Running Economy Studies from Australia have shown that running economy (RE) is the most important variable for long distance runners and sets elite athletes apart in terms of performance. Although other physiological factors are important, such as high maximal oxygen uptake or VO2 max, we quite often see world class athletes win major competitions with only a very average (relative to fellow competitors) VO2 max score. So why is this the case, who do we see some endurance athletes perform at disproportionately high levels when they are in a competitive race? The reason is that these athletes display very high levels of running economy despite their unexceptional aerobic abilities.
What is running economy?
Running economy is the energy demand for the given speed of the runner. Runners who have good running economy use less energy and therefore less oxygen than runners with poor RE at the same speed. As such, there is a strong association between RE and distance performance, with RE being a better predictor of performance than maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) in elite runners.
Factors affecting running economy
Running economy is influenced by a number of factors, the diagram below includes all major factors affecting running economy.
“Click on the Diagram under the contributor Picture and / or attacment at the bottom of this article”.
What can you do to influence your running economy?
Studies by Daniels (1985) and Bransford et al (1977) have shown that if you combine your endurance training with various other training methods, running economy will improve with largest improvements seen in untrained or less trained runners. Three areas that have the greatest potential to improve running economy are:
- Strength training
- Altitude exposure
- Training in a warm to hot environment
The latter two of these variables are difficult to achieve for most runners in Ireland so we will concentrate on the strength training variable. Endurance athletes must be able to sustain a high average running velocity for the duration of a race. Strength training can improve characteristics such as the ability to produce short contact times and fast forces (Houmard et al, 1999). This means that your foot will spend less time on the ground resulting in greater speed.
Recent work has shown that a combination of heavy-weight training (HWT) and endurance training improved running performance and enhanced RE in well trained tri-athletes (VO2max 69 mL/kg/min) (Millet et al, 2002). This type of strength training should only be performed under the supervision of a fully accredited strength and conditioning coach who can select the correct exercises and weight once a full assessment has been completed.
A specific type of strength training known as explosive strength training or plyometrics is possibly the best type of strength training for long distance runners. Not only does it reduce the risk of increased muscle mass which is often the case from poorly prescribed strength programmes, but it improves the runner’s ability to generate power. Simple hopping, jumping and bounding exercises improve running economy by generating more force from the muscles involved without any associated increase in energy expenditure. Let’s take an example; if we have two runners running at the same speed, one runner has incorporated plyometric exercises into their training and the other runner performs only endurance running without any additional training. If they are both running at the same speed, the plyometric trained runner will be able to maintain this speed for longer as he/she is using less energy to maintain that running speed. So over a long distance race, the runner who does not perform any additional training will have to reduce their speed as they will not have enough energy reserves to keep up. Paavolainen et al.(1999) indicated that 9 weeks of explosive-strength training (plyometric training) improved running economy (8%) and 5km performance (3%) with no changes in VO2max in moderately trained runners. With such large improvements over a relatively short distance, imagine the percentage improvements over the marathon distance.
In summary, runners whose focus is to improve times and performance should focus some of their training time on improving their running economy. Running itself will enhance their aerobic capabilities but we have seen in this article that this is only one part of the jig saw. Improved running economy can bring about large improvements in performance but interventions used to enhance running economy should only be prescribed and delivered by a qualified strength and conditioning coach.
This article was compiled by Karl Gilligan BSc (Hons), Ph. Th. (MIAPT), CSCS
For more information go to www.kg-elite-performance.ie
References:
- Bransford DR, Howley ET. Oxygen cost of running in trained and untrained men and women. Med Sci Sports 1977; 9 (1): 41-4
- Daniels JT. A physiologist’s view of running economy. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1985; 17 (3): 332-8
- Houmard JA, Costill DL, Mitchell JB, et al. The role of anaerobic ability in middle distance running performance. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1991; 62 (1): 40-3
- Millet GP, Jaouen B, Borrani F, et al. Effects of concurrent endurance and strength training on running economy and VO2 max (2) kinetics. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2002; 34 (8): 1351-9
- Paavolainen L, Hakkinen K, Hamalainen I, et al. Explosive strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power. J Appl Physiol 1999; 86 (5): 1527-33
So why is this the case, who do we see some endurance athletes perform at disproportionately high levels when they are in a competitive race? The reason is that these athletes display very high levels of running economy despite their unexceptional aerobic abilities.
What is running economy?
Running economy is the energy demand for the given speed of the runner. Runners who have good running economy use less energy and therefore less oxygen than runners with poor RE at the same speed. As such, there is a strong association between RE and distance performance, with RE being a better predictor of performance than maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) in elite runners.
Factors affecting running economy
Running economy is influenced by a number of factors, the diagram below includes all major factors affecting running economy.
“Click on the Diagram under the contributor Picture and / or attacment at the bottom of this article”.
What can you do to influence your running economy?
Studies by Daniels (1985) and Bransford et al (1977) have shown that if you combine your endurance training with various other training methods, running economy will improve with largest improvements seen in untrained or less trained runners. Three areas that have the greatest potential to improve running economy are:
- Strength training
- Altitude exposure
- Training in a warm to hot environment
The latter two of these variables are difficult to achieve for most runners in Ireland so we will concentrate on the strength training variable. Endurance athletes must be able to sustain a high average running velocity for the duration of a race. Strength training can improve characteristics such as the ability to produce short contact times and fast forces (Houmard et al, 1999). This means that your foot will spend less time on the ground resulting in greater speed.
Recent work has shown that a combination of heavy-weight training (HWT) and endurance training improved running performance and enhanced RE in well trained tri-athletes (VO2max 69 mL/kg/min) (Millet et al, 2002). This type of strength training should only be performed under the supervision of a fully accredited strength and conditioning coach who can select the correct exercises and weight once a full assessment has been completed.
A specific type of strength training known as explosive strength training or plyometrics is possibly the best type of strength training for long distance runners. Not only does it reduce the risk of increased muscle mass which is often the case from poorly prescribed strength programmes, but it improves the runner’s ability to generate power. Simple hopping, jumping and bounding exercises improve running economy by generating more force from the muscles involved without any associated increase in energy expenditure. Let’s take an example; if we have two runners running at the same speed, one runner has incorporated plyometric exercises into their training and the other runner performs only endurance running without any additional training. If they are both running at the same speed, the plyometric trained runner will be able to maintain this speed for longer as he/she is using less energy to maintain that running speed. So over a long distance race, the runner who does not perform any additional training will have to reduce their speed as they will not have enough energy reserves to keep up. Paavolainen et al.(1999) indicated that 9 weeks of explosive-strength training (plyometric training) improved running economy (8%) and 5km performance (3%) with no changes in VO2max in moderately trained runners. With such large improvements over a relatively short distance, imagine the percentage improvements over the marathon distance.
In summary, runners whose focus is to improve times and performance should focus some of their training time on improving their running economy. Running itself will enhance their aerobic capabilities but we have seen in this article that this is only one part of the jig saw. Improved running economy can bring about large improvements in performance but interventions used to enhance running economy should only be prescribed and delivered by a qualified strength and conditioning coach.
This article was compiled by Karl Gilligan BSc (Hons), Ph. Th. (MIAPT), CSCS
For more information go to www.kg-elite-performance.ie
References:
- Bransford DR, Howley ET. Oxygen cost of running in trained and untrained men and women. Med Sci Sports 1977; 9 (1): 41-4
- Daniels JT. A physiologist’s view of running economy. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1985; 17 (3): 332-8
- Houmard JA, Costill DL, Mitchell JB, et al. The role of anaerobic ability in middle distance running performance. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1991; 62 (1): 40-3
- Millet GP, Jaouen B, Borrani F, et al. Effects of concurrent endurance and strength training on running economy and VO2 max (2) kinetics. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2002; 34 (8): 1351-9
- Paavolainen L, Hakkinen K, Hamalainen I, et al. Explosive strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power. J Appl Physiol 1999; 86 (5): 1527-33
