Marathons and their impact on the human body

To maintain a healthy and active lifestyle it is good to do physical exercise. One of the most demanding forms of exercise, in terms of physical fitness and sporting performance, is the marathon.

Any marathon poses a physical challenge as it has an impact on your body but, do you know what happens when you take part in a marathon?

What happens to your body during a marathon?

When an athlete sets out to run a marathon, they must be prepared, and as part of this preparation it is important to know what effects such physical exertion can have on your body.

Rhinitis

If a runny nose occurs when you run for prolonged periods of time, e.g. during a marathon, this is called exercise-induced rhinitis.

As you breathe in more, the nose becomes hyperactive so the mucous membranes inside your nose produce more mucus. This is often accompanied by a watery discharge.

You become shorter

During a marathon, you usually lose a few centimetres of height, because the back muscles tense up due to the strenuous conditions and fatigue, with some of the fluid between the intervertebral discs being lost.

However, this is only temporary. When the body’s fluid levels are recovered, your height will be fully restored.

Muscle cramps

Cramps are one of the most common complaints during a marathon. These are usually caused by a neuromuscular problem, i.e. a malfunction in the reflex connection between the muscle and the spinal cord.

Cramps most commonly occur when you start out too quickly because the neuromuscular connection is not well established.

Foot complaints

After enduring months of training, the continuous impact on the feet during the marathon can lead to a decrease in the levels of red blood cells in the blood vessels in this area.

Therefore, when you finish the marathon it is vital that you eat iron-rich foods (beef, tofu, broccoli and other vegetables) to raise the levels of red blood cells.

It is also common to find that your toenails are purple because the blood vessels underneath the nail open up and leak blood between the nail and the toe, making it look black. This can be caused by wearing trainers that are too small, continuous contact between the toenail and the top of the shoe, or because the toenails have been used to grip tightly.

Loss of water

During a marathon you can lose between 2 and 5 kilos of water weight. You should recover the water you have lost little by little after completing the run. It is best to drink 0.5 litres of water per hour, until your urine returns to a pale colour.

Euphoria

Running increases endorphins, neurotransmitters that cause feelings of well-being, norepinephrine, which is responsible for alertness, and serotonin which helps regulate your mood.

Furthermore, the brain’s cognitive function is increased and it enters an “alpha wave” state, which is associated with calmness and well-being.

Stiffness

Regardless of how well prepared you are to run a marathon, when you actually run in the race, the pace is usually higher and faster than when you train.

As the pace increases, the body builds up lactic acid in the muscles, which causes early fatigue. On top of this, there is the high number of kilometres that you cover, which cause micro-tears in your muscles as they go by. This all leads to stiffness on the following day.

For all these reasons, athletes and runners can benefit from the properties of certain food supplements such as Keriba Forte, whose pomegranate extract, magnesium and vitamin B6 content delays the onset of exhaustion and muscle pain, making you more efficient with less training, reducing tiredness and fatigue and boosting sporting performance.