Understanding Lactate Threshold (LT), Run Training Tolerance

Understanding Lactate Threshold- the basics for beginners and intermediate athletes, especially triathletes- swimmers, bikers, runners.

I am in Boulder, CO working with my son on his Boulder Sports Recovery business: All Sports Recovery Club. Please check it out. Come in and visit: http://allsportsrecovery.com/Default.aspx

Friends and athletes that I train back in Fort Myers, FL asked me to review what I meant by time trial (TT) testing for lactate threshold. I put some thought into my explanation, so I felt it might be helpful to others.

Explanation: LT is lactate threshold. It is very important to know what your tolerances are in expending energy (meaning how hard you are working at your training). If you are working harder and demanding more oxygen than your heart can pump to your muscles, you will have to quit, bonk, or hit the wall, so to speak. This is obviously NOT the goal. In training, we try to find the magic number (and to improve that number)  where the exercise load you are demanding of your cardiovascular system does not exceed its capability. As you advance your conditioning, athletes and coaches do interject harder intervals to improve LT. Thus, you can run harder, longer with proper conditioning.

Heart rate is one way to ID your LT zone. Pace and power are two other ways. Most runners (and cyclists, even swimmers)  should, after at least two weeks of consistent conditioning, have an idea of what pace they can maintain for about 8-10 min. This is an average (pace) even with some breaks (aka, rest intervals: RI). Most athletes if well-conditioned can sustain at LT output for up to one hour. Most beginners and intermediate athletes can sustain LT pace for somewhere between 5-10 minutes. This is something that smart training (especially with good coaching) improves.

People with power meters on their bikes can tell how many watts of power they can expend. Cadence, pace, HR, & power can all help you on the bike to find LT (threshold or tolerance).

Important!! To know these LT numbers is to (1) tell you how effective your training is, (2) make you a smarter, more confident racer/trainer. Thus, you know when you are on track. You also know when you are not pushing hard enough or pushing too hard.

A common heart rate test for LT on the run is 3 x 10 minutes with 2 minute rest intervals (RI) slow run or walking recovery intervals between the 10 minute run sets. Ideally, you want to find a pace you can run that doesn't change more than 15 seconds on all three 10 minute run sets. You also need to know preliminary heart rate zones. I can help you with this. To find your heart rate zones for training takes about 2 weeks of conditioning to establish. So don't test for LT until you've begun your conditioning.

Warning: make the TT (time trial) test fit your conditioning. I have assigned LT tests for 2 x 8 min. when someone was out of shape or even 2 x 3 min. Don't go 3 rounds of 10 min. when HR is sky-rocketing and pace is collapsing. The tests has shown enough data. Your fitness stinks, you are not well, or something else, try again later.

Tools: A Garmin 305 is what I use. I could conduct this test on myself, unassisted. The Garmin 305 or newer will track: time, heart rate, and pace. You can also use a Garmin 205 combined with a heart rate monitor.  For example, you can set the heart rate monitor (HRM) to beep when your heart rate (HR) hits the high end of your LT zone and or drops below your low end, such as 148-152 beats per minute(bpm). Athletes with very different paces can use similar HR settings. One athlete may run an average of 8 min. per mile, while another runs 12 min. per mile, all at LT heart rate zone of 148-152. Keep your eye on the Garmin for time only. Try not to look too much. Looking at your watch too often can effect your HR. Start and stop the watch between the 10 min. intervals and also on each of the recovery breaks. How fast your HR drops is an important indication of conditioning. It's a good sign of your fitness when your HR quickly drops (aka, recovers) after you slow down. If you remember to start and stop the watch every time, you can do this test on your own with a Garmin (alone, if 305 or newer) and Polar HRM. Polar and Garmin are my choices. There are many other options. The Garmin will keep a pace history of all the 10 min. intervals along with the 2 min. recovery sets.

Let me know if I can help you further. If you provide me with some of your run times, I can help you establish a base pace for your LT test. Time Trial tests really should be done every 3-4 weeks for each discipline (swim, bike, run).

Good Luck!
Coach Susan Kelly
http://www.sportingourspirit.com/
Youth & Junior Elite USA Triathlon Certified Coach, NASM Personal Trainer, Level II USA Triathlon & Level II ASCA (swim) Certified Coach

A Gift of Hope from an Airline Passenger

An airline passenger who brought me hope……

To be like a child can be a good thing. Why? I think it relates to trust, an openness to “possibilities” not limitations. When I fly, I often think of Jacob, my son who died in 2004. Lifted to puffy clouds in an endless sky ignites mystery and brings Heaven closer to Earth. Likely, this is a childlike mind-set that heaven is in the clouds. But the ritual of remembering gets me to thinking. This thinking about loss is tricky, especially of my son. More often than not, the Jake connection is likely to bring me to tears. Being a private person and in the airport sea of strangers, I do all I can to hasten along these thoughts, closing with a prayer to the Almighty Coach for encouragement.  “Get me through this. Make the thoughts happy. Help!”

Do be careful what you pray for. Here come-ith the lesson. This day, Oct. 25, I was flying back to FL out of my stopover in Chicago.  Boarding, I found my aisle seat and stood waiting for my seat mates to annoy, crowd, entertain, or enlighten or some combination.  A large, elderly (86 years-old) woman took the remaining middle seat.  Being a book lover, I am often curious about what others are reading, especially travelers.  Our chatting began then over the book she was reading. She told me a story that came  straight from her heart, and (I believe from) heaven. I am not sure what to do with it, so I am writing it down. Her conversation began about the book she was reading, Heaven is for Real.  The book was a best seller. It’s about a boy who almost dies, actually he may have died during an operation but lived. She said a relative gave it to her because she had a son who had died a few years ago.  At age 21, he had suffered a terrible accident was left paralyzed. So this mom took care of him for some 50 years. Here was her answer to my question” “To what do your attribute your long and healthy life? “Well,” she said, “God let me take care of my son all those years. I could not stand to think he might have had to live in a nursing home. He had tons of friends and a wonderful attitude. You know ,” she said, “he never complained about his lot in life. Well, just once….He banged his fist on a wall and yelled out, ‘Why me, God?’ I went to the wall, she said, and I pounded back, ‘Why me, God?’ She said, he laughed and so did I. He added , ‘You really do have it worse than I do, don’t you, Ma?.’” I grabbed my hankie with the peppermint and eucalyptus. It was all I could do to keep it together. I wanted to understand the pieces of her story as they related to me and to Jacob. What would my life have been like caring for him for the rest of his years? Would he have been able to laugh at life? Not likely. He had all he could handle even when his days were good. I know this woman beside me is/was a “presence”. Yes, on an earthly note, she takes up a lot of my already cramped airline space. But on the spiritual side, she has been gifted to me this day. Just as my heart was sinking remembering Jacob, my childlike mind prepared for a “possibility” and another angel appeared.  It happens quite often. “I’ve got him,” says my Lord. Yes, because I am an athlete, & because I do have a childlike imagination, I like to picture our Lord like a great outfielder. He will catch us every time, & most gently at our finish, He will catch us for all time. Indeed, He has my Jacob. I pause, I look over at her, this 86-year-old. I don’t know her name. Her book is down, as she quietly mouths the words to the Rosary, fingers working along a lovely wooden bracelet. Thanks  be to God. Let me remember you Jacob in the way that God always remembers each of us: full of love, goodness, and of course….Possibilities.

"Narrow is the Gate" Find the way to be encouraged.

We have so much to be thankful for.

I just "happened" upon this inspiring blog here today. It's from Therese at Beyond Blue or Beliefnet. The message contained is something of which I remind myself and others regularly. I say: "Step away from the self." It's so hard during life challenges when you think you are already maxed out, to reach within for more reserve. Yet, when we put our eyes & hearts back on our Source of Creation & Power, we know we were created to persevere. As a coach, I use fitness challenges to help others get stronger on many levels. You need a higher level of RPM,s to rev up your "gitty up" I think. This adding fitness to spiritual conditioning has worked well for me and others. Then, my setback, first day back home after being away from training and the clients I train. Don't you know, an accident, I hit a dip in the road, rolled my ankle and cut up my opposite knee. Holy Crap, as Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond would say. The coach is the cripple right now. No idea just yet how bad. The fall happened yesterday, a Sunday. I am doing all the right treatments, RICE- rest, ice, compression (not yet), & elevation. Moving about is nearly impossible. The right knee is stiff and cut up. The left ankle is severely swollen and refuses to bear weight. Yet how can I complain? This too shall pass. I know that is the truth....somewhere. Anyway, thank-you all for sharing your challenges to remain "encouraged" in spite of the obvious discouragements. Your perseverance through adversity helped me today. You are doing the most and the best that you can right now. You can't beat up on yourself for not being able to do more, to provide more for others. I will have to do the same. May God bless you in your journey. If you have time and interest, you can read about how I came to this ministry of faith and fitness on my site: Read: Background.

Susan Kelly
Sporting Our Spirit, Coach & Founder

Sporitng Our Spirit Healthy Oatmeal for endurance training

Breakfast at home in Nova Scotia.

"Butt- kicking, butt blasting Oatmeal"

    Serves 2

1/2 c long cooking oats,
1/8 c red quinoa grain,
1 apple (Gala or Fiji) chopped finely,
1/8 to 1/4 c chopped dates,
3/4 c water,
1/2 almond milk (unsweetened)
1/2 c skim milk (optional, or can use another milk-like topper before serving)
2 TBSP raisins,
1 TBLS ground flax seed,
2 TBLS or about 10-12 whole walnuts,
2 TBSP real maple syrup (optional),
1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, simmer the quinoa, chopped dates, and chopped apple in the water on medium, then, med/low heat for about 10 min.

Add in oatmeal, raisins, and almond milk. Cook & stir frequently until chunky but creamy, about 10 min.

Pour into bowls. Top with ground flax, cinnamon, almonds, syrup, & skim milk.

Lobster Fritata

10 June 2011


We are in Nova Scotia now. Our commitment this trip is #1 to healthy eating. Knowing that May and June are the two lobster months here concerned me. Butter is out of our diet for sure. Who can eat lobster without butter. Well, certainly plenty of Nova Scotians do.

Anyway, for our whole lobster meal, I sauteed a concoction of olive oil, tarragon, and a little garlic. Using only a TSP or so of this mix, I added it to fresh lemon juice in custard dishes for dipping. Very tasty. I saved most of my lobster tail to make a fritata for brunch the next day. I rarely am able to follow a recipe. But I was surprised at how well it turned out. So, I can only share general notions of how I prepared the dish. Hope you'll give it a go. I did everything I could to keep it low calorie.

Lobster Fritata
     Serves 2

Ingredients:
chopped lobster (could use shrimp, crab), 1 medium tail
4 eggs, 3 of them, just the whites, 1 whole, whipped up well
finely chopped fresh chives, about 1 tsp.
finely chopped tarragon, about 1 TBSP. Tarragon is vital to seafood
save a little of your herbs to add as garnish before serving
1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped
1/2 oz. of goat cheese
a pinch of curry & cumin
season salt like Zatarains or Old Bay, to taste
pinch of cayenne
2-3 sliced mushroom (optional)
(optional) pretty sure, I might like a little chopped sun-dried tomatoes in this as well
1-2 capfulls of olive oil (about 1/2 TBSP) or use Canola Oil

Turn on the oven broiler to pre-heat for a final browning. Mix goat cheese into the egg mix & set aside. Use a good non-stick fry pan where the egg can spread out,  coming up slightly on the sides. Turn stovetop burner to med. heat. Saute spices & jalapeno pepper in oil about 1 min. Add lobster, cook about 1 more min, then egg mix, let it gel, as in set till almost firm. Don't stir it. When it's just about set, put it under the broiler briefly to brown. I leave the oven door open and the fry pan handle extended outside of opening. Warm your dinner plates ( 1-1.5 min. in microwave). Portion the fritata with spatula into half or quarter sections so you can get it out of the fry pan. Serve on warmed plates. Add garnish and enjoy!

Do let me know if you tried it and if you liked it, or other options for preparing it. :-)

June notes at Kelly's Retreat, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia
June notes 2011
Finally made it outside to play. The dogs helped, not as much as the Sporting Our Spirit gang of Jacob, Jeanne, Jim, & Lenny, but still it's a start. I'd throw the ball down the hill, then head up the hill, get as much of a lead as I could on the retriever doing his/her job. Mace & Deacon don't fight much over the ball. MacE dislikes wet grass. So I alternate throws: grassy hill for Deacon and anywhere else for her. I sprint every time....uphill. Somehow, they always catch me. This we did for 35 min. They are crashed out now. I am watching the women's finals French Open in peace. It's 10:30 a.m. and 51 degrees. Of great encouragement was the fact that it felt good to run.