Abstract
Purpose of Project The purpose of this project is to provide a much-needed manual for long-distance female runners and their coaches. The manual was developed based on existing scientific peer-reviewed literature in collaboration with the Human Performance and Biomechanics Laboratory teams at Sacramento State. The manual is designed to increase the runner's and coach's knowledge about an optimal training program aimed to improve running economy and exercise performance for a single season while limiting overtraining and fatigue-related or overuse injuries.
Summary of Project
This project introduces the history of female running and its evolvement into high-caliber competition and insight into historically used training programs. This manual instead takes a more up-to-date and data-driven approach, focused on improving the athletes running economy (RE) rather than maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). This manual is designed to prepare an athlete for peak performance by targeted race dates. It includes periods of performance preparation within different training cycles to allow for substantial base mileage development with the incorporation of peak RE phases.
Conclusions Reached
Runners and coaches are challenged with many discrepancies when selecting an appropriate training program at the elite level where competitors' resources are analogous, and the difference between first and second place race finish can be imperceptible in terms of overall racing time. This emphasizes the need to develop the most up-to-date and evidence-based training manual, which considers the contribution of substrate utilization and sparing, such as RE. Additionally, most data-driven training programs that favor the use of RE as a metric to monitor training status in elite runners are primarily focused on males. Therefore, this manual is explicitly directed towards long-distance female runners at the elite level.