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Michele Zanini

@mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social

69 followers 25 following 51 posts

Lecturer in Applied Exercise Science @ The Open University PhD @ Loughborough University Head of S&C and Physiologist @ Italian Triathlon Federation Applied Physiology, Endurance, Performance

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Mar 2

🚨 New study 🚨

The biggest project of my PhD is out in MSSE journal.

🔑 findings: Strength training improves running economy durability & high-intensity performance following prolonged running.

🙏🏼 R. Blagrove and J. Folland for the SUPERvision on this.

🔗 journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/ab...

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

7/7

This highlights the importance of training specificity (i.e. long runs) and higher mileage for sustaining economy during prolonged exercise – key for events from 10k to marathon.

🔄 Share & discuss!

📄 Free full text (AoP): journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/ab...

Regular Long Runs and Higher Training Volumes are... : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

rences in RE durability. Therefore, this study aimed to compare RE durability during a 90 min run and the decrements in neuromuscular capabilities, between athletes that did, or did not, practice regu...

journals.lww.com

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

6/7

Take-home messages:

Even with identical performance levels, training matters for durability.

Runners regularly including long runs – and accumulating higher mileage – had:

✅ More durable running economy
✅ Smaller neuromuscular declines

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

5/7

When we merged data from both groups, RE durability correlated:

📉 strongly to weekly longest run (r=-0.67; p<0.001)

📉 and moderately to weekly running distance (r=-0.48; p=0.038)

But not to declines in neuromuscular function.

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

4/7

Neuromuscular function followed a similar trend:

🦵🏼 SDT showed larger drops in maximal squat force (-19% vs -12%)

⬆️ SDT lost CMJ performance (6.6%), while LDT maintained it

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

3/7

During a 90 min run at LT:

- Running economy deteriorated nearly 50% less in LDT than SDT (+3.1% vs +6.0%)

- Differences emerged after 60min and grew with time

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

2/7

We matched well-trained runners for 10k time (39 min), V̇O₂max (~58 ml/kg/min) & LT speed (12-13 km/h)

But differed in training characteristics:
- LDT: regularly running ≥90min
- SDT: always run <70min

LDT also ran more (51 vs 30 km/wk) & had better fresh running economy

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Aug 29

🚨 The last paper of my PhD is out in @MSSE

Regular Long Runs and Higher Training Volumes are Associated with Better Running Economy Durability in Performance Matched Well-Trained Male Runners

🙏🏻 Rich Blagrove & Jonathan Folland

Temporary free download.

🔗 journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/ab...

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Jul 7

3rd place in the Young Investigator Award at @ecssofficial.bsky.social, presenting in front of 1500+ people.

“You are here because you are excellent, and the quality of your research is excellent”.

Among the kindest words I’ve ever been told. As a young scientist, they mean the world 🙏🏼

Ad maiora.

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Jun 29

This Tuesday I will give an oral presentation at the @ecssofficial.bsky.social annual congress in Rimini about:

The effect of 90 and 120 min of running on the determinants of endurance performance in well-trained male marathoners

01.07.2025, 14.30

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Jun 24

5/5

❗️Final message

Researchers should consider, quantify, and report TL.

If you’re assessing training interventions, matching TL may help ensuring results reflect their effect, without being confounded by unintended differences in the dose of training prescribed.

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Jun 24

4/5

We also highlight why TL matching might not be essential. For instance when:

- Studying real-world training programmes

- Investigating outcomes less sensitive to dose (like enjoyment or adherence).

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Jun 24

3/5

Our paper explores how TL mismatches can skew results, and when matching TL is likely beneficial.

We provide 3 practical examples in areas where TL warrants consideration.

And briefly discuss how an increased TL carries differences depending on participants characteristics

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Jun 24

2/5

Training load (TL) can be associated to the "dose" of exercise.

When groups in a study receive different doses, it becomes unclear whether the outcomes are due to the type of training, or simply more training.

An issue for interpreting effectiveness in some contexts.

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · Jun 24

📣 New paper out in European Journal of Applied Physiology

We discuss an often-overlooked aspect in sports science and rehab research:

The importance of matching training load across interventions.

Nice collaboration led by Tomek Kowalski.

📄 Open access
🔗 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 27

8/8

‼️Results matter for durability studies assessing interventions & longitudinal athlete profiling.

🔑 Finding: Even subtle differences in RE durability between conditions are likely detectable.

🔁 Share if you find this interesting.

🆓 Open access
📄 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Test–Retest Reliability of Running Economy and Other Physiological Parameters During 90 min of Running in Well‐Trained Male Endurance Runners

Running economy (RE) is highly reliable when measured in an unfatigued state; however, its reproducibility during prolonged exercise has not been investigated. RE is known to worsen during prolonged ...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 27

7/8

Summary:

✅ RE (expressed as OC or EC) is reliable during prolonged running
✅ VE, RER, and HR also consistent
⚠️ BLa and RPE less so, esp. >60 min

4/5 PhD studies published. As always thanks to Rich Blagrove and Jonathan Folland.

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 27

6/8

Blood lactate (BLa) was the least reliable:
 🔹 ICC = 0.48–0.94 🔹 CV = 5–16%
 Reliability dropped after 60 min.
 This likely reflects limits in analyser precision more than physiology. Caution warranted when interpreting small BLa changes during prolonged exercise!

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 27

5/8
 RPE was moderately reliable, with: 
🔹 ICCs = 0.41–0.72 🔹 CV = 4.2–6.0% No effect of time on CV – fatigue didn’t make it less reliable. 
Important: subjectivity means RPE isn’t as stable as physiological data.

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 27

4/8
 Heart rate (HR) was also highly reliable: 
🔹 ICCs = 0.82–0.92 🔹 CV = ~1.1% 🔻 Slightly lower in trial 2 at later timepoints; possibly due to familiarisation. 
Still well within typical day-to-day HR variability.

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 27

3/8
 Ventilation (VE) and RER also showed strong reliability:
 🔹 VE: ICC = 0.96–0.97, CV < 3.6% 🔹 RER: ICC = 0.78, TE ≤ 1.9%
 These markers are consistent across 90 min of heavy-intensity running.

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 27

2/8
 Both Energy Cost (EC) and Oxygen Cost (OC) showed excellent reliability across all timepoints:
 ✅ ICCs: 0.96–0.99 ✅ CVs: 0.6%–1.2% ✅ TE: ≤1.4%
 No decline in reliability over time.
 ‼️RE durability is measurable and trustworthy.

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 27

New paper out in Scand J Med Sci Sports!
 We tested the reliability of running economy (RE) and other physiological parameters during 90 min of running.  ➡️ Running economy is highly reliable in a fatigued state, a 👍🏼 implication for testing durability 
🆓📄 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 21

I think a possible solution could be having a testing session as an outdoor long run with pre-post assessment of running economy and speed at LT (this could be done on a separate day).

sLT is likely to capture multiple changes under a single variable, and testing it may not be too intense.

Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 21

Thank you Jamie!

I think a thorough durability testing for high-level marathon is quite challenging - as you already pointed out. Athletes more trained than our cohort will likely display smaller changes, so either duration or intensity would need to increase..

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Michele Zanini @mzaniniphysiology.bsky.social · May 19

🔁 If you're a practitioner, coach, athlete, or scientist interested in endurance performance, feel free to share this thread.

🆓 Open-Access
📄 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

14/14

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sm…