AUTHOR=Støren Øyvind , Helgerud Jan , Johansen Jan-Michael , Gjerløw Lars-Erik , Aamlid Aanund , Støa Eva Maria 

TITLE=Aerobic and Anaerobic Speed Predicts 800-m Running Performance in Young Recreational Runners

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.672141

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2021.672141

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=The main aim was to investigate the impact of maximal aerobic speed (MAS), maximal anaerobic speed (MANS), and time to exhaustion (TTE) at 130% MAS, on 800 m running time performance (800TT). A second aim was to investigate the impact of anaerobic speed reserve (ASR), i.e., the relative difference between MAS and MANS, on TTE.  
A total of 22 healthy students classified as recreational runners participated in a cross-sectional study. They were tested for maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), oxygen cost of running (CR), time performance at 100 m (100TT), time performance at 800 m (800TT) and TTE. MAS was calculated as VO2max  CR-1, and MANS as 100TT velocity.
Both MAS and MANS correlated individually with 800TT (r = -0.74 and -0.67 respectively, p  0.01), and the product of MAS and MANS correlated strongly (r = -0.82, p  0.01) with 800TT. TTE did not correlate with 800TT. Both ASR and %MANS correlated strongly with TTE (r = 0.90 and -0.90 respectively, p  0.01).
These results showed that 800TT was first and foremost dependent on MAS and MANS, and with no impact from TTE. It seemed that TTE was merely a product of each runner`s individual ASR. We suggest a simplified model of testing and training for 800TT, namely by focusing on VO2max, CR and short sprint velocity, i.e., MAS and MANS.