Influence of pacing strategy on oxygen uptake during treadmill middle-distance running

Abstract

The oxygen uptake (V̇O2) attained during a constant speed 800-m pace trial on a treadmill is less than the maximal V̇O2 (V̇O2max) in male middle-distance runners with a high V̇O2max (i.e., > 65 ml · kg-1 · min-1). We therefore investigated whether the V̇O2 attained was influenced by the pacing strategy adopted. Eight male middle-distance runners (age 25.8 ± 3.3 years; height 1.78 ± 0.10 m; mass 67.8 ± 4.7 kg) with a personal best 800-m time of 112.0 ± 3.3 s volunteered to participate. Subjects undertook a speed ramped progressive test to determine V̇O2max and three 800-m pace runs to exhaustion all in a randomised order. The three 800-m pace runs included constant speed, acceleration, and race simulation runs. Oxygen uptake was determined throughout each test using 15-s Douglas bag collections. Following the application of a 30-s rolling average, the highest V̇O2 during the progressive test (i.e., V̇O2max) and the highest V̇O2 during the 800-m pace runs (i.e., V̇O2peak) were compared. For the eight runners, V̇O2max was 67.2 ± 4.3 ml · kg -1 · min-1. V̇O2peak was 60.1 ± 5.1 ml · kg-1 · min-1, 61.1 ± 5.2 ml · kg-1 · min-1, and 62.2 ± 4.9 ml · kg-1 · min-1, yielding values of 89.3 ± 2.4%, 90.8 ± 2.8%, and 92.5 ± 3.1% V̇O2max for the constant speed, acceleration and race simulation runs, respectively. Across runs, repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant effect (p = 0.048). Trend analysis identified a significant linear trend (p = 0.025) with the % V̇O2max attained being higher for the acceleration run than the constant speed run, and higher still for the race simulation run. These results demonstrate that in middle-distance runners a) pacing strategy influences the V̇O2 attained, with a race simulation run elevating the V̇O2 attained compared with other pacing strategies, and b) regardless of pacing strategy the V̇O2 attained in an 800-m pace run on a treadmill is less than V̇O 2max. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG.