and... they work!  Sprints will zap fat quickly, however they also spur your bodies natural production of Growth Hormone, which helps with muscle building/retention, and they don't drain so much of your energy that your body needs to feed like a cannibal on its own muscle tissue.  If you want physical proof, look at Olympic sprinters.  They usually have massive, yet lean, legs and look like they could snap a marathoners femur if they stepped on it. 
     Another benefit of sprints is the overall time it takes to complete a workout.  If you do ten wind sprints of 10-15 seconds, with 30-60 seconds rest in between, you are done with your workout in roughly 8 to 12 minutes.  This makes it very easy to stick a sprint session on the end of a lifting session and hardly notice the difference in time.  (However, if you try to sprint after a heavy leg workout, don't be surprised if you are flopping around like Gumby for the first few sprints...)
    Lastly, if done correctly, sprints tend to be easier on your knees, feet, and ankles.  You still have to make sure you are warmed up of course- but the risk versus reward is a huge payoff!  I can go all out for a few minutes, zap some fat, and not have achy knees or shin splints.  That's called a win-win in my book!
     Now, you don't need to take my word for it.  There are plenty of reputable articles on the subject.  I will offer one here from livestrong.com that discusses some of the misconceptions about burning fat and the benefits of high intensity exercise.