Sure. The act of running creates waste, typically in the form of dead blood cells and lactic acid. It's natural, but if the muscle cells are ill-prepared to properly dispose of the waste it can create inefficiencies in the form of poorer performance.
It's important as a runner that you have a solid "highway system" of muscle fibers that can handle the waste throughput of your regimen. The most popular way competitve runners achieve this is by running lots of slow* comfortable base miles over several months. Increasing mileage 10% a week will break the cells down, while planned rest allows the body to regenerate 'heartier' cells capable of handling greater and greater loads. In the most relatable sense that burn you feel when you work out will start happening later and later; In physiological terms you've "increased your lactic threshold." The advantages of building an aerobic base transcend the muscle highway concept and seem to have really solid implications for cardiovascular health. Just something to think about.
*slow is relative and implies that you're running about 2 minutes off your tempo pace. A little huffing/puffing is okay, but it should feel natural to hold a conversation. Maintaining this slow pace - even when you feel you could run faster - is the hardest part of base building and therefore that piece which seems to pay the best dividends (for those who are disciplined).
It's important as a runner that you have a solid "highway system" of muscle fibers that can handle the waste throughput of your regimen. The most popular way competitve runners achieve this is by running lots of slow* comfortable base miles over several months. Increasing mileage 10% a week will break the cells down, while planned rest allows the body to regenerate 'heartier' cells capable of handling greater and greater loads. In the most relatable sense that burn you feel when you work out will start happening later and later; In physiological terms you've "increased your lactic threshold." The advantages of building an aerobic base transcend the muscle highway concept and seem to have really solid implications for cardiovascular health. Just something to think about.
*slow is relative and implies that you're running about 2 minutes off your tempo pace. A little huffing/puffing is okay, but it should feel natural to hold a conversation. Maintaining this slow pace - even when you feel you could run faster - is the hardest part of base building and therefore that piece which seems to pay the best dividends (for those who are disciplined).