Warming Up Specifics Continued

Physiological analysis warming up our mythical chestnut continues. So far this warm up has produced an adequate heart rate but left capillary dilation and hence O2 delivery at less than optimal. Muscle temperature from rest has increased adequately but we've failed to do enough to raise temps in ligament, tendon and bone. We've engaged energy producing systems at the cellular level somewhat but less than optimally.

One more word about energy utilization in the race horse. The unknown wild card here is the spleen and it's dumping of extra red blood cells (up to 50% more) into the circulatory system shortly after the onset of speed. Unknown if this has ever been studied, but, we may imagine over the eons that a horse running away from a lion might have more biological urgency to quickly engage both anaerobic and aerobic metabolism than your average human setting out on their 10k run. Without knowing, I suspect this to be so, and thus very possibly engagement of energy paths might be less important in the equine warm up than we might otherwise suppose. Needed to get that in there, although, as the reader will see, it's irrelevant to the main point.

And so, moving on:

4. Engagement of endocrine system, adrenalin. Doubt it's a problem--and probably salvages those times somewhat that we see a horse walked to the gate.

5. Speed up and increase in efficiency of nerve impulse, nervous system engagement. On this one I am without knowledge of physiology text or memory of it. BUT i have plenty of observation to be able to take the following to the bank: nerves never fire efficiently or completely on the first heat. With horses as with humans it takes two or three sprints to get going max coordination. This factor alone points to the total stupidity of what most North American racehorses do pre-race and pre-breeze. Picture any NA horse race the first 3-400 yards out of the gate and see if the horses are really running freely and easily. Instead out of the gate you see whole fields struggling to get into their racing stride at what cost to valuable energy reserves?

6. Increased force off muscle contractions, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments--tissues tightening to withstand impending force. THIS IS THE BIG ONE, and I'll cover it next post.

Training:
Had to be one of the nicest days of year yesterday. Wednesday Midway Ford called and said the truck radiator had arrived. Delivered the truck and two hours later they called: whoops, it's the wrong radiator. To my surprise today, Sunday, they call, and the new one at double the cost--$500--has arrived. It'll be $800 before they're done and thus $1400.00 spent on cooling system repair. Still beats truck payments, and we'll soon be back in business.
Art's training:
6/14/07 Thurs. 5x3f slow riderless.
6/15/07 Fri. 5x3f snappy. 7 min walk under tack.
6/16/07 Sat. Off.
Sunday--over the next four days we'll seguey into trot under tack. report on this day tomorrow.