Effect of a 42.2-km footrace and subsequent rest or exercise on muscle glycogen and enzymes

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of running a marathon and subsequent rest or exercise during a 7-day recovery period on muscle glycogen, glycogen synthase, hexokinase, and the activity of hexose monophosphate pathway enzymes. Ten well-trained runners were randomly assigned to either a postmarathon rest or exercise group. The rest group (n = 5) performed no physical activity, whereas the exercise group ran at their highest tolerable volitional intensity for 20-45 min during the recovery period. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the gastrocnemius before and after the marathon and 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after the marathon. Muscle glycogen was supercompensated before the marathon (196 mmol glucosyl units kg wet tissue wt-1, mmol X kg-1) and was reduced to 25 mmol X kg-1 after the marathon. Seven days later it was 141 and 109 mmol X kg-1 in the rest and exercise groups, respectively. Measurement of glycogen synthase activity ratio indicated an active enzyme only immediately postmarathon, whereas measurement of glycogen synthase fractional velocity and relative velocity indicated an active enzyme immediately postmarathon and 1 day postmarathon. Hexokinase activity was significantly elevated immediately after the marathon and remained elevated through 5 days postmarathon. The activities of the hexose monophosphate pathway enzymes declined steadily during the experimental period and were significantly reduced 5 and 7 days postmarathon. Low-intensity exercise during the recovery week did not significantly differentiate the exercise group from the rest group.