Physiological Correlates of Female Road Racing Performance

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between female distance running performance on a 10 km road race and body composition, maximal aerobic power (VdotO2 max ), running economy (steady-state VdotO2 at standardized speeds), and the fractional utilization of VdotO2max at submaximal speeds (% VdotO2max ). The subjects were 14 trained and competition–experienced female runners. The subjects averaged 43.7 min on the 10 km run, 53.0 ml · kg−1 · min−1 on VdotO2max , and 33.9, 37.7, and 41.8 ml · kg−1 · min−1 for steady-state VdotO2 at three standardized running paces (177, 196, and 215 m · min−1). The mean values for fractional utilization of aerobic capacity for these three submaximal speeds were 64.3, 71.4, and 79.3% VdotO2max , respectively. Significant (p 0.05) relationships were found between running performance and either running economy or relative body fat. As with male heterogeneous groups, trained female road racing performance is significantly related to VdotO2max and % VdotO2max , but not related to body composition or running economy. It was further concluded that on a 10 km road race, trained females operate at a % VdotO2max similar to that of their trained male counterparts.