Abstract
Middle-distance running provides unique complexity where very different physiological and structural/mechanical profiles may achieve similar elite performances. Training and improving the key determinants of performance and applying interventions to athletes within the middle-distance event group are probably much more divergent than many practitioners and researchers appreciate. The addition of maximal sprint speed and other anaerobic and biomechanical based parameters, alongside more commonly captured aerobic characteristics, shows promise to enhance our understanding and analysis within the complexities of middle-distance sport science. For coaches, athlete diversity presents daily training programming challenges in order to best individualize a given stimulus according to the athletes profile and avoid “non-responder” outcomes. It is from this decision making part of the coaching process, that we target this mini-review. First we ask researchers to “question their categories” concerning middle-distance event groupings. Historically broad classifications have been used [from 800 m (~1.5 min) all the way to 5,000 m (~13–15 min)]. Here within we show compelling rationale from physiological and event demand perspectives for narrowing middle-distance to 800 and 1,500 m alone (1.5–5 min duration), considering the diversity of bioenergetics and mechanical constraints within these events. Additionally, we provide elite athlete data showing the large diversity of 800 and 1,500 m athlete profiles, a critical element that is often overlooked in middle-distance research design. Finally, we offer practical recommendations on how researchers, practitioners, and coaches can advance training study designs, scientific interventions, and analysis on middle-distance athletes/participants to provide information for individualized decision making trackside and more favorable and informative study outcomes.
Highlights
In the book Factfulness the late Professor Hans Rosling addresses “Ten reasons why we’re wrong about the world” (Rosling et al, 2018)
Many in the middle-distance coaching community already generally implement individualized training (Horwill, 1980; Daniels, 2005), but highlight the need for deeper information surrounding how to best address the complexity of middle-distance athletes
It is from this coaching perspective that we target this mini-review, providing recommendations on how researchers/practitioners can advance training study designs, scientific interventions, and analysis in middle-distance athlete profiles research to provide more beneficial information for individualized decision making and/or more favorable and informative study outcomes
Summary
In the book Factfulness the late Professor Hans Rosling addresses “Ten reasons why we’re wrong about the world” (Rosling et al, 2018). A “one-size-fits-all” approach needs re-consideration based on substantial individual responses to a given stimulus, that is especially unique to the middledistance event group resulting in very different physiological and mechanical profiles achieving similar elite performances (Schumacher and Mueller, 2002; Sandford et al, 2019a). It is important to note, that without the characterization of MSS in these middle-distance athletes, something which is rarely reported in middle-distance studies, this continuum characterization is not possible (Figures 1A,B) These identified middle-distance athlete sub-groups (Sandford et al, 2019a) supports longstanding coaching observations of middle-distance athlete variability that requires careful individual considerations (Horwill, 1980). Many middle-distance based studies tend to limit this reporting to primarily aerobic based physiological parameters, such as VO2max (or vVO2max), lactate threshold, and performance times and participant age and anthropometrics. 800–1,500 and categorized using the SRR (MSS/vVO2max) (Sandford et al, 2019a) Performance times provided across multiple distances (400, 800, 1,500) Training volume, time in zones quantified to understand training history
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