Modelling of aerobic and anaerobic energy production in middle-distance running

A mathematical model of performance describing aerobic and anaerobic energy production during exercise was applied to middle-distance running data from world records (WR) and from a group of elite runners (NL). The model is based on the assumption that, above a critical power (Pc), a continuous rate of anaerobic energy production occurs, until the entire anaerobic stores (W') are depleted. The fraction of metabolic power above Pc provided by anaerobic metabolism is denoted alpha. A second power threshold (Pt) sets the limit above which any further increase in power is met exclusively by anaerobic sources. The oxygen uptake kinetics was described by a monoexponential equation with time constant tau. The results show that the model successfully fits the WR over 1,500-5,000 m. However, in the range of distances from 800 to 5,000 m the performance over 800 and 1,000 m were overestimated. Contrary to Pc and the anaerobic contribution at steady state oxygen uptake, the estimate of W' was sensitive to the value assigned to tau in the range from 0 to 30 s. Using best performances from 1,500 to 5,000 m in NL resulted in Pc estimates not significantly different from the metabolic power at the lactate threshold. The anaerobic contribution at steady state oxygen uptake increased from zero at Pc to 8.3% (WR) and 7.8+/-3.1% (NL) at Pt. This suggests that a substantial contribution of anaerobic processes occurs in the range between Pc and Pt, even though the exercise does not elicit maximal aerobic power.