Final answer:
After the sprint, Mike's blood lactate levels likely increased due to anaerobic glycolysis, causing muscle fatigue and soreness. Lactate is a by-product of high-intensity exercise when oxygen is insufficient for energy production.
Step-by-step explanation:
From what you learned, Mike's blood lactate likely increased after the sprint due to anaerobic glycolysis. When the muscles engage in a high-intensity activity like sprinting, they require immediate energy. If oxygen is insufficient for aerobic metabolism, the muscles rely on anaerobic glycolysis to generate ATP. A by-product of this process is lactate, which accumulates in the muscles and spills over into the bloodstream, increasing blood lactate levels. During intense exercises like sprints, this anaerobic metabolism results in the production of more lactate than the body can immediately clear, contributing to the increased lactate levels.
The process of breaking down glycogen to produce glucose, which then undergoes glycolysis producing pyruvate, and, without sufficient oxygen, converting to lactate, leads to muscle fatigue and soreness. However, lactate is not solely responsible for muscle fatigue, as other factors such as energy availability and oxygen delivery also play significant roles. Still, the correlation between high-intensity exercise and elevated lactate levels is clear, as indicated by the Cori's cycle, which allows for continued energy production during anaerobic conditions.