Abstract
PURPOSE: To assess the reliability and stability of 400-m swimming and 1500-m running competitions to establish the number of samples needed to obtain a stable pacing profile. Coaches, athletes, and researchers can use these methods to ensure that sufficient data are collected before training and race strategies are constructed or research conclusions are drawn.
METHOD: Lap times were collected from 5 world and European championship finals between 2005 and 2011, resulting in the capture of data from 40 swimmers and 55 runners. A cumulative mean for each lap was calculated, starting with the most recent data, and the number of races needed for this to stabilize to within 1% was reported. Typical error for each lap was calculated for athletes who had competed in more than 1 final.
RESULTS: International swimmers demonstrated more reproducible performances than runners in 3 of the 4 laps of the race (P < .01). Variance in runners' lap times significantly decreased by 1.7-2.7% after lap 1, whereas variance in swimmers' lap times tended to increase by 0.1-0.5% after lap 1. To establish a stable profile, at least ten 400-m swimmers and forty-four 1500-m runners must be included.
CONCLUSIONS: A stable race profile was observed from the analysis of 5 events for 1500-m running and 3 events for 400-m swimming. Researchers and athletes can be more certain about the pacing information collected from 400-m swimming than 1500-m running races, as the swimming data are less variable, despite both events being of similar duration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 674-679 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2014 |
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Reliability and stability of performances in 400-m swimming and 1500-m running. / Mytton, Graham J.; Archer, David T.; Gibson, Alan St Clair; THOMPSON, Kevin.
In: International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, Vol. 9, No. 4, 07.2014, p. 674-679.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Reliability and stability of performances in 400-m swimming and 1500-m running
AU - Mytton, Graham J.
AU - Archer, David T.
AU - Gibson, Alan St Clair
AU - THOMPSON, Kevin
PY - 2014/7
Y1 - 2014/7
N2 - PURPOSE: To assess the reliability and stability of 400-m swimming and 1500-m running competitions to establish the number of samples needed to obtain a stable pacing profile. Coaches, athletes, and researchers can use these methods to ensure that sufficient data are collected before training and race strategies are constructed or research conclusions are drawn.METHOD: Lap times were collected from 5 world and European championship finals between 2005 and 2011, resulting in the capture of data from 40 swimmers and 55 runners. A cumulative mean for each lap was calculated, starting with the most recent data, and the number of races needed for this to stabilize to within 1% was reported. Typical error for each lap was calculated for athletes who had competed in more than 1 final.RESULTS: International swimmers demonstrated more reproducible performances than runners in 3 of the 4 laps of the race (P < .01). Variance in runners' lap times significantly decreased by 1.7-2.7% after lap 1, whereas variance in swimmers' lap times tended to increase by 0.1-0.5% after lap 1. To establish a stable profile, at least ten 400-m swimmers and forty-four 1500-m runners must be included.CONCLUSIONS: A stable race profile was observed from the analysis of 5 events for 1500-m running and 3 events for 400-m swimming. Researchers and athletes can be more certain about the pacing information collected from 400-m swimming than 1500-m running races, as the swimming data are less variable, despite both events being of similar duration.
AB - PURPOSE: To assess the reliability and stability of 400-m swimming and 1500-m running competitions to establish the number of samples needed to obtain a stable pacing profile. Coaches, athletes, and researchers can use these methods to ensure that sufficient data are collected before training and race strategies are constructed or research conclusions are drawn.METHOD: Lap times were collected from 5 world and European championship finals between 2005 and 2011, resulting in the capture of data from 40 swimmers and 55 runners. A cumulative mean for each lap was calculated, starting with the most recent data, and the number of races needed for this to stabilize to within 1% was reported. Typical error for each lap was calculated for athletes who had competed in more than 1 final.RESULTS: International swimmers demonstrated more reproducible performances than runners in 3 of the 4 laps of the race (P < .01). Variance in runners' lap times significantly decreased by 1.7-2.7% after lap 1, whereas variance in swimmers' lap times tended to increase by 0.1-0.5% after lap 1. To establish a stable profile, at least ten 400-m swimmers and forty-four 1500-m runners must be included.CONCLUSIONS: A stable race profile was observed from the analysis of 5 events for 1500-m running and 3 events for 400-m swimming. Researchers and athletes can be more certain about the pacing information collected from 400-m swimming than 1500-m running races, as the swimming data are less variable, despite both events being of similar duration.
KW - Athletic Performance
KW - Competitive Behavior
KW - Humans
KW - Reproducibility of Results
KW - Running
KW - Swimming
KW - Task Performance and Analysis
KW - Time Factors
KW - Video Recording
KW - Journal Article
KW - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
U2 - 10.1123/ijspp.2013-0240
DO - 10.1123/ijspp.2013-0240
M3 - Article
VL - 9
SP - 674
EP - 679
JO - International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance
JF - International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance
SN - 1555-0265
IS - 4
ER -