Honored Worker of Physical Culture V.Yu. Ershov
Velikie Luki State Academy of Physical Culture and Sport, Velikie Luki

Keywords: middle distance runners, anaerobic capacities

Introduction. It is quite traditional in the world over today that track and field athletes go through two major training cycles per year. Middle distance runners are no exclusion since their training cycles are designed so as to secure the peak form being reached twice per year. And it is obligatory that the time sequence scheduled in a training program by the trainer and athlete is fulfilled regardless of how much time they actually have for training. This is the reason why the two-cycle plan of the training process is far from ideal; its second pre-season period is usually so limited that gives too little time to shape up the basic qualities and attain due competitive fitness [1]. Therefore, it may be beneficial to step up the autumn-and-winter training cycle and use it as a basis for the special qualities being further perfected in the spring-and-summer cycle.

The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the training actions geared to maximize the anaerobic capacities in the autumn-and-winter training cycle.

Materials and methods. 8 middle distance runners (from Class 1 to Candidate Master of Sports) were subject to the study. The anaerobic capacities of the athletes were estimated using the following cycle ergometer tests: repeated Maximal Anaerobic Power (MAP) test and repeated Wingate test. The tests were performed following the 10-minute warm-up exercises and 4-minute recovery breaks. The cycle ergometer wheel load equivalent to 7.5% of the athlete’s weight was applied. The tests were run three times, including the 10-second MAP tests with 30-second breaks and the 30-second Wingate tests with 1-minute recovery breaks. Both of the triple tests were performed in different days: one day for the 10-second triple test and the other day for the 30-second triple test. The Monark ergomedic 894 ergometer (Sweden) was used for the tests. The parameters measured in the tests were peak power (PP), average power (AP) and minimum power (MP) indices. The anaerobic capacities were tested in the general pre-season and special pre-season stages of the training process.

Study results and discussion. A training process can be managed fairly efficiently only when the trainer has a clear idea of the energy supply processes that need to be developed and perfected in different stages of training. Energy claimed for the 800m run is mostly supplied for account of anaerobic energy sources, and the functional shifts in the athlete’s condition when he finishes running are much the same as the 400m run aftereffects. Special methods to develop speed/ strength/ and speed-and-strength qualities in the winter pre-season training stage helped increase the anaerobic alactic power in particular and the available resource of this energy supply mechanism in general that was verified by the higher maximal power ratios generated by the triple tests (Table 1).

The peak power is believed to reflect the volume of the creatine-phosphate energy-supply mechanism. The triple MAC tests in the special pre-season training stage indicated that the peak power ratios grew by 7.5%, 4.1% and 1.8%, respectively. The average power in the 10-second test is assumed to correlate with the volume of the creatine-phosphate energy-supply mechanism. The average power ratios in the special pre-season training stage as provided by the sequence of three tests were proved to grow by 4%, 5.5% and 3.8%, respectively. The minimal power ratios in the special pre-season training stage as provided by the triple test were 12.5%, 11.3% and 13%. It is known that the higher the latter ratio the better is the athlete’s functional fitness.

Table 1. Anaerobic power ratios for 10- and 30-second tests in the general and special pre-season stages of the training process [W/kg], M±m

*difference reliability for general pre-season stage is p<0.05

It is the speed qualities that are critical for success in the modern races on different distances. Runner must develop excellent speed qualities to be ready to: spurt on the finish regardless of how exhausting was the run pace on the distance; take up the offered pace; and repeatedly speed up the run pace depending on the race situation. If we now analyze the historic records of the yearly training loads of the Soviet middle distance runners, we will see that it was the anaerobic work that dominated in the training process structure, and there was no room for the works geared to develop the glycolytic energy supply system. Many trainers are still adamant in preferring mostly anaerobic works in the middle distance runner training systems, although this strategy of the training process has proved to be erroneous. The anaerobic loads in the recovery mode when the speed is under the anaerobic threshold – activate only the oxidizing muscular fibers. When the training system is dominated by the work meant to develop only endurance (using the long uninterrupted race and/or interval race methods) in the athlete, it will finally increase the muscular endurance level, but the muscle strength will most likely fall down as indicated by the lower levels of the contractor protein actomyosin in the muscular tissue unless the work mode is changed [2]. Such developments in the athlete’s body will negatively affect his/her speed qualities in the middle (800m) distance competitive races. Since a mid-runner must have adequate skills and qualities to be prepared for speed bursts specific for 400m runners, due priority is to be given to the relevant skill formation training practices in every stage of the year-round training process.

The training plan for the subject athletes specified the following objectives for the pre-season period: to improve athlete's speed capacities; and to keep up the achieved strength- and speed-and-strength fitness level. Winter competitions were used to test the athlete’s progress in the pre-season training stage. It should be noted in this context that short bursts of high intensity work activate the fast-contracting muscular fibers and step up the activity of the relevant glycolytic ferments. They in turn increase the body abilities to generate energy by anaerobic processes thereby increasing the sprint-speed qualities. It should be added in this context that the short bursts of high intensity work claim and spend phosphogenes followed by rest breaks when aerobic processes are activated to support the recovery process. It is unlikely reasonable to “train” only the main energy source in the athlete training process. The speed control profile on the distance in competitions is always above the power peaks of the metabolic regimes. As far as the activation sequence of the energy-generation mechanisms is considered, it is important that every next activated source has the lower capacity than the earlier one. Knowing that, one has to assume that there are no ways to increase the capacity of the glycolytic energy supply mechanism unless the capacity of the creatine-phosphate mechanism is increased. The efficiency of the source switchover process depends on the capacities of the energy sources that precede the main source. This means that the higher are the capacities of the sources, the shorter are the transition times; so an athlete can keep up high speeds on the distance.

In the second training cycle, having in our disposal the established base of anaerobic capacities and achieved motor skills, we established a new set of objectives. The training process in the autumn-and-summer cycle was designed to develop the ability to repeat the achieved running activity profiles as many times as necessary and to develop the vegetative functions in support of this fitness level, i.e. the athlete's special endurance.

Increased intensity of the training process is ranked high among the key trends of the modern sports training systems. Top priority was given to the training actions geared to develop the best speed qualities in the middle distance runner by V. Yevstratov, coach of Olympic Champion Yury Borzakovsky, who said “I always concentrate on the work to improve the speed capacities”. A.I. Polunin argues that the high intensity practices to maintain the high speed capacities of the athlete must always be present in the training process on a year-round basis [1]. Training practices designed on a “speed-centered” basis in application to the 800m racers are preferred by V. Kazarin, coach of Olympic Champion Maria Savinova. Foreign specialists also tend to believe that the long-lasting low intensity work may no more be considered an effective training practice. P. Laurendet, for instance, argues that the “recovery run” practice may only complicate the individual progress towards success in competitions for the reason that the CNS signals associated with the low-pace run are totally different from the high-speed-related signals [3]. W. Paish is also supportive of the idea that the 800m runner’s training must be dominated by the high-speed intensive runs, and the 150m, 300m and 600m distances are ideal for the middle distance runner training system [4]. When a training system is designed on a two-cycle planning basis, it is important to specify the time when the athlete must achieve peak fitness for success on the specific distance of the specific race, i.e. nominate the main event of the season. Competitive training strategy is very important as demonstrated by the simple fact that 75-80% champions of the winter championships fail to win first prizes in summer championships. Furthermore, more than 60% of the champions and prize winners of summer championships never show up then in high-ranking winter events [1]. This seasonality of the fitness profiles may be viewed as one more reason to give the top priority to speed qualities in the training process with the interim fitness tests on short distances in winter events.

Conclusion. In the winter pre-competitive training stage high priority should be given to training practices to improve the anaerobic capacity to secure success in the 800m races in summer events. Winter events shall be viewed as a tool for the interim fitness tests rather than an objective for maximum success indoors.

References

1. Polunin, A.I. Shkola bega Vyacheslava Evstratova (Vyacheslav Evstratov's Running School) / A.I. Polunin. – Moscow: Sovetskiy sport. – 2003. – 135 P.
2. Yakimov, A.M. Nauchno-metodicheskie aspekty trenirovki begunov na srednie i dlinnye distantsii (Scientific and methodological aspects of training of middle and long distance runners) / A.M. Yakimov // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul'tury. – 1996. – № 4. – P. 21–25.

Corresponding author: gorodnichev@vlgafc.ru