I am ramping up the intensity as I enter my tenth week of training. I’m incorporating a weekly tempo session (3x 10 min), a weekly threshold session (6x 1 mile), and a 30-minute MTB race. I am in the base phase, preparing for the summer track season (Jan onwards), so I am not pushing myself too hard in any of my sessions. My current training phase aims to improve my lactate threshold by using a lactate meter to determine the pace or power I can maintain without accumulating lactate. Using a lactate meter allows me to track my progress more accurately.
Using my 6x 1 mile threshold session as an example of using a lactate meter.
I based my threshold run power on my recent 10km cross-country run, around 390 W. During my 6x 1 mile session, I tested my lactate levels after intervals #2, #4, and #6. In the first week, my lactate levels were 5.7 mmol at #2, which was higher than my goal of 4 mmol. I decided to reduce my power from 390 W to 380 W to avoid overdoing it. After reps #4 and #6, my readings were 2.1 and 2.8 mmol, respectively. For me, 2-3 mmol is tempo (zone 3), so I’m not sure what was up with that first reading, but it appears it was unusually high. Like all training metrics, lactate isn’t perfect! I used this information to guide my Wednesday tempo, knowing that 380W wasn’t producing lactates higher than 3 mmol. I should have taken lactates during my 3x 10min to double-check, but it’s an annoying amount of admin to test all the time, especially when I’m wearing running gloves. By the way, this is why I just bought a treadmill (I will update next week).
Over the weekend, I increased my target from 390 W to 400 W for the 1-mile reps. After the second interval, I got a reading of 5.9 mmol, similar to the week before, which was an error. I continued at 400 W for the following two intervals and got a reading of 6.3 mmol after the fourth interval. Despite being high, it was still within 1 mmol of 5.9 mmol, so I held at 400 W. After the 6th interval, I got a reading of 9.7 mmol, indicating that I had crossed the ‘threshold’ barrier around the fourth interval. Therefore, I'll use 400 Watts as my pacing number for my upcoming 10K race this Sunday.
Going Big
I banged out another 120 km (75 mi) week along with an MTB race, which gave me my biggest training load for the year. Even bigger than my ultramarathon weeks! I’ve been running with Michael Voss, who is preparing for half marathon world champs, so now most of my aerobic runs are a way higher load than jogging at ultramarathon pace.
Week Ten - Strava Link
📊10:21 hrs total (TSS 712)
🏃7x Run = 8:47hrs (122km), 1301m 📈
🚵1x MTB = 1:34hr (25km)
Tues - Aerobic Run 1:08min (15km)
Wed - 3x 10min Tempo 1:12min (18km) - MTB XC Race - 90min, 25km
Thurs - Aerobic Run 1:08min (17km)
Throwback to when I got my lactate meter before they were in vogue. A bit cringe, but you gotta start somewhere!