Is High-Intensity Training Good for the Older Athlete?
Jim Ragbag, PhD For the Washington Running Report Many runners, especially masters or veterans, profess to run primarily for the competition. However, many also run “for the health of it,” hoping that an offshoot of their training will be an improved medical future. This hope is especially directed at the cardiovascular system, undoubtedly because many of their non-running friends are so markedly affected by the diseases of this system which account for most of the deaths and disabilities in older Americans. A primary goal of our previous research team in a St. Louis medical school was to assess the cardiovascular effects of the training that older athletes undergo for distance running and cycling competitions. A key variable exercise physiologists use to assess cardiovascular function is maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). VO2max is the amount of oxygen a person can utilize when he is working maximally, usually while running at his 10K race pace up a gradually steeper hill on a tread
