Faster Than A Speeding Bullett...

but not quite as powerful as a locomotive!!!

First off let me address all the naysayers out there and clarify...yes that is indeed my body...okay, now that we've got that out of the way let me tell you about my first Lactate Test experience...

Let's get a little background...Lactate (acid) is a metabolic biproduct that is produced in various parts throughout the human body, mainly in the muscles during strenuous physical activity (like endurance running). Once lactate buildup becomes too much for your body to handle your muscles simply shut down...it's not permanent, but chances are you're going to end up falling flat on your face and not finish the race...plus you're gonna look like a Super Chump...kind of like me in that picture!!!

Anyhow, the purpose of the Lactate Test is to determine the maximum speed of running that your body can handle, before the lactate buildup becomes too much. The results are different for everybody, but can be extremely useful in tweaking something like a marathon training program.

Here's how it all went down...
I showed up at Tri and Run Sports in Trenton, got my gear on and hopped on the treadmill. Sandy (trainer extrordinaire) was kind enough to let me get a quick (10 minute) warmup in before attempting to kill me. After my warmup, I got to stretch, and grab a quick drink of water, then back on the treadmill...I'm not sure at what pace I started running, but it was pretty average (around 6 mph or a 10 minute mile). I should note I was hooked up to a wireless heart monitor. Okay, so I was running and Sandy was taking my heartrate, and every 3 minutes increasing my speed substantialy, she told me this was going to continue until I felt like I couln't take it anymore. It was a little crazy, and I made it to around 19 minutes and I was flying...sure, I was having a little trouble breathing, but the part that was concerning me was the fact that my legs were moving faster than they ever had before, and I really felt like I was going to lose control and smash my face of the front of the treadmill, so I cried mercy and that part of the test was over. Now what this told us was that my maximum heart rate is 197 bpm, which just happens to be 5 bpm higher than the average 28 year old male, so that's a good thing, despite the fact I was probably 30 seconds from my heart exploding!!!

So here I was thinking I was done when Sandy asks me if I was ready to start running again...I was like are you freakin' serious??? She was!
So I got to start running again, nice and slow to start, then she takes my finger and pricks it to take a blood sample on a strip, and puts it into a device similar to a blood/glucose monitor, except it was a blood/lactate monitor. She gradually increased my speed as she saw fit and took a new blood sample every 5 minutes. This went on for another 45 minutes...then I was finally done. The purpose of this part of the test was to see where my lactate levels would max out and at which point my heart rate would increase again, as it was still decreasing from the first part of the crazy test.

After all of this, the data was entered into a computer program and we reviewed the results...
essentially my new training pace (now called Zone 1 - Easy) is 8:52 per mile, which is considerably faster then my old 11:33 pace. And my speed training pace (now called Zone 3 - Speed) will now be 7:50 per mile, which means when I'm doing speed training I'm not supposed to run any slower then 7:50...that's pretty freakin' fast man!!! Also, it was determined that my body could theoretically run the marathon (42.2km) in under 4 hours, which is super duper insane considering when I set out on this adventure all I wanted to do was finish!!!

Anyhow, I've got 3 more of these run till you want to die, or maybe puke your guts out tests before the marathon...the next one in 8 weeks...can't wait!!!

Stay tuned for long run news on Saturday...this week we go for 90 minutes.

Will