Running energetics

When you run, your body needs energy to keep moving forward. This energy comes from the food that you eat, which is turned into a type of energy called ATP. Your body uses this energy to do lots of things, like pump blood through your heart, breathe in air, and move your muscles.

When you start running, your body uses up the ATP that's stored in your muscles. After that, it has to make more ATP by breaking down other chemicals in your cells. This process is called cellular respiration, and it involves a lot of different steps.

Here's how it works: first, your body breaks down glucose (a type of sugar) into a molecule called pyruvate. This step releases a small amount of ATP. Then, the pyruvate is sent into a series of reactions called the Krebs cycle, where it's broken down even further. This step releases more ATP, as well as some other chemicals that your body needs.

Finally, the last step of cellular respiration is called the electron transport chain. This step releases the most ATP of all, by using oxygen to create a chemical gradient that drives a tiny machine called ATP synthase. This machine creates ATP from ADP, which is like adding fuel to your body's energy tank.

All of these steps work together to keep your body fueled during a run. As you run faster and harder, your body has to make more ATP per second, which means it needs to use more glucose and oxygen. This is why breathing becomes faster and more shallow when you're running hard - your body is trying to get more oxygen into your cells so it can make more ATP.

Ultimately, running energetics is all about how your body uses food and oxygen to create energy for movement. By understanding this process, you can train more effectively and fuel your body in the best way possible to reach your goals.