Pamela Jelimo VO2 Max Ensures 800m Gold
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Another final in the athletics turned into a solo show in Beijing this evening. After Jamaican’s Bolt and Fraser dominated their respective 100m finals, Russia’s Gulnara Galkina-Samitova destroyed the rest of the field in the women’s 300m steeplechase, setting a new world record of 8:58.81mins. Then this afternoon the women’s 800m final was about one athlete and one athlete only.
Kenya’s 18 year old Pamela Jelimo, who has taken the event by storm these past twelve months, electrified the crowd with a scintillating run. She ran her first 200m in 26 seconds. She clocked 55 seconds for the first lap. Then when every other athlete’s energy system transferred from anaerobic to aerobic, she somehow maintained an extraordinary pace and steamed away from her rivals. There was no traditional racing involved, this was a flat-out time-trial. Jelimo then slowed a little in the final 200m, missing out on the world record which is sure to become hers one day. Still the damage was completely done and she deservedly earned herself the gold medal.
Afterwards she was shattered. She has a background in 200m sprinting which was evident in her running technique and mentality for the race. There was no fear, no holding back. The 800m is a scary event because, as mentioned, the predominant energy system required switches throughout. In the 400m the anaerobic system can be relied upon. However after 400m the anaerobic system will give way to the aerobic system.
Jelimo could have burnt herself out but she didn’t. She must have worked heavily on her VO2 Max. Being Kenyan this was probably easier than it is for other athletes - Kenya traditionally dominate the 800m. Since about 55 per cent of the energy needed to run an 800-metre race is generated aerobically, increasing V02max is a good thing because it means that the heart is better at sending oxygen-rich blood to the muscles, and that the muscles are better at using the oxygen when it arrives. This helps the 800-metre runner, because as oxygen utilization improves, less energy has to be produced anaerobically during the race. The interiors of leg muscle cells are therefore less acidic (there' s less lactic acid than there would be with a lower V02max), and as a result there is diminished fatigue and a greater ability to sustain the desired pace.
If there are any promising 200m or 400m runners out there who fancy hard work and a bit of pain, consider following in Jelimo’s young footsteps and make the transition. The effects could be extraordinary!
Learn how to apply new exercises to your programme and increase your VO2 Max by subscribing to Peak Performance.
Comments
VO2 Max and being Kenyan
ironpower
"She must have worked heavily on her VO2 Max. Being Kenyan this was probably easier than it is for other athletes"
I don't quite understand how being Kenyan makes it easier to work heavily on VO2 max.
800 meter champion
welchs
I agree with above comment why should it be easier for the kenyan runner to work on V02, others can to if they want to bad enough. Straighten me out on 800 meter runners requiring 50% aerobic and 50% anaerobic. Isn't that more like 1500's needs. Excellent run and runner but the explaination seems a little off.
In response to the queries about Kenyan 800m runner Pamela Jelim
Sam Bordiss
The aim of my article was to highlight how impressive it is that Jelimo changed from a 200m sprinter into an 800m runner. I maintain the opinion that, being Kenyan, she probably had a greater capacity to make this transition than sprinters from other countries who do not specialise in aerobic running. Her performance, and the following argument, certainly suggests this.
The statement about her VO2 Max refers to her switch from 200m sprinter to 800m runner. Ask any 200m sprinter or even 400m runner whether they could switch to the 800m (in fact, Michael Johnson was asked this very question on British television) and the answer, as it was with Johnson, would most likely be a firm ‘NO’. Which is interesting if we consider some basic math.
The world record for the men’s 200m is 19.32secs, 400m is 43.18 and for 800m it’s 1:41.11. That’s 9.66secs for each 100m in the 200m, 10.78 in the 400m and 12.64 in the 800m. Each 100m in the 200m is 1.12secs quicker than in the 400m. Each 100m in the 400m is 1.86secs quicker than in the 800m. In terms of these numbers then, it is difficult to understand why there are next to no athletes who double up between the 400m and 800m
Why is this the case? What separates the 400m from the 800m so exclusively, and makes Jelimo’s transition so impressive? The separation between the two, a divide as big as the Great Wall of China, is the energy systems required.
The anaerobic energy system relies on the release of energy from food stores, crucially without oxygen. When sprinting, the anaerobic energy system can only remain dominant for around 45seconds. The aerobic system obtains energy by burning food stores with oxygen and becomes predominant after 45seconds. So where does VO2 Max come into it?
VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen in millilitres, one can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight. Those who have higher VO2 max values can exercise and perform more intensely than those who are not as well conditioned. Because 200m and 400m runners do not need oxygen to release energy they can afford to neglect aerobic training as their VO2 Max levels are not necessarily going to affect performance.
800m runners though need to utilise their aerobic system after the first lap, so their VO2 Max levels are crucial. The ratio between the systems required for the 800m is generally about 45% anaerobic, 55% aerobic. Which is why 200m, 400m sprinters like Michael Johnson could never entertain the idea of doing the 800m. It’s why you are much more likely to see 800m/1500m runners, such as Britain’s Kelly Holmes who won gold in both at the Athens Olympics. The ratio for the systems required in 1500m is about 30% anaerobic, 70% aerobic.
Which is why Jelimo’s transition from a 200m sprinter (100% anaerobic) to 800m runner (45% anaerobic) is so impressive and may revolutionise 800m running. However it will be a slow revolution as so few speedsters will have the physiology to improve their VO2 Max to such a high standard. The physical limitations that restrict the rate at which energy can be released aerobically are dependent upon:
the chemical ability of the muscular cellular tissue system to use oxygen in breaking down fuels
the combined ability of cardiovascular and pulmonary systems to transport the oxygen to the muscular tissue system
These factors are a combination of nature and nurture. Of course all athletes who work hard enough can improve their VO2 Max. But some athletes will have greater potential to do so. And genetically speaking, Kenyan athletes fall into that category. Let’s just consider the medals they have won in the Olympics. 68 overall, with 61 in athletics, 7 in boxing (a sport that has similar energy requirements to the 800m/1500m). Out of those 61 medals in athletics, 57 were won in races between distances of 800m and the marathon. The other four were two bronzes in the 400m and two medals in the 4X400m. That's over 90% of medals in athletics coming from races between 800m and 40km, races reliant on incredible VO2 Max levels.
For a fascinating article and interview on Kenyan 800m runners check out this link:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0287.htm