Marathon season is upon us again and undoubtedly inspiring many of us to lace up our running shoes and get moving.<\/p>\n
While the thought of posing with a shiny finisher\u2019s medal might be enough to tempt you to enter the next race, have you ever thought about what actually happens to the body during a marathon?<\/p>\n
Nuffield Health MIHP performance physiologist Francesca Bagshaw in Britain shares what goes on.<\/p>\n
Increase in breathing rate and heart rate<\/strong><\/p>\n Both our breathing and heart rate pick up in pace significantly during a run, and Bagshaw explains that this is because the muscles demand greater oxygen delivery and nutrients when we exercise, especially during a marathon.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us to make and produce enough energy to run and exercise, our muscles require more oxygen,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore, during a marathon, we tend to naturally breathe more to get more air into the lungs, and then the heart will beat more to transport that oxygen from the lungs into the muscles, so it can be used to make energy for us to keep running.\u201d<\/p>\n Alongside this, runners will also experience a significant increase in heart stroke volume.<\/p>\n \u201cThe volume of blood that leaves the heart per beat will also increase to help us meet the demands of running,\u201d says Bagshaw.<\/p>\n Some marathon runners will also experience a \u201ccardiac drift\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cA cardiac drift is when your heart rate increases disproportionately, usually by five to 20 beats per minute, during exercise,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is usually a sign that you are dehydrated and are getting too hot, which puts your cardiovascular system under greater strain.<\/p>\n \u201cYou might feel like your heart rate in your chest is running faster, compared to the effort that you\u2019re putting out.\u201d<\/p>\n Micro-tears in the muscles<\/strong><\/p>\n Training and running a marathon engages a lot of muscles in the body.<\/p>\n \u201cRunning heavily engages your lower muscles \u2013 especially your hamstrings, calves and quadriceps \u2013 but then also engages your abdominal muscles to help keep you running in a straight line and your arms to help drive you forward,\u201d says the performance physiologist.<\/p>\n She explains how these repetitive movements and demands on the body will often lead to micro-tears in the muscle.<\/p>\n \u201cThese little micro-tears that we get during training will stimulate inflammation and various other responses around the muscle that adapt, so the next time you go out and run, the muscle will be stronger and will be able to cope with the load and the intensity that you put on those muscles,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can happen during a marathon is that you can sustain micro-tears and then get something called \u2018delayed onset muscle soreness\u2019 (DOMS) in the 24-72 hours after a marathon, where the muscles become really sore.<\/p>\n \u201cTo overcome that, do some light walking to keep the blood flowing to the muscles.\u201d<\/p>\n