Cardiac damage biomarkers and heart rate variability following a 118-km mountain race: relationship with performance and recovery

This study aimed to assess the release of cardiac damage biomarkers jointly with cardiac autonomic modulation after a mountain ultramarathon. Such knowledge and the possible relationship of these markers with race time is of primary interest to establish possible recommendations upon athletes’ recovery and return to training following these competitions. Forty six athletes enrolled in the Penyagolosa Trails CSP115 race (118 km and a total positive elevation of 5439 m) took part in the study. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-TNT) concentrations as well as linear and nonlinear heart rate variability (HRV) were evaluated before and after the race. NT-proBNP and hs-TNT significantly increased post-race; fifty percent of the finishers surpassed the Upper Reference Limit (URL) for hs-TNT while 87% exceeded the URL for NT-proBNP. Overall and vagally-mediated HRV were diminished and cardiac autonomic modulation became less complex and more predictable following the race. More pronounced vagal modulation decreases were associated with higher levels of postexertional NT-proBNP. Moreover, rise in hs-TNT and NT-proBNP was greater among faster runners, while pre-race overall and vagally-mediated HRV were correlated with finishing time. Participation in a 118-km ultratrail induces an acute release of cardiac damage biomarkers and a large alteration of cardiac autonomic modulation. Furthermore, faster runners were those who exhibited a greater rise in those cardiac damage biomarkers. In light of these findings, an appropriate recovery period after ultraendurance races appears prudent and particularly important among better performing athletes. At the same time, HRV analysis is shown as a promising tool to assess athletes’ readiness to perform at their maximum level in an ultraendurance race

Evaluación energética de materiales y procesos en el mantenimiento de una sección de autopista en España

La evaluación energética de una autopista nos lleva a conclusiones muy interesantes sobre la importancia del correcto uso de materiales y procesos en todo su ciclo de vida. Varios estudios afirman que la etapa de mantenimiento es la que gasta más energía. (Stripple, H. 1993 y Thenoux, G et al.2006) Este estudio llega a cuantificar la energía consumida en los materiales y procesos, usando un ejemplo de una unidad de dos carriles de autopista, en la fase de mantenimiento. Para realizar el estudio, se ha definido un escenario tipo, con valores medios para España. Al tener un autopista un sistema tan complejo, se ha dividió en unidades funcionales UF, con un grado menor de complejidad y con similares características morfológicas y energéticas. Para este estudio se ha elegido la UF con mayor repercusión energética por su mayor uso en una autopista, el tronco. Formada por dos carriles por sentido, con 10m de ancho de firme y un kilómetro de medida de longitud. El objetivo es conocer el consumo energético asociado a todos los materiales y las acciones debidas al mantenimiento y conservación de una autopista, en toda la vida útil de la infraestructura, que se estima y se justifica en 50 años. Los resultados del estudio son bastante claros, sólo hay dos capítulos con un peso elevado en el consumo energético: iluminación con un 17% y con un porcentaje mayoritario, las reposiciones de firmes 78%.El resto de capítulos tienen un porcentaje inferior a 2%

Pulmonary and Inspiratory Muscle Function Response to a Mountain Ultramarathon

The study aimed to provide within-race data on the time course of pulmonary function during a mountain ultramarathon (MUM). Additionally, we wanted to assess possible sex differences regarding pre- to post-race change in pulmonary and inspiratory muscle function. Lastly, we were interested in evaluating whether changes in respiratory function were associated with relative running speed and due to general or specific fatigue. 47 athletes (29 males and 18 females; 41 ± 5 years) were submitted to a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) before a 107-km MUM. Spirometric variables: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and peak expiratory flow (PEF); maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP); squat jump (SJ) and handgrip strength (HG) were assessed before and after the race. Additionally PEF was measured at three aid stations (33rd, 66th and 84th km) during the race. PEF declined from the 33rd to the 66th km (p = 0.004; d = 0.72) and from the 84th km to the finish line (p = 0.003; d = 0.90), while relative running speed dropped from the first (0-33 km) to the second (33-66 km) race section (p < 0.001; d = 1.81) and from the third (66-84 km) to the last race section (p < 0.001; d = 1.61). Post-race, a moderate reduction was noted in FVC (-13%; p < 0.001; d = 0.52), FEV1 (-19.5%; p < 0.001; d = 0.65), FEV1/FVC (-8.4%; p = 0.030; d = 0.59), PEF (- 20.3%; p < 0.001; d = 0.58), MIP (-25.3%; p < 0.001; d = 0.79) and SJ (-31.6%; p < 0.001; d = 1.42). Conversely, HG did not change from pre- to post-race (-1.4%; p = 0.56; d = 0.05). PEF declined during the race in parallel with running speed drop. No sex differences were noted regarding post-race respiratory function, except that FEV1/FVC decay was significantly greater among women. The magnitude of pre- to post-race respiratory function decline was uncorrelated with relative running speed

Ultra Trail Performance is Differently Predicted by Endurance Variables in Men and Women

The study aimed to assess the relationship between peak oxygen uptake, ventilatory thresholds and maximal fat oxidation with ultra trail male and female performance. 47 athletes (29 men and 18 women) completed a cardiopulmonary exercise test between 2 to 4 weeks before a 107-km ultra trail. Body composition was also analyzed using a bioelectrical impedance weight scale. Exploratory correlation analyses showed that peak oxygen uptake (men: r=–0.63, p=0.004; women: r=–0.85, p < 0.001), peak speed (men: r=–0.74, p < 0.001; women: r=–0.69, p=0.009), speed at first (men: r=–0.49, p=0.035; women: r=–0.76, p=0.003) and second (men: r=–0.73, p < 0.001; women: r=–0.76, p=0.003) ventilatory threshold, and maximal fat oxidation (men: r=–0.53, p=0.019; women: r=–0.59, p=0.033) were linked to race time in male and female athletes. Percentage of fat mass (men: r=0.58, p=0.010; women: r=0.62, p= 0.024) and lean body mass (men: r=–0.61, p=0.006; women: r=–0.61, p=0.026) were also associated with performance in both sexes. Subsequent multiple regression analyses revealed that peak speed and maximal fat oxidation together were able to predict 66% of male performance; while peak oxygen uptake was the only statistically significant variable explaining 69% of the variation in women’s race time. These results, although exploratory in nature, suggest that ultra trail performance is differently predicted by endurance variables in men and women

Pacing and Body Weight Changes During a Mountain Ultramarathon: Sex Differences and Performance

The study was aimed at comparing pacing adopted by males and females in a 107-km mountain ultramarathon and assessing whether pacing-related variables were associated with intracompetition body weight changes and performance. Forty-seven athletes (29 males; 18 females) were submitted to a cardiopulmonary exercise test before the race. Athletes were also weighted before the start of the race, at three midpoints (33 km, 66 km and 84 km) and after the race. Pacing was analyzed using absolute and relative speeds and accelerometry-derived sedentary time spent during the race. Results showed that females spent less sedentary time (4.72 ± 2.91 vs. 2.62 ± 2.14%; p = 0.035; d = 0.83) and displayed a smaller body weight loss (3.01 ± 1.96 vs. 4.37 ± 1.77%; p = 0.048; d = 0.77) than males. No significant sex differences were revealed for speed variability, absolute and relative speed. In addition, finishing time was correlated with: speed variability (r = 0.45; p = 0.010), index of pacing (r = -0.63; p < 0.001) and sedentary time (r = 0.64; p < 0.001). Meanwhile, intracompetition body weight changes were related with both the absolute and relative speed in the first and the last race section. These results suggest that females, as compared with males, take advantage of shorter time breaks at aid stations. Moreover, performing a more even pacing pattern may be positively associated with performance in mountain ultramarathons. Finally, intracompetition body weight changes in those races should be considered in conjunction with running speed fluctuations

Inspiratory and Lower-Limb Strength Importance in Mountain Ultramarathon Running. Sex Differences and Relationship with Performance

The study was aimed at comparing lower-limb strength and respiratory parameters between male and female athletes and their interaction with performance in a 107 km mountain ultramarathon. Forty seven runners (29 males and 18 females; mean ± SD age: 41 ± 5 years) were enrolled. Lower-limb strength assessment comprised a squat jump test, an ankle rebound test, and an isometric strength test. Respiratory assessment included pulmonary function testing and the measurement of maximal inspiratory pressure. Male athletes performed largely better in the squat jump (26 ± 4 vs. 21 ± 3 cm; p < 0.001; d = 1.48), while no sex differences were found in the other two lower-limb tests. Concerning the respiratory parameters, male athletes showed largely greater values in pulmonary expiratory variables: forced vital capacity (5.19 ± 0.68 vs. 3.65 ± 0.52 L; p < 0.001; d = 2.53), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (4.24 ± 0.54 vs. 2.97 ± 0.39 L; p < 0.001; d = 2.69), peak expiratory flow (9.9 ± 1.56 vs. 5.89 ± 1.39 L/min; p < 0.001; d = 2.77) and maximum voluntary ventilation in 12 s (171 ± 39 vs. 108 ± 23 L/min; p < 0.001; d = 1.93); while no sex differences were identified in maximal inspiratory pressure. Race time was associated with ankle rebound test performance (r = −0.390; p = 0.027), isometric strength test performance (r = −0.349; p = 0.049) and maximal inspiratory pressure (r = −0.544; p < 0.001). Consequently, it seems that athletes competing in mountain ultramarathons may benefit from improving lower-limb isometric strength, ankle reactive strength and inspiratory muscle strength. Nevertheless, further interventional studies are required to confirm these exploratory results. In addition, the fact that the magnitude of the sex difference for isometric strength was minor, as compared with the other strength tests, could represent one of the factors explaining why the performance gap between males and females is reduced in ultramarathons

Using Accelerometry for Evaluating Energy Consumption and Running Intensity Distribution Throughout a Marathon According to Sex

The proportion of females participating in long-distance races has been increasing in the last years. Although it is well-known that there are differences in how females and males face a marathon, higher research may be done to fully understand the intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting sex differences in endurance performance. In this work, we used triaxial accelerometer devices to monitor 74 males and 14 females, aged 30 to 45 years, who finished the Valencia Marathon in 2016. Moreover, marathon split times were provided by organizers. Several physiological traits and training habits were collected from each participant. Then, we evaluated several accelerometry- and pace-estimated parameters (pacing, average change of speed, energy consumption, oxygen uptake, running intensity distribution and running economy) in female and male amateur runners. In general, our results showed that females maintained a more stable pacing and ran at less demanding intensity throughout the marathon, limiting the decay of running pace in the last part of the race. In fact, females ran at 4.5% faster pace than males in the last kilometers. Besides, their running economy was higher than males (consumed nearly 19% less relative energy per distance) in the last section of the marathon. Our results may reflect well-known sex differences in physiology (i.e., muscle strength, fat metabolism, VO2max), and in running strategy approach (i.e., females run at a more conservative intensity level in the first part of the marathon compared to males). The use of accelerometer devices allows coaches and scientific community to constantly monitor a runner throughout the marathon, as well as during training sessions

Effects of wearing a full body compression garment during recovery from an ultra-trail race

In sport disciplines with high levels of muscle damage such as an ultra-trail competition, full body compression garments (FBCG) may have an ergogenic effect during the recovery process. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of FBCG worn for 24 h immediately after a 107-km ultra-trail on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), muscle damage, inflammatory and renal response. Thirty-two athletes (19 males and 13 females; VO2peak: 54.1 ± 5.2 ml O2/kg/min) participated in the study. The following blood markers were analysed before, immediately after, at 24 and 48 h post-race: lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, C-reactive protein and creatinine. The glomerular filtration rate was also calculated. Delayed onset muscle soreness was evaluated before, immediately after and at 24 h post-race. On arrival at the finishing line, athletes were randomised into one of two recovery groups (FBCG and control group). The results showed that wearing FBCG did not influence the evolution of any of the blood markers up to 48 h after the race (p > .05). However, FBCG group presented a lower increase in posterior leg DOMS (11.0 ± 46.2% vs 112.3 ± 170.4%, p = .03, d = 0.8). Therefore, although FBCG is not useful for reducing muscle damage and inflammatory response after an ultra-trail race, its use may still be recommended as a recovery method to reduce muscle soreness

Estimation of energy consumed by middle-aged recreational marathoners during a marathon using accelerometry-based devices

As long-distance races have substantially increased in popularity over the last few years, the improvement of training programs has become a matter of concern to runners, coaches and health professionals. triaxial accelerometers have been proposed as a one of the most accurate tools to evaluate physical activity during free-living conditions. In this study, eighty-eight recreational marathon runners, aged 30–45 years, completed a marathon wearing a GENEActiv accelerometer on their non-dominant wrist. energy consumed by each runner during the marathon was estimated based on both running speed and accelerometer output data, by applying the previously established GENEActiv cut-points for discriminating the six relative-intensity activity levels. Since accelerometry allowed to perform an individualized estimation of energy consumption, higher interpersonal differences in the number of calories consumed by a runner were observed after applying the accelerometry-based approach as compared to the speed-based method. Therefore, pacing analyses should include information of effort intensity distribution in order to adjust race pacing appropriately to achieve the marathon goal time. Several biomechanical and physiological parameters (maximum oxygen uptake, energy cost of running and running economy) were also inferred from accelerometer output data, which is of great value for coaches and doctors