So I’m a runner and one of the road blocks that pops up from time to time is that my legs feel fine, but my lungs just can’t keep up with the speed. I’ve noticed after a hard run, I get a sort of cough and a bit of mucous build up like I’ve damaged my lungs in a way. Is this the same process as other muscles? Create little micro tears in muscle, body sends nutrients to site of damage, tears recover, muscle gets bigger and stronger. Or is there something else at play that makes our lungs stronger over time?
In: Biology
Your heart gets stronger, and you make new blood vessels to better collect and distribute blood to the areas that need it. High oxygen demand stimulates angiogenesis and takes place in the lungs and the muscles you’re using.
Normal mucus isn’t a sign of lung damage, but if you’re breathing harder you will dislodge mucus from areas that normal breathing won’t dislodge. Also, mucus gets thicker and stickier during exercise to better catch foreign bodies/dust/bacteria so it doesn’t get deep into your lungs. Or you might have exercise induced bronchoconstriction.
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