One day, they will all be mine
There were many running events this weekend at the University of Illinois – from a 5K to a marathon. If you’re wondering if I signed up for an event or not, well I’ll be honest and tell you that I simply hate running, so no. I’ve always found running to be boring, and quite frankly, I’m not too good at it either. The last time I did a 5k was in Denmark when I was 8 years old. I’m fairly confident that I had no idea what was going on and ended up walking most of the way anyways (and to those of you who don’t believe me, I still have the certificate!). In high school I ran a 7 minute mile, which I don’t think is too slow. The most I’ll run nowadays is a 15 minute jog after my workouts. Not too impressive, I know. I’d classify myself as a sprinter, not a long distance runner. I’ve always wondered how marathon runners could just… keep running without running out of breath (no pun intended).
After working out with a friend earlier in the week, he started to tell me about how long distance runners actually used lactic acid to their advantage. He said that in one of his classes, he learned that as soon as the runners’ oxygen levels decreased, they will start burning lactic acid instead of glucose. This is why, as he explained, usually after the first few struggling minutes of running, the remainder of the race would seem much easier. I had never heard of this before and told him I would write a blog about this after doing some more research.
To start, let me explain a little more about lactic acid. Lactic acid is a natural organic compound that exists in muscles, blood, and other organs of the body. According to runnersworld.com, it is a byproduct that’s created when we burn glycogen without oxygen as we run. The higher the intensity of the run, the more lactic acid we create. Scientifically speaking, muscles are in need of an energy which is formulated as ATP. Glucose, which is a simple sugar, is the source of this energy. During strenuous exercise, glucose existing in the environment proves to be insufficient as a source of energy. Muscles cope with this problem by converting the carbohydrates stored in its cells into glucose and using it. During this process, lactic acid is released and the glycolytic pathway is employed when there is no need for oxygen.
In simpler terms, once sugar in the environment is consumed during exercise, the carbohydrate stored in the muscle tissue are used and the lactic acid released during this process becomes an efficient fuel.
In order to “train” your body to efficiently use the lactic acid as energy, it is recommended to train above your lactate threshold (interval training, another benefit of HIIT). Working beyond your lactate threshold on a regular basis increases the ability to buffer hydrogen ions (which is released when lactic acid becomes lactate). This in turn makes long distance runners capable of running at a faster pace while keeping up with the buffering requirement, which increases ventilation and reduces fatigue.
More details regarding the lactic threshold can be found here.