Abstract
Few studies have investigated the influence of test environment (field vs. laboratory) on pacing strategy and on physiological variables measured during endurance running performance tests. The objective of this study was therefore to compare the behavior of mean velocity (MV), pacing strategy, heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during one-hour running time trials conducted on an athletics track with the behavior of the same variables during one-hour running time trials conducted on a treadmill. Eighteen male recreational runners (25.4 ± 3.3 years) performed two one-hour time trials; the first running on a treadmill and the second on a 400 m athletics track. Rating of perceived exertion and HR were recorded every 10 minutes and MV was calculated every 15 minutes for analysis of pacing strategy (0-15min; 15-30min; 30-45min; and 45-60min). These performance variables were compared using Student's t test for paired samples. Figures for MV, HR and RPE measured at different points during the trials were compared using two-factor ANOVA for repeated measures, followed by Bonferroni's post hoc test. A significance level of P < 0.05 was adopted for all analyses. Mean velocity was higher for the trials on the running track (12.2 ± 0.8 km·h-1) than for the trials on the treadmill (11.8 ± 0.8 km·h-1). Additionally, there were also differences between the two test environments for mean and maximum heart rate, and in terms of pacing strategy. On the basis of these differences, it can be concluded that performance was influenced by the environment in which the one-hour time trials were conducted.
Highlights
Long distance runners’ performance is usually evaluated in time trials, in which participants either attempt to cover a fixed distance in the shortest time possible or attempt to cover the greatest distance possible in a fixed time[1]
The objective of this study was to compare the behavior of mean velocity (MV), pacing strategy, heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during one-hour time trials run on an athletics track and on a treadmill
Studies involving one-hour time trials on a treadmill with constant visual feedback of time elapsed have shown that there is a tendency for runners to distribute their energy reserves along the 60-minute run in such a way as to be able to increase velocity, i.e. to sprint, during the final minutes of the trial[3,19]. Both our observations and reports from the volunteers who took part in our study suggest that the fact that they were able to see both their velocity and elapsed time throughout the test when running on the treadmill, but were only informed of elapsed time every five minutes when running on track, may have made them more cautious when deciding at which point to increase the treadmill velocity, which they generally left until the end of the trial
Summary
Long distance (endurance) runners’ performance is usually evaluated in time trials, in which participants either attempt to cover a fixed distance in the shortest time possible or attempt to cover the greatest distance possible in a fixed time[1]. Assessing runners allows researchers and trainers to simulate sporting performance and/or investigate elements related to performance in a controlled manner, making it possible to choose certain variables and use them to monitor athletes’ progress, with the objective of setting targets for performance improvements[2] In this context, many studies have employed a one-hour test to assess performance in endurance running because it is representative of a range of the different competitions in which long distance runners compete, and because it is a test that has demonstrated a high degree of reproducibility for assessment of endurance runners[3,4,5,6]. A large proportion of published studies have assessed performance in short duration tests, i.e. sprints, and there has so far been little study of the difference between performance in endurance time trials conducted in the field and in the laboratory
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