Many runners experience a 鈥渟econd wind鈥�. Is this a real, measurable phenomenon or a psychological effect?
Lewis O鈥橲haughnessy, London, UK
There are a couple of theories to explain second wind, the apparent boost that some runners feel late in an endurance activity. The simplest is that it is the onset of a runner鈥檚 high: endorphins kick in and their 鈥渇eel good鈥� nature helps us to ignore the pain.
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The other theory takes some credence from the fact that the feeling is more widely reported by amateurs than professionals. The thinking goes that it takes some time for the body to warm up and begin clearing lactic acid 鈥� a compound that leads to feelings of fatigue 鈥� from the muscles. Once this kicks in, the pain lessens and the second wind begins. The bodies of highly trained athletes tend to be more efficient at this and so they clear lactic acid from the start. As a result, they don鈥檛 feel a 鈥渟econd鈥� wind.
Finally, as the questioner suggests, it may be psychological. As anyone who has raced a long distance knows, a big boost comes from realising you鈥檙e over halfway.
Ian Taylor, School of sport, exercise & health sciences, Loughborough University, UK
Athletes often put more physical effort in at the start of an endurance activity then ease back into a rhythm. Their physiology tends to mirror this: metabolic parameters such as lactate accumulation tend to level off, so the exercise might feel a bit easier.
Psychological research has shown that an athlete鈥檚 desire to slow down is elevated in the early part of an endurance event because they are worried that their current intensity is too high. But after a while this desire plateaus. On the flip side, the importance of the goal decreases and levels off. As a result of these motivational dynamics, athletes may feel a second wind.
Richard Waterhouse, Arlesey, Bedfordshire, UK
When I was a child, and a serial 鈥渞unner away鈥� from infant school, I could run the mile home at full speed. At primary school, I could do the same over double the distance and still vividly recall the wonderful Chariots of Fire feeling of being borne along by automatic legs. But at secondary school, the older boys started long distance runs at a modest pace, and a fear of being different prevented me from using my superpower. Sadly, it never returned.
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