The maximal steady state versus selected running events

To investigate the relationship between the maximal steady state (MSS) and selected running events, seven males (mean = 37.6 years) who were experienced competitive distance runners were studied. From a series of 10-min steady-state treadmill runs, MSS (treadmill velocity, VO2, or heart rate where lactic acid concentration was 2.2 mM/L of venous blood) was determined for all subjects. Treadmill velocity at MSS averaged 258.9 +/- 29.0 m/min. The subjects subsequently performed maximal time trials or races at 13.7 m (15 yd), 45.7 m (50 yd), 402.3 m (440 yd), 3.22 km (2 miles), 8.05 km (5 miles), 16.09 km (10 miles), and 20 km (12.44 miles). Running paces for the 402.3-m, 3.22-km, 8.05-km, 16.09-km, and 20-km distances were all correlated significantly with the treadmill pace at MSS (r = 0.84 to 0.995). The highest correlation was between the MSS treadmill velocity and the 8.05-km pace. The mean for a 6.44-km (4 miles) flat section of the 16.09-km run was identical to the mean treadmill velocity at MSS (258.9 m/min). These data indicate that the pace for essentially aerobic events (3.22 km to 20 km) can be closely approximated by knowledge of a runner's MSS, or conversely that the MSS can be predicted very closely from the pace during an all-out 3.22-km, 8.05 km, 16.09-km, or 20-km run.