What Happens to Your Body During a 30-Minute Run?
Options
NotBonJovi
Posts: 187 Member
I Wanted to share this article with all those interested in running. Thanks!
Running is a great sport to get in shape, burn some steam, and build muscles. But, have you ever wondered what your body goes through on a 30-minute run? Whether you're a newbie or an experienced runner, notice how your body changes from beginning to end next time you hit the pavement. Understanding what your body goes through will help you become a stronger runner.
The First Few Seconds of Your Run
As you begin to run, your muscles start using adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the energy molecules your body makes from food. Trust me, using ATP is a great thing.
That surge of adrenaline is the ATP converting to another powerful molecule, adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Your muscle cells will change ADP back into ATP after that initial surge.
The First 90 Seconds of Your Run
During this time, you'll be establishing your stride. In order to release more ATP, your cells begin to break down glycogen, a form of glucose (fuel) stored in your muscles. Cells will pull glucose directly from your blood, which results in lower blood sugar levels.
As your body uses more glucose and your muscles unleash lactic acid (also known as 'the burn'), your brain will alert you that you're under physical stress. Don't panic. It's not a bad thing.
The Next Few Minutes of Your Run (and Beyond)
If you're a new runner, this is where it may become tricky to maintain your running pace. Don't give up. Keep pushing yourself. Your heart will begin to beat faster. Blood will start to moves toward your muscles and away from other organs that are not requiring energy. It takes an influx of oxygen to make the best use of your glucose at this time. At this point, you'll begin to breathe heavily.
Once you feel comfortable in your stride (remember you were establishing it in the previous step), your gluteus maximus (also known as your butt), legs and core, work to keep your form controlled, and upright. Your hip joints will extend so your feet can push off the ground. In short, you'll be running.
The burning of glycogen and oxygen tends to spike your body temperature. This is when you'll begin to sweat. Again, don't panic. Your sweat glands release moisture to keep you from overheating.
Within 10 Minutes of Your Run
If you've been exercising regularly, your muscles and their ATP supply will be ample. Your body will be able to efficiently move oxygen and burn fat and glucose.
But if you're new to exercise, your ATP supply might not be able to keep up with the high demand that running places on your body. You will be fighting the oxygen-producing process. Lactic acid will begin to overwhelm your body, making each minute more cumbersome than the last. Keep pushing.
In this situation, the best thing to do is slow down to a jog. Once you feel OK, then pick up the pace to a run again.
After 30 Minutes on Your Run
Take a bow! It's over. As you slow down and start walking, your energy demand will lessen and you'll begin to breathe normally.
Believe it or not, you may feel pretty accomplished and energized at this moment. That's because your body is producing the mood-elevating hormone called dopamine—the 'feel good' hormone. The increased levels of dopamine may lead to less food cravings—it's a win-win situation.
(by Jaylin Allen, Bootique Fitness)
Running is a great sport to get in shape, burn some steam, and build muscles. But, have you ever wondered what your body goes through on a 30-minute run? Whether you're a newbie or an experienced runner, notice how your body changes from beginning to end next time you hit the pavement. Understanding what your body goes through will help you become a stronger runner.
The First Few Seconds of Your Run
As you begin to run, your muscles start using adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the energy molecules your body makes from food. Trust me, using ATP is a great thing.
That surge of adrenaline is the ATP converting to another powerful molecule, adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Your muscle cells will change ADP back into ATP after that initial surge.
The First 90 Seconds of Your Run
During this time, you'll be establishing your stride. In order to release more ATP, your cells begin to break down glycogen, a form of glucose (fuel) stored in your muscles. Cells will pull glucose directly from your blood, which results in lower blood sugar levels.
As your body uses more glucose and your muscles unleash lactic acid (also known as 'the burn'), your brain will alert you that you're under physical stress. Don't panic. It's not a bad thing.
The Next Few Minutes of Your Run (and Beyond)
If you're a new runner, this is where it may become tricky to maintain your running pace. Don't give up. Keep pushing yourself. Your heart will begin to beat faster. Blood will start to moves toward your muscles and away from other organs that are not requiring energy. It takes an influx of oxygen to make the best use of your glucose at this time. At this point, you'll begin to breathe heavily.
Once you feel comfortable in your stride (remember you were establishing it in the previous step), your gluteus maximus (also known as your butt), legs and core, work to keep your form controlled, and upright. Your hip joints will extend so your feet can push off the ground. In short, you'll be running.
The burning of glycogen and oxygen tends to spike your body temperature. This is when you'll begin to sweat. Again, don't panic. Your sweat glands release moisture to keep you from overheating.
Within 10 Minutes of Your Run
If you've been exercising regularly, your muscles and their ATP supply will be ample. Your body will be able to efficiently move oxygen and burn fat and glucose.
But if you're new to exercise, your ATP supply might not be able to keep up with the high demand that running places on your body. You will be fighting the oxygen-producing process. Lactic acid will begin to overwhelm your body, making each minute more cumbersome than the last. Keep pushing.
In this situation, the best thing to do is slow down to a jog. Once you feel OK, then pick up the pace to a run again.
After 30 Minutes on Your Run
Take a bow! It's over. As you slow down and start walking, your energy demand will lessen and you'll begin to breathe normally.
Believe it or not, you may feel pretty accomplished and energized at this moment. That's because your body is producing the mood-elevating hormone called dopamine—the 'feel good' hormone. The increased levels of dopamine may lead to less food cravings—it's a win-win situation.
(by Jaylin Allen, Bootique Fitness)
0
Replies
-
yeah, shenanigans.
"that surge of adrenaline is the ATP converting..." no, a surge of adrenaline is a surge of adrenaline. adrenaline isn't ATP. ATP isn't adrenaline. And ATP is being used by our bodies while we're sleeping too. It's the basic building block of cellular metabolism. Nothing to do with running. But it's a lovely technical sounding word.
and "within 10 minutes of your run", "Lactic acid will begin to overwhelm your body, making each minute more cumbersome than the last. Keep pushing." no. not even close. if Lactic acid is "overwhelming your body" within 10 minutes of running, you likely have never run before and will encounter a heart attack first. That discomfort that an average new runner feels at the beginning of a run is called "not warming up correctly" and has little to do with lactic acid.
sad, because I googled that author's name and she's been in her field 12 years. I guess it's true, anybody can publish anything on the interwebs, do it for long enough, and call themselves an expert.0 -
yeah, shenanigans.
"that surge of adrenaline is the ATP converting..." no, a surge of adrenaline is a surge of adrenaline. adrenaline isn't ATP. ATP isn't adrenaline. And ATP is being used by our bodies while we're sleeping too. It's the basic building block of cellular metabolism. Nothing to do with running. But it's a lovely technical sounding word.
and "within 10 minutes of your run", "Lactic acid will begin to overwhelm your body, making each minute more cumbersome than the last. Keep pushing." no. not even close. if Lactic acid is "overwhelming your body" within 10 minutes of running, you likely have never run before and will encounter a heart attack first. That discomfort that an average new runner feels at the beginning of a run is called "not warming up correctly" and has little to do with lactic acid.
sad, because I googled that author's name and she's been in her field 12 years. I guess it's true, anybody can publish anything on the interwebs, do it for long enough, and call themselves an expert.
Thanks for keeping it real. You can't believe everything you read.0 -
WOW!0
-
sounds like a plan!!!:happy:0
-
I know the dopamine part is at least correct. I feel amazing after a good run!
I am still trying to recover from donating blood last week and have not been able to run a full 3 miles without slowing down or walking. However, during this slightly frustrating recovery I have started going further than ever before. I'll run 2 miles, then walk half a mile and then run another mile. So instead of the 3.1 miles i used to go, im now going 3.5 miles or longer. It takes longer but the calorie burn is higher than if i just gave up when it got too tough.0 -
That is really cool. Thank you for sharing this.0
-
Bump0
-
Thank you for sharing that article...very insightful.0
-
yeah, shenanigans.
"that surge of adrenaline is the ATP converting..." no, a surge of adrenaline is a surge of adrenaline. adrenaline isn't ATP. ATP isn't adrenaline. And ATP is being used by our bodies while we're sleeping too. It's the basic building block of cellular metabolism. Nothing to do with running. But it's a lovely technical sounding word.
and "within 10 minutes of your run", "Lactic acid will begin to overwhelm your body, making each minute more cumbersome than the last. Keep pushing." no. not even close. if Lactic acid is "overwhelming your body" within 10 minutes of running, you likely have never run before and will encounter a heart attack first. That discomfort that an average new runner feels at the beginning of a run is called "not warming up correctly" and has little to do with lactic acid.
sad, because I googled that author's name and she's been in her field 12 years. I guess it's true, anybody can publish anything on the interwebs, do it for long enough, and call themselves an expert.
pretty sure when she says "that surge of adrenaline", she is talking about that rush of anticipation runners get when they first start off their run, I know I have it.
and she does state "But for those new to exercise", which most would assume means that the person has little to no running experience. As you surely know, lactate builds up quite quickly when oxygen is limited, which would cause the body to want to slow down or stop to protect the muscles that are being worked hard, which is why she says to slow down to a jog.
I'm no expert but I think she has done a great job in her descriptions.0 -
So this explains why the first mile SUCKS EVERY TIME?
Jen
jenhudsonmosher.blogspot.com0 -
yeah, shenanigans.
"that surge of adrenaline is the ATP converting..." no, a surge of adrenaline is a surge of adrenaline. adrenaline isn't ATP. ATP isn't adrenaline. And ATP is being used by our bodies while we're sleeping too. It's the basic building block of cellular metabolism. Nothing to do with running. But it's a lovely technical sounding word.
and "within 10 minutes of your run", "Lactic acid will begin to overwhelm your body, making each minute more cumbersome than the last. Keep pushing." no. not even close. if Lactic acid is "overwhelming your body" within 10 minutes of running, you likely have never run before and will encounter a heart attack first. That discomfort that an average new runner feels at the beginning of a run is called "not warming up correctly" and has little to do with lactic acid.
^This.
Also, Lactic acid is a bad thing if it is overwheming. It can screw up your body's pH balance causing enzymes to change shape and stop functioning properly. You can disrupt your breathing and end up intubated if it overwhelms your body. Lactic acidosis is a life threatening condition Lactate is formed from anaerobic metabolism.0 -
yeah, shenanigans.
"that surge of adrenaline is the ATP converting..." no, a surge of adrenaline is a surge of adrenaline. adrenaline isn't ATP. ATP isn't adrenaline. And ATP is being used by our bodies while we're sleeping too. It's the basic building block of cellular metabolism. Nothing to do with running. But it's a lovely technical sounding word.
and "within 10 minutes of your run", "Lactic acid will begin to overwhelm your body, making each minute more cumbersome than the last. Keep pushing." no. not even close. if Lactic acid is "overwhelming your body" within 10 minutes of running, you likely have never run before and will encounter a heart attack first. That discomfort that an average new runner feels at the beginning of a run is called "not warming up correctly" and has little to do with lactic acid.
sad, because I googled that author's name and she's been in her field 12 years. I guess it's true, anybody can publish anything on the interwebs, do it for long enough, and call themselves an expert.
pretty sure when she says "that surge of adrenaline", she is talking about that rush of anticipation runners get when they first start off their run, I know I have it.
and she does state "But for those new to exercise", which most would assume means that the person has little to no running experience. As you surely know, lactate builds up quite quickly when oxygen is limited, which would cause the body to want to slow down or stop to protect the muscles that are being worked hard, which is why she says to slow down to a jog.
I'm no expert but I think she has done a great job in her descriptions.
But the problem with that is people who have no background in physiology will take it as gospel, and spread it around that when you run, ATP forms adrenaline. Someone else will look up adrenaline, and see that it is epinephrine, and think they can do something with epi, or norepi when they hear a loved one in an ICU is on it. They will get all confused and muddled. Just leave the adrenaline rush part out altogether. Or at least if you want to talk about it, discuss the endocrine reactions that result in the release of adrenaline from the adrenals and not link it to something it is not linked to.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.9K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.4K Fitness and Exercise
- 403 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions