The relationship between 3 km running performance and selected physiological variables

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between a number of physiological variables and running velocity at 3 km (upsilon-3km) in a group of male runners. Sixteen well-trained middle-and long-distance runners (mean +/- s: age 22.4 +/- 4.2 years, body mass 63.5 +/- 6.2 kg, (V) over dot O-2 max 73.3 +/- 6.7 ml kg(-1) min(-1)) underwent laboratory treadmill tests to determine their maximum oxygen uptake ((V) over dot O-2 max), running economy at three submaximal velocities (12.9, 14.5 and 16.1 km h(-1) or 14.5, 16.1 and 17 km h(-1)), predicted velocity at (V) over dot O-2 max (upsilon-(V) over dot O(2)max), velocity (upsilon-T-lac) and (V) over dot O-2 ((V) over dot O-2-T-lac) at the lactate threshold and their velocity (upsilon-4mM) and (V) over dot O-2 ((V) over dot O-2-4mM) at a blood lactate concentration of 4 mM. Distance running performance was determined by 3 km time-trials on an indoor 200 m track for which the average time was 9.46 +/- 0.74 min. The mean (+/- s) velocities for upsilon-T-lac, upsilon-4mM and upsilon-(V) over dot O(2)max were 16.0 +/- 1.8, 17.1 +/- 1.9 and 20.7 +/- 2.1 km h(-1) respectively, all significantly different on average (all P < 0.05) from that for upsilon-3km (19.1 +/- 1.5 km h(-1)). Many of these physiological variables were found to be individually (and significantly at 5%) related to upsilon-3km. The best single predictors of upsilon-3km were upsilon-T-lac and upsilon-4mM (both with a sample correlation, r, of 0.93), while upsilon-(V) over dot O(2)max was slightly poorer (r = 0.86). Neither (V) over dot O(2)max nor running economy was strongly correlated with upsilon-3km. A stepwise multiple-regression analysis revealed that upsilon-T-lac alone was the best single predictor of upsilon-3km and explained 87% of the variability in 3 km running velocity, while the addition of any of the other physiological Variables did not significantly improve the prediction of upsilon-3km. We conclude that, in a group of well-trained runners, the running velocity at the lactate threshold was all that was required to explain a large part of the variability in 3 km running performance.