Why? The Science of Athletics

t ! I 38 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS by maliciously foolish critics, but to give their muscles a natural massage and to decrease the acidity, induced by the effort of the race, by the process of going on breathing in such a way that respiration eliminates acidity. When a man is too exhausted at the end of a race to keep on moving it means that his respiration is inade– quate to its proper function of elimination, so that excessive acidity intoxicates all the nerve centres at the base of the brain in the medulla, with the result that he vomits, has a violent headache, ·and in some cases he faints. Vomit– ing, however, does not occur until there has been time for the acid to pass from the muscles into the blood-stream which carries it to the nerve centres. / None the less, second wind is not entirely due to acidosis. Training produces strong respiration, good muscle action and a full supply of blood and oxygen to the muscles, which are temporarily increased in efficiency by the process of limbering-up. Better lung capacity produces greater powers of elimination ; while training and proper dieting increase some special alkaline substance in the blood of the athlete. The alkaline corpuscles in our blood are there to neutralize the acid .corpuscles. The neutralizing agent is what is termed a "buffer" substance, and it begins its work with the appearance in the blood of excessive acidity, such as may be induced by a violent exercise like running. , We have seen already -that training increases the nervous potential of the athlete and strengthens his all– important sympathetic nervous system;- now we can, add to the benefits of training that the process increases the alkaline substance in the blood, so that in our · hour of need it may give us our second wind by neutralizing the – excessive acidity of our blood which has been induced by exercise. In the untrained runner, however, wh~ essays a violent and prolonged effort, there is rapid intoxication of the muscles, followed by intoxication of the nerve centres. Headache, vomiting, and finally fainting often ensue. · ·