Running economy (RE), i.e. the oxygen consumption at a given submaximal speed, is an
important determinant of endurance running performance. So far, investigators have widely
attempted to individuate the factors affecting RE in competitive athletes, focusing mainly on the
relationships between RE and running biomechanics. However, the current results are inconsistent
and a clear mechanical profile of an economic runner has not been yet established.
The present work aimed to better understand how the running technique influences RE in
sub-elite middle-distance runners by investigating the biomechanical parameters acting on RE and
the underlying mechanisms. Special emphasis was given to accounting for intra-individual
variability in RE at different speeds and to assessing track running rather than treadmill running.
In Study One, a factor analysis was used to reduce the 30 considered mechanical parameters
to few global descriptors of the running mechanics. Then, a biomechanical comparison between
economic and non economic runners and a multiple regression analysis (with RE as criterion
variable and mechanical indices as independent variables) were performed. It was found that a
better RE was associated to higher knee and ankle flexion in the support phase, and that the
combination of seven individuated mechanical measures explains ∼72% of the variability in RE.
In Study Two, a mathematical model predicting RE a priori from the rate of force
production, originally developed and used in the field of comparative biology, was adapted and
tested in competitive athletes. The model showed a very good fit (R2=0.86).
In conclusion, the results of this dissertation suggest that the very complex interrelationships
among the mechanical parameters affecting RE may be successfully dealt with through multivariate
statistical analyses and the application of theoretical mathematical models. Thanks to these results,
coaches are provided with useful tools to assess the biomechanical profile of their athletes. Thus,
individual weaknesses in the running technique may be identified and removed, with the ultimate
goal to improve RE.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unibo.it/oai:amsdottorato.cib.unibo.it:783 |
| Date | 17 June 2008 |
| Creators | Di Michele, Rocco <1981> |
| Contributors | Merni, Franco |
| Publisher | Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna |
| Source Sets | Università di Bologna |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Doctoral Thesis, PeerReviewed |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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