Hansell Stedman, MD, knows what's happening in his leg muscles as he sprints up a snow-covered hill and skates down the other side.
As a competitive cross-country skier, he draws on decades of athletic experience. But he also understands muscle at the molecular level-the identity of the muscle fibers powering his climb, for instance, and how these fibers switch to a less efficient metabolic pathway that produces lactic acid.
By working his legs, pushing them outward in strokes like those of an ice skater, rather than gliding down the hill, he also knows he can force his muscle cells to burn that lactic acid. This strategy, while painful, can power a second wind that will give him an edge on his competitors.
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