Background: Knowledge of metabolic outcomes, such as maximal oxygen consumption (VO2) or running economy, has wide-ranging application. Metabolic outcomes are widely reported in literature yet the metabolic sampling interval (example: breath-by-breath, 30-sec average) utilized for collection is rarely ever stated. Purpose: The purposes of the present investigation were to probe the potential discrepancies created when analyzing running economy and VO2max raw metabolic data with four different metabolic sampling intervals. Methods: Five recreationally-active and endurance-trained subjects were included in the present analysis and four metabolic sampling intervals were analyzed: 30-sec average, 20-sec average, 8-breath, and 4-breath. Subjects engaged in 4-min running economy phases at 55 and 65% of their VO2max before entering into a maximal protocol purposed to elicit VO2max in 8-12 minutes. Utilizing the steady state and maximal VO2 data, metabolic sampling intervals were analyzed for their effect on reported VO2 values. Results: For running economy at 55%, there was no differences found (f = 0.207; df = 1.862; p = 0.799) between sampling frequencies when analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance and corrected with Greenhouse-Geisser for a violation of sphericity. For running economy at 65%, there were also no differences found (f = 1.456; df = 3; p = 0.799) between sampling frequencies. For inspection, the relative VO2 values were: 27.2 (±3.1), 27.9 (±4.1), 28.4 (±3.6), and 28.8 (±5.1) for the 30-sec, 20-sec, 8-breath, and 4-breath average, respectively. Maximal VO2 values of 53.0 (±6.6), 55.1 (±7.2), 55.1 (±7.2), and 59.6 (±9.4) for the 30-sec, 20-sec, 8-breath, and 4-breath average, respectively, were found to be significantly different (f = 21.062; df = 1.278; p \u3c 0.001) after adjusting for a violation of sphericity (p \u3c 0.001). Bonferroni analysis indicated differences between the 30-sec average and all other averages and also the 20-sec and 8-breath averages when compared against the 4-breath average. The 4-breath average yielded the highest VO2max value. Coincidentally, the 20-sec and 8-breath averages were identical. Conclusion: In the present investigation of raw metabolic data, sampling interval was found to impact the maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) values but not running economy values when investigating a small sample of data with four select sampling intervals. The report of maximal VO2 is rather common in the literature and knowing sample interval is vital for between-study comparison, determination of regression-related activities, or for pre-post comparison of data from the same or different labs
