Ventilation Patterns and Stride Rates in Middle Distance Runners

Abstract

This study measures the effect of stimuli from the muscles and joints as effectors of respiration and the measurement of respiration rates of athletes running at competitive paces.

Four skilled middle-distance runners were fitted with a radio transmitter to send respiration frequency and stride frequency on two information channels, and then ran a 800-meter race from a running start. The athletes also were tested on a motor driven treadmill. The ratio of strides to breaths taken decreased as the runner progressed through the test distance (number of breaths increased), while the number of strides in each segment of the race remained fairly constant. There appears to be a mechanism that overides the proprioceptive controls of respiration as the severity of exercise increases. The study has implications for the modification of breathing patterns for athletes in anaerobic activities.