Middle distance running

BACKGROUND: The running performance of middle-distance and long-distance runners is determined by factors such as maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), velocity at VO2 max (vVO2 max), maximum metabolic steady state (MMSS), running economy, and sprint capacity. Strength training is a proven strategy for improving running performance in endurance runners. However, the effects of different strength training methods on the determinants of running performance are unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to compare the effect of different strength training methods (e...

BACKGROUND: Students' physical fitness, particularly aerobic fitness, has seriously declined during the COVID-19 epidemic. However, in the post-epidemic era, there are few studies on the methods of improving aerobic fitness. Understanding the dose-response relationship between physical activity and aerobic fitness is crucial for developing effective exercise prescriptions. METHOD: This retrospective study reviewed the Fun Running program at Wannan Medical College in China...

BACKGROUND: An appropriate teaching mode in physical education is crucial for ensuring effective education outcomes. Given the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching modes are often adjusted. However, there is a lack of in-depth research on the impact of different teaching modes on the outcomes of physical education. Our study aims to address this gap by conducting a comparative analysis of the teaching effectiveness of three different physical education modes among Chinese college students, with a focus on evaluating their impact on physical fitness...

PURPOSE: We evaluated (1) whether participating in middle- and long-distance running races augments muscle soreness, oxygen cost, respiration, and exercise exertion during subsequent running, and (2) if post-race menthol application alleviates these responses in long-distance runners. METHODS: Eleven long-distance runners completed a 1500-m race on day 1 and a 3000-m race on day 2. On day 3 (post-race day), either a 4% menthol solution (Post-race menthol) or a placebo solution (Post-race placebo) serving as a vehicle control, was applied to their lower leg skin, and their perceptual and physiological responses were evaluated...

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that 'live high-base train high-interval train low' (HiHiLo) altitude training, compared to 'live low-train high' (LoHi), yields greater benefits on performance and physiological adaptations. METHODS: Sixteen young male middle-distance runners (age, 17.0 ± 1.5 y; body mass, 58.8 ± 4.9 kg; body height, 176.3 ± 4.3 cm; training years, 3-5 y; training distance per week, 30-60 km.wk-1 ) with a peak oxygen uptake averaging ~65 ml...

UNLABELLED: This observational study aimed to analyze external training load in highly trained female football players, comparing starters and non-starters across various cycle lengths and training days. METHOD: External training load [duration, total distance [TD], high-speed running distance [HSRD], sprint distance [SpD], and acceleration- and deceleration distance [AccDecdist] from 100 female football players (22.3 ± 3.7 years of age) in the Norwegian premier division were collected over two seasons using STATSports APEX...

The differences in pacing demands between track distance-running championship and meet (e.g., World Record [WR]) races have not been specified yet in the current literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine pacing behaviour differences between WRs and global championship (i.e., World Championships and Olympic Games) medal performances (GCMs) in middle- and long-distance running events. Percentages of mean race section speeds were compared through analysis of variance between men's and women's 169 WRs and 189 GCMs over 800 m, 1500 m, 3000 m steeplechase, 5000 m and 10,000 m...

In recent years, inexpensive and easy to use robotics platforms have been incorporated into middle school, high school, and college educational curricula and competitions all over the world. Students have access to advanced microprocessors and sensor systems that engage, educate, and encourage their creativity. In this study, the capabilities of the widely available VEX Robotics System are extended using the wireless ESP-NOW protocol to allow for real-time data logging and to extend the computational capabilities of the system...

Advanced footwear technology (AFT) is currently being debated in sports. There is a direct evidence that distance running in AFT improves running economy. In addition, there is indirect evidence from competition performance for improved running performance from using AFTs in middle- and long-distance running and sprinting events. However, the extent to which world-class performance is affected across the full range of track and road racing events between genders has not been systematically analyzed. This study examined publicly available performance datasets of annual best track and road performances for evidence of potential systematic performance effects following the introduction of AFT...

INTRODUCTION: Modifications in asymmetry in response to self-paced efforts have not been thoroughly documented, particularly regarding horizontally-derived ground reaction force variables. We determined the magnitude and range of gait asymmetries during 800 m track running. METHODS: Eighteen physical education students completed an 800 m self-paced run on a 200 m indoor track. During the run, vertical and horizontal ground reaction forces were measured at a sampling frequency of 500 Hz using a 5 m-long force platform system, with data collected once per lap...

This study aimed to investigate the impact of tactical formations on the physical and technical performance of professional football players in the Chinese Super League (CSL). A sample of 800 games from the 2015-2021 CSL was analyzed, and players' physical (total distance covered, distance covered while ball in play, number of sprints, sprint distance, and high/middle/low-speed running) and technical (gain/loss of possession, ball retention percentage, challenges, challenge success percentage, passes, and pass success percentage) performance was assessed across six team formations: 3-5-2 (n = 137), 4-3-3 (n = 77), 4-2-3-1 (n = 391), 4-4-2 (n = 257), 3-4-3 (n = 41), and 4-1-4-1 (n = 107)...

The scientific literature lacks consensus on classification of middle- and long-distance runners. This creates situations where the sample studied may not represent the target population and could produce misleading conclusions. Thus, we present an approach for a data-driven classification of middle- and long-distance runners according to their competition results. The best annual results of middle- and long-distance track runners participating at major (Olympics, World and European Championships) and national championships (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway) were gathered for the 2012-2018 period...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether regular running distance and biomechanics are related to medial central femur cartilage (MCFC) structure. METHODS: The cross-sectional study sample consisted of 1164 runners and non-runners aged 18-65 years. Participants completed questionnaires on physical activity and their running history. We performed quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of knee cartilage - T2 relaxation time (T2) mapping (high T2 indicate cartilage degeneration), and a running biomechanical analysis using a 3-D motion capture system...

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in athletes is generally rare, but a serious complication of cardiovascular events during exercise. Although regular intensive physical exercise is thought to be a key to a healthy life, unsuspected pathologies might lead to SCD during or after physical activity. Cardiac dysfunction and elevated cardiac markers have been reported after prolonged exercise. We sought to clarify the cardiac marker levels and hydration status in healthy, middle-aged male subjects for 24 hours after running sixty-minute at race-pace...

BACKGROUND: Running economy is defined as the energy demand at submaximal running speed, a key determinant of overall running performance. Strength training can improve running economy, although the magnitude of its effect may depend on factors such as the strength training method and the speed at which running economy is assessed. AIM: To compare the effect of different strength training methods (e.g., high loads, plyometric, combined methods) on the running economy in middle- and long-distance runners, over different running speeds, through a systematic review with meta-analysis...

The aim of this study was 1) to define a new index to describe running coordination, named % of coordination, and 2) to examine whether it could represent an order parameter in relation to running velocity. Twelve international middle-distance athletes (six males and six females) performed three trials at easy, 5000 m pace and sprint velocities while filmed from a lateral view at 240 Hz. Notational analysis of six lower-limb key events corresponding to touchdown, mid-stance and flight phases was performed with high values of intra- (maximum standard deviation = 7 ms) and inter-operator (maximum systematic bias = 6 ms) reliability...

BACKGROUND: Middle-distance running events have special physiological requirements from a training and competition point of view. Therefore, many athletes choose to take sport supplements (SS) for different reasons. To date, few studies have been carried out that review supplementation patterns in middle-distance running. The aim of the present study is to analyze the consumption of SS in these runners with respect to their level of competition, sex and level of scientific evidence. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, data was collected from 106 middle-distance runners using a validated questionnaire...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of partial-body cryostimulation on middle-distance runners before two 3000-m tests at the speed of the first and second ventilatory threshold, and before a time to exhaustion test at 110% of the maximal aerobic speed. Twelve amateur runners (age: 46 ± 9 years; VO2max: 51.7 ± 4.9 ml·kg-1·min-1) completed six running testing sessions in a randomized counterbalanced cross-over fashion: three of them were preceded by a partial-body cryostimulation and the other three by a control condition...

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing popularity of endurance running competitions among adolescent runners, there is currently limited information regarding expected biomechanical changes across the duration of a long-distance running event, and the relationship between young runners' biomechanics and running performance. Wearable technology offers an ecological means to continuously assess runners' biomechanical data during outdoor running competitions. RESEARCH QUESTION: Do adolescent athletes adopt changes in sensor-derived biomechanics throughout a marathon race, and are there relationships between race performance and biomechanical features among young marathoners? METHODS: Fourteen high-school aged runners (9 M, 5 F; age: 16 ± 1 years, height: 170...

To explore the occurrence characteristics and influencing factors of microplastics in soil in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area, this study collected soil samples from orchards, dryland, paddy fields, and wetland and identified microplastics in soil via density sorting, microscope observation, and Raman spectrometry. The results showed that microplastics were detected in 64 samples collected in the study area, and the abundance ranged from 645 to 15161 n·kg-1 . The spatial distribution of microplastics in the bottom of the reservoir was higher than those in the middle and head of the reservoir, and the abundance of microplastics in the surface soil(0-20 cm) was significantly lower than that in the bottom soil(20-40 cm)...