Here is the BLUF - old army term for bottom line up front - in others words - spit it out and get to the point in the beginning - Long Distance Cardio Training is not healthy for you because it excessively elevates the major catabolic hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, which break down lean body mass and causes a huge list of related health issues. And the excessive carbs, to fuel such long events, adds excess sugar and insulin to the mix creating a metabolic nightmare. 
I spent most of my adult life as a weightlifter in a runner's world (U.S. Army). Sure, I got my strained muscles and numerous injuries from weightlifting - due to ignorant behavior and poor judgement and technique - not due to weightlifting itself. But my long term injuries, that really have caused lasting damage, have all come from endurance events, mostly long distance running. Once I retired from the army and stopped being forced to do pointless, steady state, long distance running daily, I was able to heal myself through - yup, you guessed it - weight training and nutrition. Now I can lunge, squat, deadlift and still pull off plyometric jumps and even sprint without the knee pain that plagued me for the last 20 yrs. - Silly huh?But everywhere you go, look and hear, Cardio Queens are still promoting and people are still following the failed archeic protocols from over 30 yrs ago. RUN, RUN, RUN and the world will be a better, healthier and skinnier place -except that since the time that cardio or aerobic training has become the big deal and that generally coincides with the original FDA Food Pyramid launch, obesity and every other bad health thing has been steadily on the rise - to the now epidemic proportions. If something doesn't work for 30 yrs, odds are it's time to try something else that does.
So here are two words for Ya, that will definitely mess you up in the long run (pun intended) - CARBS AND CARDIO. You can't have one without the other and they will both kick your ass and may even kill you. - Yes kill you! Picture yourself on the sidelines, watching your favorite marathon, and the champion runner trots by at some sound barrier blasting speed and then crumples to the ground and dies, while all of the fat guys on the sidelines gasp in horror. Sound impossible? It's happened more than once, more than twice - it's happened alot. All I can say is "Remember Jim Fixx". He was a master marathon runner, author of some books on how running is great for you and in 1984, died of a heart attack, during a run, at age 52. Just a fluke right - oh not by a long shot my friends - the list goes on and on.
The medical community has been forced to take notice and action and now most distance athletes have extensive medical screening and EKG type testing before they run off and die. There are many reasons why this happens to certain athletes and No- not everyone dies - but too many have.
Here is an article for you to check out on this topic with the nutrition side bar ( not power bar mind you- the power bar guy -founder / CEO type - oh yeah he died on a run too ). Now I'm not laughing at this or downplaying these people in any way - it's a serious situation. This article has alot of good info on it - well not if your a subscriber to runner's world magazine. I don't agree with everything in this article but it does illustrate some good facts. If your a runner, you will will get mad and stomp your little feet when you read this - but go easy, as I don't want you to inflame, your already sore runner's knee.
I remember in Iraq, when the artillery shells where coming in (friendly fire of course), I was sprinting to my foxhole, to avoid being obliterated by my fellow army artillerymen, who were a little off on distance and direction- luv ya guys - and I thought man, all those years of knee breaking, Ranger 5 mile standard runs paid off - NOT! sTUPID IS AS sTUPID DOES. Let me hear from all the haters (runners) - the facts be the facts.
Eric
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