Validated six-month retrospective questionnaires were completed by 119 female and
234 male coached distance runners (59 % compliance) for a descriptive study of relationships
between specificity of training and best performance in a summer season. Runners were
aged 26 ± 10 y (mean ± SD), specialising in distances from 800 m to the marathon,
with seasonal best paces of 82 ± 7 % of sex- and age-group world records. They reported
typical weekly durations of interval and strength training, and typical weekly durations
and paces of moderate and hard continuous running, for build-up, precompetition, competition,
and postcompetition phases of the season. The training programs showed some evidence
of specificity, especially for runners preparing for longer events. A potentially
beneficial effect of specificity was evident in a significant (p < 0.01) correlation
between performance and seasonal mean weekly duration of moderate continuous running
for runners specialising in longer distances (r = 0.29). The only other significant
correlates of performance were seasonal mean relative training paces of moderate (r
= - 0.18) and hard (r = - 0.42) continuous running, which exemplified detrimental
effects of specificity for most runners. Thus, the training of better runners is not
characterised strongly by greater specificity.
Key words
Training - specificity - periodisation - performance - questionnaire - validity -
distance running
