Fysioterapeuten 2-2019

FYSIOTERAPEUTEN 2/19 21 The average number of interval sessions per week did not differ significantly between distances or genders. Kort sagt • The training volume (km/week) increa- ses with increasing running distance. • Runners ≥41 years tend to train more frequently and with higher training volume per week compared to runners ≤40 years. • The runners in the present study trained on average fewer km per week compared to what was reported and recommended in the research literature. number of finishers in the half-marathon distances compared to marathon could be explained by the extreme demands of the marathon compared to half-marathon (6). Studies have shown that high maximal oxy- gen uptake (VO 2max ) is a prerequisite for a good performance in long distance running (7, 8). Furthermore, better running econo- my (RE), combined with a greater utilizati- on of VO 2max (% VO 2max ), has been reported in good runners compared to novice recrea- tional runners (9, 10). These three factors (VO 2max , RE and % VO 2max ) are reported to be the major determinants of the velocity at anaerobic threshold (vAT) (11). A high vAT is largely achieved via a high volume of endurance training over a num- ber of years. A review by Tjelta (12) indica- tes that long distance runners competing at an international level over distances from 5,000 m to the marathon distance have typi- cally run between 150 and 260 km per week (12). Searching the databases SportDiscus and Web of Science using the terms «re- creational marathon runners and training volume» and «recreational half marathon runners and training volume» only one ar- ticle was found from the previous five years, which had examined the training volume of a limited number of recreational runners (13). Gordon et al. (13) investigated the trai- ning characteristics of recreational marat- hon runners (n=82) and reported that run- ners with a finishing time of >4.5 hours had an average training distance of 43.8±9.5 km per week, while those with a finishing time of 4–4.5 hours, 3.5–4 hours and 3–3.5 hours reported an average training distance of 56.2 ±14.8 km, 62.4±27.3 km and 81.5±26.0 km per week, respectively. The fastest group (2.5–3 hours) ran an average of 91.7±31.6 km per week. However, searching the above- mentioned databases, no studies were found reporting the training volume of recrea- tional runners in races up to and including half-marathon distance. As such, the pur- pose of this investigation was to describe the training volume and examine the relations-