title: Physiological characteristics related to endurance running performance in female distance runners.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationships between running velocity (v) in a 3000-m race and various physiological parameters. The parameters measured among 57 female distance runners during a treadmill running test were v at the lactate threshold (v-Tlac), oxygen uptake (VO2) at the lactate threshold (VO2 at Tlac), v at the onset of blood lactate accumulation (v-OBLA), VO2 at OBLA, running economy (steady-state VO2 at a standard v of 4 m s-1), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and v at VO2 max (v-VO2 max). The v-OBLA was the blood lactate variable with the strongest correlation with v in a 3000-m race (r = 0.78, P < 0.001). The second strongest correlation was with v-Tlac (r = 0.77, P < 0.001). Although v-VO2 max was strongly correlated with v over 3000 m (r = 0.75, P < 0.001), further analysis by stepwise multiple regression indicated that a combination of v-OBLA, VO2 at Tlac and v-Tlac could account for 73.2% of the variability in v over 3000 m, whereas v-OBLA on its own explained 61.5%. Blood lactate variables can account for a reasonably large part of the variance in v over 3000 m. Also, v-VO2 max can be used as a non-invasive predictor of distance running performance.
authors.affiliation: Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, Osaka University, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Udo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015308:Anaerobic Threshold; D004526:Efficiency; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007773:Lactates / Q000097:blood*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000502:physiology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007773:Lactates; D010100:Oxygen