Recent sporting events showcase aerobic fitness in athletes
Usually when people talk about aerobic fitness they are referring to the sport of running. If you want to increase your aerobic fitness you are almost always advised to start running. Running is one of the best activities to increase your aerobic fitness and cardiovascular health. There were two examples of sports on television this week that were great examples of athletes being in great aerobic fitness.
The most obvious was the televised action of the Tour de France. These bike riders go out every day and pedal over flat stretches, mountain inclines, and country roads. Many of the rides are over 100 miles. I am not sure how competitive bike riding, and this race especially, became so famous, but for 21 stages of racing the world is able to watch these athletes grind out the miles. Having put in a few miles on a bike I am amazed at the athletic ability and aerobic fitness that these bike riders must have.
For the sports fan that likes fast action like football or basketball watching bike riders chase each other through the beautiful country side of France must seem like watching paint dry. Viewers that will watch televised events like the Boston and New York Marathons can appreciate watching contests like this much better. The interest is not in watching the riders in the hope of an accident like they do watching a NASCAR race go around a track for 500 miles. The interest is in the strategy of the individuals and teams maneuvering for position for a last minute push for the finish. A break away rider can be five to ten minutes ahead of the peloton (the main group of riders), and then watch as the pack of riders slowly gains on the lead rider and literally swallows them up as they pass him. The team then starts to set up their main rider to sprint to the finish and win. Basketball viewers can think of setting up a play with five seconds left on the clock and getting the ball to their star for a winning shot at the buzzer. Watching the strategy in the Tour de France is similar to that.
There is also strategy for the long haul. There are 21 stages and each stage has its unique challenges. Most teams usually make their move when the stages move to the mountains and try to get a lead there. If you are only watching a bunch of bike riders pedaling through the country side it might get a little boring from the watching the same thing for several hours. Watch the race as a strategic move by a team to determine a winner at the end. It helps if you can appreciate the aerobic fitness of these riders day after day of riding.
The other event that was an example of aerobic fitness was a men’s semifinal match at Wimbledon. Djokovic and Nadal are two of the best tennis players and were meeting for the chance to play for the championship on Sunday. For the person that is not familiar with how a tennis match is determined a brief summary of the game follows. The winner has to win three sets out of five to be declared the winner. A set is determined by the player that is the first to win six games. When two of the best players compete against each other winning three sets can be very difficult.
This match went for all five sets and lasted for over five hours to complete. They played a total of over 90 games in the match. The fifth set was a total of 18 games and lasted for 91 minutes to play. Watching the intensity of the players and the effort that went into each game was a good example of athletic ability and aerobic fitness. Any contest that requires bursts of energy over five hours has to have a fantastic aerobic base to fall back on. After playing a very difficult, and tiring, match on Saturday, you wonder how much recovery will be required for the championship match on Sunday. Having a good aerobic base is essential for recovery to play again the next day. Fortunately the Championship Match only went three sets and was over in a much shorter time frame.
The level of aerobic fitness in both examples, the Tour de France and Wimbledon, with the need for fitness and a fast recovery, is a good example of aerobic fitness that these athletes have. This not to take anything away from the fitness of a long distance runner but is just another example of the benefits of aerobic fitness in other sports. For the sports fan viewer I am sure that cases of aerobic fitness can be made for playing a 90+ minute soccer game in the World Cup. Even a golf championship has the players walking over six miles for four days in a row and trying to stay calm and steady for a putt on the 18th hole on that fourth day.
