Long Distance Running

As you can imagine, running a marathon can elevate your body to new levels of high performance.  Usually, your body only requires slow twitch muscle fibres to propel it forward, however, when it comes to long distance running, it needs every single type of muscle fibre in addition to fast twitch fibres.  Therefore, the rigorous demands of a marathon on your body automatically results in increasing stamina and endurance.  This process utilises a great deal of blood and all your carb reserves in the body.  As your body exhausts its glycogen levels, the preferred source for sugar, you begin to break down body fat and muscle protein resulting in that ‘hit the wall’ feeling.  It’s common for folks after running marathons to feel a state of confusion or disorientation.  During a marathon, the hardest working muscle as always is the heart, so there is a potential threat of cardiac arrest for those who push the limits beyond what they are capable of.  

During a marathon, your body undergoes changes in order to cope with the metabolic and physiological demands of running for such a long sustained period of time. These include increases in the rate and depth of breathing, increasing the amount of blood that’s pumped by the heart, redistribution of blood flow away from internal organs and toward muscle tissue, and modifications to the circulating concentrations of different hormones.  Essential electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium might be seriously impacted during this extremely tasking event, again it could lead to critical abnormalities for some, in the most severe cases, life-threatening.  

Preparation is Key

In order to prepare your body adequately to run a marathon, preparation is key. Long distance runners normally release molecules from the heart,  liver and skeletal muscles into the bloodstream that are regularly only observed in patients with some type of diseased organs.  One cannot underestimate the levels your body will be pushed to compared with daily normal functioning.  The most alarming molecule that enters into the bloodstream during a marathon is something called the cardiac troponin enzyme. The troponin molecule should be found in the blood in extremely low levels; any elevation can initially be cause for concern, and may precursor the onset of a heart attack.  Before preparing or let alone even running a marathon, make sure you consult your physician to determine the state of your own heart, that little precautionary measure may save your life.  

Long distance runners normally release molecules from the heart,  liver and skeletal muscles into the bloodstream that are regularly only observed in patients with some type of diseased organs.  One cannot underestimate the levels your body will be pushed to compared with daily normal functioning.  The most alarming molecule that enters into the bloodstream during a marathon is something called the cardiac troponin enzyme. The troponin molecule should be found in the blood in extremely low levels; any elevation can initially be cause for concern, and may precursor the onset of a heart attack.  Before preparing or let alone even running a marathon, make sure you consult your physician to determine the state of your own heart, that little precautionary measure may save your life.  

No one body type is the same.  It’s important that you understand your own body.  Marathon runners who fail to hydrate adequately will have thicker blood putting more stress on their kidneys.  This can lead to issues with regulating core temperature as you force the body to select between sending blood to hard working muscles already strained or towards the system of capillaries beneath the skin that helps regulate the cooling system.  If the case occurs that the glycogen stores are completely depleted, then the liver activates its overdrive mechanism, immediately breaking down protein in order to supply the body with an alternate energy source.  On the other hand, some runners may drink too much causing the risk of developing hyponatremia – an imbalance of electrolytes.  In the most extreme instances, high sodium concentrations in the blood can conducive to brain swelling.  Therefore, proceed with caution, get a full physical before considering a marathon.

Further Reading

Wonder what happens to your body during a triathlon? Read our story What Happens to Your Body During a Triathlon