As a budding marathon runner I have been doing what I can to study the mechanics of running and have found that it is important to do some speed work, even if you never intend to run fast during the race - it helps build your endurance, strengthen your heart, and increase your lactic threshold, among other things. So for today's 3 mile run I decided to integrate some sprinting into my plod down Wilshire to the La Cienega Park.
Supposedly we all contain both 'fast twitch' and 'slow twitch' muscle fibers. The 'slow twitch' fibers use oxygen (and stored fat) to generate fuel for continuous, extended running. The 'fast twitch' fibers burn sugar (glycogen) to create fuel, and are dominant during short bursts of speed. Apparently by exercising your 'fast twitch' muscles you can increase your 'lactic threshold', which you want. The lactic threshold is the point past which the muscles aren't getting enough oxygen so glycogen is burned instead and large amounts of lactic acid and waste products get dumped into muscles faster than they can be metabolized. This can be a problem for marathoners because if you overdo it and cross your lactic threshold for too long, your muscles burn up all the glycogen (instead of using oxygen) and then run out of juice and you're in all sorts of pain and you've hit that infamous 'wall'. So anyway, I want to increase my lactic threshold so that I'm better prepared to run 26 miles by using mainly slow twitch muscles that will not burn me out. (PS. This is why marathon runners are often so thin - they are mainly in fat-burning mode.) (PSS. Bulky power muscles are more 'fast twitch' - like the body builder photographed above)
So today I did a little sprinting along the long straight of the La Cienega Park track. And it was pretty fun, especially getting caught in a refreshing downpour on the way home. And then I was so invigorated that I went to Kate's class at Liberation Yoga. Which was quite difficult. But felt very good because I love love love yoga!
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