Distance Running: Computational Reconstruction of Physiological Profiles

Low level of aerobic fitness is an inevitable consequence of physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle that is believed to be one of the most important public health problem of the 21st century. Physical inactivity and poor physical fitness (measured in terms of a person’s maximal oxygen uptake) are associated with several health problems, such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, pulmonary diseases, cancer, psychological problems and more. Positively, improvements in aerobic fitness have been shown to reduce all-cause mortality. Hence, it is important to be able to asses physiological profiles which are associated wtih exercise. We observed the running world records from 1000m up to the Marathon show exponential scaling regimes when the race time is plotted over the race velocity. Based on that, we have develop a model that reconstructs the running economy (oxygen uptake as function of running velocity) and endurance (time over which a fraction of maximal oxygen uptake can be sustained) for an individual runner from her/his performances in competitions and the heart rate data measured during training. Studies with runners have been performed to validate the model.