A field test for determining the speed obtained through anaerobic glycolysis in runners

A field test for the evaluation of the speed generated by the anaerobic lactacid mechanism has been developed in runners. The test consists of 1200 m of continuous running: in the first 1000 m the speed corresponding to the anaerobic threshold is progressively reached; in the last 200 m an all-out sprint is performed. The speed at the anaerobic threshold is subtracted from the speed reached in the final 200-m all-out sprint. In 39 runners examined (marathon runners, n = 13; 5000-10000-m runners, n = 10; 400-800-m runners, n = 7; sprinters, n = 9), the additional speed generated above the anaerobic threshold was correlated with the venous blood lactate concentration reached 5 min after the all-out effort (r = 0.93). The anaerobic speeds measured by the test were in keeping with the characteristics of the runners under study, i.e., anaerobic speeds were highest for the sprinters, intermediate for the middle-distance runners, and lowest for the marathon runners. Since the speed generated above the anaerobic threshold by the aerobic fuel breakdown can be subtracted, the contribution of creatine phosphate is minimal, and the speed exceeding the anaerobic threshold is highly correlated with lactate accumulation, the present test should measure the speed generated by anaerobic glycolysis.