On Cardiac Dysfunction

I have been laying low around the house this past week with some sore quads and a recovering system! The start of the week felt especially foggy and it inspired this week’s topic; what to expect following a hard race effort. Yes… I realize last week’s had to do with tapering and this week’s has to do with recovery...not too original! 

Most of us know that things don’t feel 100% immediately following a race or long training run. As mentioned above, my ‘thinking’ feels a little slower than normal. Additionally, it feels like I am out of breath ‘quicker’, my heart rate spikes at a lower effort, and my muscles tighten and make it harder to walk down the stairs. These are the things that I can note, but there is so much more going on that needs time!

Cardiac dysfunction occurs immediately following long runs through a decrease in autonomic control (largely unconscious control of body functions). Efforts that would normally feel very easy in the immediate recovery phase feel far more difficult and lead to an increased heart rate and breathing rate. I have experienced this myself and have seen it amongst many of you. The rate of recovery appears to be athlete-dependent and I have had faster recoveries following 100 mile races versus hard, 50k efforts! 

I don’t have to tell you that your muscles are sore following most runs. It should come as no surprise that this is amplified following ‘especially long runs’! However, the internal damage that occurs is generally less intuitive and less noticeable. The kidneys are especially fatigued and susceptible to damage during long runs and races as they are our filtration system and in charge of water balance. As muscles are broken down for metabolic substrate (energy production) during especially long races, nitrogen is released into the bloodstream, filtered out by the kidneys, and leaves the body in urine. This process happens a lot in ultrarunning and the kidneys need a recovery window following the runs, the same as muscles do, and likely longer! 

In addition to the cardiovascular and physical fatigue that are common post ultramarathon, many of us experience some mental fatigue following an ultra-marathon. You may always feel tired and still have trouble sleeping. It can be difficult to focus on simple tasks and I experience a general sense of increased irritability. In addition, the post-race blues are a common phenomena, especially when finishing our a-goal races for the year. It’s common to think that the experience fell short of expectations or that you may never experience something ‘as great’ again. Just be mindful of the fact that nothing is functioning as it should and all of these are normal thoughts to have. I like to think this compares to the Snickers ad campaign…’you’re not you when you’re hungry’, or in this case…’you’re not you when your body is rebelling in every way possible’! 

As with training recovery, sleep and refueling are your best aids immediately following a long effort. Your body is certainly in a major caloric deficit, and get as many quality (and non-quality) foods down as you’re able to! 

-Tyler