LBP Progress and ME #2

Day 50 - July 13, 2009 - Week 7
I could not be any happier w/ how things developed Saturday morning. I opted to re-test my Lactate Balance Point (LBP) on the bike as my wife gutted it out on the CT for 3:30 hrs and then crushed a one hour run. She is in good form for IML.

This approach (LBP) to testing is relatively new, but I believe it trumps the older methods; 2 and 4 mmols of lactate as bio markers. This method tests your bodies ability to process/assimilate lactate post a progressive build to near maximum. As you can see below I have seen a dramatic shift in my LBP on the bike from January to July:

What I love about this new data is that I can now test my legs at these intensities and see how the legs respond off the bike. At this point I plan to zero in on 220 watts for the first 30 miles and a high end limit of 150 bpm. Post this block of time I will asses the legs and make the next logical move on Aug 30th.

It is important to note that I took this testing to the next level by validating these findings within 5 min of seeing the upward trend of lactate accumulation (talking testing protocol here). For 16 min I held 230 watts and 165 bpm and found the following from a lactate response perspective:

0-4 min: 1.8 mmol, 4-8 min: 2.0 mmol, 8-12 min: 1.8 mmol, and from 12-16 min:1.9 mmol

As you can see the body was very capable of processing the lactate that was being produced. There was no major spiking seen in this 16 min window. With this trend I was left to believe that this new LBP was validated.

I will execute this test again and do further analysis to fine tune these findings in about 4 weeks. At this time I will execute a 15 min window at a set wattage and HR below the tested LBP (collecting blood 3 times at 5 min intervals), 15 min at the LBP (collecting blood 3 times at 5 min intervals) , and then 15 min above the LBP(collecting blood 3 times at 5 min intervals) to validate the numbers. Probably way too much info, but I thought some would want to know.

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Lots to share since the last post. So, I will summarize below of some relevant workouts and the lessons learned (we all must learn after all or this is all a waste of time):

10 miler on HCP 1.5 mile loop (July 11)
- 2 PM at the 'hottest' time of the day
- averaged 7:03 miles
- went out way too fast; 6:30s for miles 1 and 2
- Lesson Learned: please slow down in the opening miles at IML (I/we will likely have no other choice)

2 x 20 min at FTP (316 watts) w/ 5 min recovery per (July 13)
- one of my favorite workouts for it hurts the most and promotes race specific adaptations
- graph summarizes the workout
- Lesson Learned: still need to expose legs to low RPM efforts (80-90) to be more well rounded


Metabolic Effect #2 - Lower Body Focus
- absolutely insane workout
- the video clip below sums things up well (taking forever to upload...will try later)
- Lesson Learned: to improve your game you must be able to deal w/ pain

Week 6 Totals, etc (drop in volume per medial plica syndrome flare up mid-week)