WEINSTEIN, R.B.*; HARTMAN, J.H.: Modeling the intermittent exercise strategy of “Ride and Tie” competition

Intermittent exercise is characterized by bouts of exercise alternated with pauses. When exercise bouts are performed at a high intensity, brief pauses provide time for recovery from the preceding exercise bout. In “Ride and Tie”, a competitive sport incorporating intermittent exercise, teams consist of two humans, who alternate running and riding, and one horse, who alternates running and resting. Teams may make 30-40 exchanges (i.e., ties) in a 60 km race. We modeled an infinite race as a series of exercise and recovery intervals. Human and Arabian horse records were used to derive maximum running speed as a function of interval distance. Interval training tables were used to derive minimum recovery time as a function of exercise intensity and duration. For each interval distance from 0.4-5.0 km we determine the conditions (i.e., running speed, percent effort, and recovery time) under which the humans or the horse are the limiting factor(s), select the conditions that maximize team speed, and then select the interval distance that maximizes team speed. The final solution provides the interval distance and running time for each team member that maximizes team speed. A team composed of a world class horse and humans should run 3.2 km intervals. Slower teams should use shorter intervals. Increasing the minimum recovery time slows maximum team speed and decreases the optimal interval distance. Several features of the “Ride and Tie” model, such as the trade-off between exercise intensity and recovery time, are applicable to modeling traditional forms of intermittent exercise.