Department of Exercise Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 Mar 1;53(3):524-533. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002501.
This study aimed to determine how the speed-distance relationship, described by critical speed (CS) and distance prime (D'), is altered with aging.
Official race data from the past eight World Masters Athletics Indoor Track and Field World Championships were used for this study. CS and D' were calculated for female and male athletes (35-90 yr of age) who registered times for the 800-, 1500-, and 3000-m runs during a single championship to determine the relationship between age and CS and D'. Twenty-six athletes completed sufficient races in multiple championships to retrospectively assess the change in CS and D' over time.
Cross-sectional data indicated that CS continuously decreases after age 35 yr in a curvilinear manner with advancing age (R2 = 0.73, P < 0.001, n = 187), with even greater decreases in CS occurring after ~70 yr of age. D' also changed in a curvilinear manner with age (R2 = 0.45, P < 0.001, n = 103), such that decreases were observed between 35 and 70 yr, followed by an increase in D' thereafter. Retrospective, longitudinal data, with an average follow-up of 6.38 ± 1.73 yr, support these findings, indicating that the annual decrease in CS grows with advancing age (e.g., ~1% vs ~3% annual decrease in CS at age 55 vs 80 yr, respectively) and that D' shifts from an annual decrease (e.g., ~2.5% annual decrease at 55 yr) to an annual increase (e.g., ~2.5% annual increase at 80 yr) around 70 yr of age. Importantly, the relationship between CS and race pace was unaffected by age, supporting the relevance of CS throughout aging.
Even among world-class athletes, CS decreases and D' changes with aging. These adaptations may contribute to the diminished exercise ability associated with aging.
本研究旨在确定临界速度（CS）和距离初值（D'）描述的速度-距离关系如何随年龄变化而改变。
本研究使用了过去八届世界大师田径室内田径锦标赛的官方比赛数据。对于在单届锦标赛中注册 800m、1500m 和 3000m 跑比赛的女性和男性运动员，计算 CS 和 D'，以确定年龄与 CS 和 D'之间的关系。有 26 名运动员在多个锦标赛中完成了足够的比赛，以回顾性评估 CS 和 D'随时间的变化。
横断面数据表明，CS 随年龄呈曲线下降，35 岁后以每年约 1%的速度持续下降（R2=0.73，P<0.001，n=187），甚至在 70 岁后 CS 下降速度更快。D'也随年龄呈曲线变化（R2=0.45，P<0.001，n=103），35-70 岁之间出现下降，之后 D'增加。平均随访 6.38±1.73 年的回顾性纵向数据支持这些发现，表明 CS 的年下降率随年龄增长而增加（例如，分别在 55 和 80 岁时，CS 的年下降率约为 1%和 3%），D'从每年下降（例如，55 岁时每年下降 2.5%）转变为每年增加（例如，80 岁时每年增加 2.5%）。重要的是，CS 与比赛速度之间的关系不受年龄影响，这支持了 CS 在整个衰老过程中的相关性。
即使是世界级运动员，CS 也会随着年龄的增长而下降，D'也会随之变化。这些适应可能导致与衰老相关的运动能力下降。
