Effects of visual pacing cue and motivational auditory content on running fatigue and biomechanics

Rhythmic synchronization and auditory distraction are mechanisms commonly proposed to explain the role of music in delaying fatigue-related responses in endurance sports. However, the specific contribution of each mechanism remains unclear. We designed a cross-sectional study and investigated the effect of rhythmic synchronization and auditory distraction on running biomechanics. Fifteen adults (age = 20.9±1.3 years, weight = 71.2±12.1 kg, height = 174.7±11.0 cm) ran at a moderate intensity on a treadmill for up to ten minutes, or until reaching predetermined termination criteria. Participants finished three trials, starting with running without any stimulus as a baseline trial, and ran with a visual metronome that flashed at a rate that matched their self-selected running cadence in the visual stimulus trial (VST). In the visual-auditory stimulus trial (VAST), participants ran with the visual metronome (as described in VST) while listening to a non-rhythmic motivational speech. We recorded run duration, perceived exertion, center of pressure sway during standing before and after each trial, and measured trunk acceleration to obtain root-mean-square (RMS) of acceleration during each minute of the run. Compared to baseline, participants reduced perceived exertion by 0.87 and 0.85 rating during the VST and VAST, respectively, though these changes did not reach significance (p = 0.05). Stimulus affected the RMS of acceleration in anterior-posterior (p = 0.011), vertical (p = 0.008), and resultant directions (p = 0.006). Our linear mixed effect model suggested that compared to VST, VAST further lowered RMS of acceleration by 0.026g (anterior-posterior), 0.028g (vertical), and 0.036g (resultant). Our study provides an approach to investigate the components of music via music proxies, and our findings highlight the effect of combining rhythmic synchronization and motivational auditory distraction on fatigue-related biomechanics variables during submaximal running. Due to the use of musical proxy stimuli within a limited run duration, our results should be interpreted as preliminary and not directly generalizable to real-world music listening conditions.