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The effect of different first 200-m pacing strategies on blood lactate and biomechanical parameters of the 400-m sprint

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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of three pacing strategies upon performance of the 400-m sprint. Eight healthy male physical education students participated in this study. Each participant performed a 200-m maximal test (200MAX) and three 400-m running tests in a random counterbalanced design. The 400-m tests were run with the first 200-m pace set at 98% (40098%), 95% (40095%), and 93% (40093%), respectively, of the effort for 200MAX. The stimulation of the lactate system was assessed by post-test blood lactate concentration (BLa). Running speed (RS) was controlled with time-keeping devices. Stride frequency (SF), stride length (SL) and lower extremity kinematics were acquired with video cameras operating at 100 fps at the 125 and 380-m marks of the tests. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was used to identify modifications caused by the pacing strategies used. Non-significant differences were revealed for BLa. The fastest 400-m race was run in 40093%, but performance was not significantly different (p > 0.05) among the examined pacing strategies. RS, SF and SL had significantly (p < 0.05) lower values in the 380-m mark when compared with the 125-m mark. In 40098%, both SF and SL decreased by approximately 13%, while SF and SL dropped 2.4 and 9.2%, respectively, in 40093%. In conclusion, lower peak BLa and less unfavorable modifications of running mechanics were recorded in 40093%, where time differential between the halves of the 400-m race was smaller, which eventually resulted in better performance.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback on an earlier version of the manuscript. Appreciation is extended to Mr. George G. Dales, President of the International Track and Field Coaches Association (I.T.F.C.A.), for his assistance and inspiration during this project.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Ploutarchos J. Saraslanidis, Vassilios Panoutsakopoulos, George A. Tsalis & Efthymios Kyprianou

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  1. Ploutarchos J. Saraslanidis
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  2. Vassilios Panoutsakopoulos
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  3. George A. Tsalis
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  4. Efthymios Kyprianou
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Correspondence to Ploutarchos J. Saraslanidis.

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Communicated by Jean-René Lacour.

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Saraslanidis, P.J., Panoutsakopoulos, V., Tsalis, G.A. et al. The effect of different first 200-m pacing strategies on blood lactate and biomechanical parameters of the 400-m sprint. Eur J Appl Physiol 111, 1579–1590 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-010-1772-4

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