OK as promised the results from my latest lactate threshold testing in Philly a couple of weekends ago.
The title of this post is actually a total fabrication. The test results were not in any way astonishing and if anything at first look they are actually a little disappointing. That said if we look at them more closely they do raise some interesting questions.
For those who have not seen the earlier posts, whilst I was in Philadelphia visiting Cadence Cycling and Multisport Center I undertook some blood lactate threshold tests. On Saturday I did a bike test and the following day I did the run test.
Lets first look at the run test and how it compares to last years testing at the Cadence facility in New York during the Kona Challenge selection weekend. At first glance the results do not look too different to the initial testing.
The VO2 max HR 181 is unchanged but my lactate threshold HR has gone up slightly from 167 to 171. That means that although my max HR is unchanged my lactate threshold as a percentage of my VO2 max has gone up ever so slightly from 93 to 94%. Therefore I can go that little bit quicker before my body produces more lactate than it can deal with.
The graph shows my heart rate in bpm as diamonds at the top, my RPE or Ratings of Perceived Effort (simply how hard I felt I was working from a scale they held up) as diamonds and the squares indicate my blood lactate levels.
To find my threshold you draw a line through lactate levels and what you should find is two distinct lines that intersect at the lactate threshold. The relatively flat line indicates that my body is coping with the lactate that is being generated and the levels remain fairly level and when the line starts to steepen dramatically it indicates that I have reached my threshold or OBLA (Onset of Blood Lactic Acid) and the body is no longer able to flush the lactic acid being produced and it floods my blood stream.
So my LT threshold has not really changed very much since I started this program which is disappointing but .....
I have done very little LT training and the vast majority of my training has been focused at the endurance zones. According to the algorithm that Cadence use my endurance zone has gone from 117 to 139 bpm, to, 118 to 157 bpm. I am not sure how this algorithm determines the zones but however it does it it did it the same way last year and there has still been a significant change. According to the new figures I ran the first half on my marathon in my endurance zone which means that I have a lot left to give. It also means that I should be able to run 8 min miles in my endurance zone which was supported by a run a couple of days ago when I found I was able to hold 8 min miles for 20 minutes at only 140 bpm.
If there has not been that much change in the run results that is certainly not true for the bike. However again at first glance the figures look a little disappointing. My bike results from last years time trial gave a VO2 max of 180 and a lactate threshold of 168 bpm however this latest LT test gave a VO2 max of 165 and a lactate threshold of 156.
This is a significant drop, so what does it mean. Well it is not actually that bad as my LT as a percentage of VO2 max has again risen slightly from 93 to 95% and my endurance zone has remained pretty similar.
These new results are probably a bit more accurate than the time trial field test. Firstly I have really struggled to maintain my lactate threshold and super lactate threshold zones during training which makes more sense with the latest test. Additionally last years field test was done in a big room with lots of people shouting and cheering and there was plenty riding on it which means I may have given 110% rather than 100% which I may have physically been capable of (mind over matter).
My LT power has allegedly dropped from 245 to 240 watts and therefore as my weight is unchanged my power to weight ratio has also dropped slightly.
So in conclusion:
I am not too concerned about these tests. My run test indicates that I can now run much quicker in my endurance zone which is a good thing. My bike figures are down but I am in the middle of training and did not have much of a break before the test so I would expect to be a bit tired.
Perhaps more importantly I know for a fact that I am fitter and stronger than when I started and I am confident that everything is moving in the right direction. These tests seem to indicate that I am a lot more efficient at slower speeds which reflects the type of training I have been doing.
Perhaps the next round of testing in a few months really will be the most astonishing results ever and put me in league with the uber-athletes or perhaps, as I suspect, I have a perfectly normal physiology and will have to rely on quality training and will power to get me to Kona.
Sorry this has been such a dry post but I did warn you all with a trigeek rating of 3. For new readers click here for the trigeek ratings.
No comments:
Post a Comment