REF-888 · Sandford et al., 2019 · International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, Vol. · Paper · PubMed
Anaerobic Speed Reserve: A Key Component of Elite Male 800-m Running
Because men's 800-m championship races in 2011-2016 needed more speed than those of 2000-2009, the authors profiled the anaerobic speed reserve (ASR: maximal sprint speed minus predicted maximal aerobic speed) of 19 elite 800- and 1500-m runners.
At the same maximal aerobic speed, faster sprint speed and a larger ASR went with a faster 800 m (very large relationships); at the same sprint speed, ASR and aerobic speed had only small relationships with 800-m time. Cluster analysis supported the coaching view of three 800-m subgroups, separated by the speed reserve ratio (sprint speed ÷ aerobic speed).
Participants
n=19 elite 800- and 1500-m runners (men, per the title).
Protocol
Maximal sprint speed (MSS): from 50-m sprint performance.
Maximal aerobic speed (MAS): predicted from 1500-m race performance times (the prediction method is not given in the abstract).
ASR = MSS − MAS; speed reserve ratio (SRR) = MSS/MAS.
Relationships with 800-m performance time; cluster analysis to define 3 athlete subgroups.
Key Results
For the same MAS, MSS and ASR had very large negative relationships with 800-m time: both r = -.74 ± .30 (±90% confidence limits; "very likely").
For the same MSS, ASR and MAS had small negative relationships: both r = -.16 ± .54 ("possibly").
ASR, 800-m personal best and SRR best defined 3 subgroups along a continuum of 800-m runners:
| Subgroup | SRR |
|---|---|
| 400-800 m | ≥ 1.58 |
| 800 m | ≤ 1.57 to ≥ 1.48 |
| 800-1500 m | ≤ 1.47 to ≥ 1.36 |
Practical Application
In 19 elite male 800- and 1500-m runners, maximal sprint speed had the strongest relationship with 800-m time: at the same aerobic speed, a faster sprint and a larger anaerobic speed reserve went with a faster 800 m (r = -.74), while at the same sprint speed aerobic speed mattered little (r = -.16). To "does an 800-m runner need to be fast over 50 m?": at the elite men's level, yes, and sprint speed separated these runners more than aerobic speed did.
The speed reserve ratio (MSS ÷ MAS) is the practical tool the authors propose: in this sample ≥ 1.58 marked the 400-800-m type, 1.48-1.57 the 800-m specialist and 1.36-1.47 the 800-1500-m type.
Inference, not tested here: the SRR bands come from 19 elite men; for women, juniors or recreational runners they are unvalidated and should be read as a direction, not a cut-off.
Limitations
n=19, elite men only.
MAS was predicted from 1500-m race times, not measured; MSS from a 50-m sprint whose exact method is not given.
Correlational; magnitude-based statistics ("very likely", "possibly") with wide confidence limits (± .54 for the small relationships).
SRR bands were derived by cluster analysis in the same sample and not validated elsewhere.
Written from the abstract and record metadata only (full text not read).
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
cross-sectional, n=19