Running economy (RE) is considered an important physiological measure for endurance athletes, especially distance\nrunners. This review considers 1) how RE is defined and measured and 2) physiological and biomechanical factors that\ndetermine or influence RE. It is difficult to accurately ascertain what is good, average, and poor RE between athletes\nand studies due to variation in protocols, gas-analysis systems, and data averaging techniques. However, representative\nRE values for different caliber of male and female runners can be identified from existing literature with mostly clear\ndelineations in oxygen uptake across a range of speeds in moderately and highly trained and elite runners. Despite\nbeing simple to measure and acceptably reliable, it is evident that RE is a complex, multifactorial concept that reflects\nthe integrated composite of a variety of metabolic, cardiorespiratory, biomechanical and neuromuscular characteristics\nthat are unique to the individual. Metabolic efficiency refers to the utilization of available energy to facilitate optimal\nperformance, whereas cardiopulmonary efficiency refers to a reduced work output for the processes related to oxygen\ntransport and utilization. Biomechanical and neuromuscular characteristics refer to the interaction between the neural\nand musculoskeletal systems and their ability to convert power output into translocation and therefore performance.\nOf the numerous metabolic, cardiopulmonary, biomechanical and neuromuscular characteristics contributing to RE,\nmany of these are able to adapt through training or other interventions resulting in improved RE.
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