Finishing that first marathon that you've trained so hard for can bring on elation and euphoria, but hopefully it doesn't also bring on temporary heart damage.

Canadian researchers have found, using MRI, that some marathoners can damage parts of their left ventricle for up to three months following a strenuous marathon.

Using VO2 max to measure the aerobic fitness of a group of 20 runners, researchers found that the less fit runners were more likely to stress one or more of the 17 segments that encompass the left ventricle. The good news? The damage can heal itself over time, so there will be no permanent change to your heart.

Unfortunately, the effects can linger for a few months, and you won't even realize you did anything to yourself (unless you've got, you know, an at-home MRI scanner). Of course, such damage makes other parts of your ticker work even harder – as the heart can easily compensate for itself in that way – and that's when your risk for more serious cardiac injury becomes enhanced.

The findings were presented earlier this week at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, where doctors maintained that sufficient training and preparation should cut down on the risks associated with running any sort of long-distance race. And if you know you're not in the tip-top shape you should be, take some time off before slipping your running shoes back on.

And if you can get your VO2 max tested, that would help determine precisely what your body can handle, how conditioned you areA and what your optimal exercise regimen should look like.

Image: Flickr/Martineric, CC

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