OnFitness Magazine - January/February 2022 - 64

WWW.ONFITNESSMAG.COM | VOL 22 NO 4 | 2022 64
Muscle Science
RUN FOR
YOUR LIFE!
Lindsey Page
the next few sessions, and once you hit the
lower time point, increase the distance and
repeat the time-lowering sequence.
By stepping up the distance while aiming
to improve the speed at that distance before
moving on, you will build up powerful
endurance at each point along the way.
The long-run tests your ability to persevere
not only physically but also mentally. Often
you run alone, and that requires you to dig
deep mentally to keep going when you're
tempted to quit.
Running with a friend or your dog may
help you as you churn out the miles, but
training alone will help you focus on your
form, breathing patterns, and mental as well as
physical resilience.
How far you go is a relative question and
depends on the level of fitness you're currently
at, and whether you have done any type of
endurance training before. What you want is
to build up to a point where you can handle
the distance levels of the typical competitive
runs, even if you don't plan on entering a race.
This distance preparation maybe for a 5K
or 10K run if you're relatively new to running,
or it may be working up to your first halfmarathon
if you have already been running
regularly.
And yes, some runs go well beyond the
marathon. It's up to you if you want to push
your body that far, either for long-distance
training or competing. Whether or not you run
a race, the ultimate goal for endurance running
is to get to a condition where you can go out
and run a good ten-mile distance while
avoiding fatigue and injury.
Try to run a few times a week, with one
longer run every so often. The longer run is
the time when you push your distance. Set
aside time, getting up earlier if necessary, to get
in that longer run. Keep track of what you do
with a journal of distances and times, and
push each session to make them better.
Endurance is a key pillar of the fitness
package, and the long-distance run is simply
the best tool to build that endurance. Make the
long-distance run a regular part of your weekly
training routine. Z
Pheidippides was a Greek soldier who is said to have run
from the battlefield in Marathon to Athens to deliver news of
a military victory in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. Upon
his arrival, Pheidippides is said to have shouted " Nike! "
which means " victory " in Greek, before collapsing to the
ground and dying. His sudden death was assumed to be due
to the length and intensity of his run, a threat that still
concerns marathon runners today. Understanding the
physiological implications of such a strenuous, endurancebased
event is imperative not only in maximizing finish times
for athletes and enthusiasts but also in recovering and
repairing properly.
While death may seem
like a bit of an extreme
scenario, the bodies of
endurance runners go
through what many
doctors have described
as an inflammatory
storm while competing
in events.
During a run, the hormones cortisol and
vasopressin get released from your brain and
adrenal glands, which causes extreme changes
and potential damage to your immune system
and the kidneys.
Enzymes also leak through the heart
membrane into your body, and muscles that
have been broken down begin to churn out
proteins called cytokines, which trigger the liver
to begin producing C-reactive protein. C-reactive
protein is the catalyst for inflammation; elevated
levels found in the bloodstream enhance the risk
of chronic inflammatory diseases.
The stiff, achy muscles that plague athletes
anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours
after training also result from this inflammatory
storm, characterized by a leak of injury-signaling
enzymes into the bloodstream, which puts the
neuromuscular system at high risk for injury.
A study published in the American Journal of
Cardiology analyzed the blood of marathon
runners twenty-four hours after their runs. High
levels of the above inflammatory markers were
present, along with coagulation markers, which
signify potential heart attack.
A second study in theJournal of Circulation
analyzed the ultrasounds and blood work of
sixty marathon finishers post-race. Results
indicated the runners' hearts had difficulty
refilling the chambers and showed abnormalities
in how the blood pumped from the right side of
the lungs to the heart.
These studies indicate that the release of
inflammatory mediators is a result of intense,
endurance-related training, potentially making
the thin, fibrous plaque lining the artery walls
more susceptible to rupture while imbalances of
coagulation factors put the body at risk for
clotting.
Athletes are
men and
women who
have taken
their bodies
above and
beyond what
many have
thought
possible
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OnFitness Magazine - January/February 2022

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