Improving Sports Performance in Middle and Long-Distance Running

Addresses the physiological demands of middle and long-distance running presenting contemporary research on running and sporting performance which will be invaluable for athletes, coaches and sports science students. Rather than laying down another training doctrine for athletes and coaches to follow rigidly, it aims to provide prescriptive, sports-specific advice as far as is presently possible to enable all athletes to optimise their sporting performance. It addresses the physiological demands of middle and long distance running, presenting contemporary research on running. It also covers the limitations to running performance; the application of this knowledge to training and preparation for performance; methods by which the runner, coach and sports scientist can assess and monitor running performance; and special considerations for optimising performance including nutritional and environmental issues. This is the first book in the 'Improving Sports Performance' series. It draws on the expertise of applied exercise physiologists who have direct experience of working with elite performers and coaches. The book is aimed at three groups of people. First, sports participants aspiring to improve their personal performance through a more complete understanding of the application of science. Second, coaches of such athletes who wish to complement the art of coaching by basing their training programmes upon rational scientific principles. Third, sports science and physical education students with an interest in implementing the theoretical background of their course in an applied sporting context.