VO2 Attained During Treadmill Running: The Influence of a Specialist (400-m or 800-m) Event

Purpose: Previously it has been observed that, in well-trained 800-m athletes, VO(2)max is not attained during middle-distance running events on a treadmill, even when a race-type pacing strategy is adopted. Therefore, the authors investigated whether specialization in a particular running distance (400-m or 800-m) influences the VO(2) attained during running on a treadmill. Methods: Six 400-m and six 800-m running specialists participated in the study. A 400-m trial and a progressive test to determine VO(2)max were completed in a counterbalanced order. Oxygen uptakes attained during the 400-m trial were compared to examine the influence of specialist event. Results: A VO(2) plateau was observed in all participants for the progressive test, demonstrating the attainment of VO(2)max. The VO(2)max values were 56.2 +/- 4.7 and 69.3 +/- 4.5 mL . kg(-1) min(-1) for the 400-m- and 800-m-event specialists, respectively (P = .0003). Durations for the 400-m trial were 55.1 +/- 4.2 s and 55.8 +/- 2.3 s for the 400-m- and 800-m-event specialists, respectively. The VO(2) responses achieved were 93.1% +/- 2.0% and 85.7% +/- 3.0% VO(2)max for the 400-m- and 800-m-event specialists, respectively (P = .001). Conclusions: These results demonstrate that specialist running events do appear to influence the percentage of VO(2)max achieved in the 400-m trial, with the 800-m specialists attaining a lower percentage of VO(2)max than the 400-m specialists. The 400-m specialists appear to compensate for a lower VO(2)max by attaining a higher percentage VO(2)max during a 400-m trial