Speed training: Beyond the burn

[Source: Runner's World, February 2009]

How training above your lactate threshold can teach your body to push harder for longer periods of time.

By Ed Eyestone


Runners have long feared lactic acid. We've always viewed it as something that tires us out during a race and makes us sore afterward. In high school, I can remember my buddy Jeff propping his legs up after a race and shaking them back and forth, explaining, "I'm draining the lactic acid out of my legs." In college I would endure long massages, believing that it would flush the evil brew out of my muscles, taking my soreness with it. It was like a bad houseguest that would hang around causing trouble until it was physically removed.

In recent years, studies have shown that we've had it all wrong. Most lactic acid is quickly removed after exercise, and it isn't to blame for postrace soreness. (That's the result of microtrauma to the muscles.) It isn't useless either; it contains an important fuel source for high-intensity running. With the right training, we can delay the onset of lactic acid accumulation, and improve our body's capacity to use it for fuel.

Lactic acid is a byproduct that's created when we burn glycogen without oxygen as we run. The higher the intensity of the run, the more lactic acid we create. In the blood, it breaks down into lactate and hydrogen ions. The lactate gets processed and converted into fuel by the mitochondria, energy factories in our cells. No problem there. It's those hydrogen ions that cause all the trouble.

When hydrogen ions accumulate, it becomes difficult for the muscles to contract. That makes running feel more strenuous, and causes that distinct burning sensation we feel after a challenging workout. Fortunately, we can train our bodies to become better at buffering hydrogen ions so we can run harder and delay the time it takes for that burning to set in. We do that by running beyond our lactate threshold-the intensity at which lactic acid begins to accumulate in our blood. This also trains the body to become better at using lactic acid as a fuel.

In a 2006 study at the University of Western Australia, researchers found that athletes who worked out at 120 to 140 percent of lactate threshold three days a week for five weeks improved their ability to buffer hydrogen ions by about 25 percent. In athletes who worked at a lower intensity-95 percent of lactate threshold-buffer capacity stayed the same.

By running beyond your lactic-acid threshold with the workouts below, you train your body to more efficiently process it into a fuel, and at the same time, improve your capacity to buffer those hydrogen ions. All of which will help you run faster, longer.


Fast Work, Big Rewards

Try one of these workouts every two or three weeks instead of an interval session. Run the repeats at your 800-meter pace, or at about 90 percent of all-out effort.

Interval - Recovery
6 x 300 - 2 minutes
4 x 400 - 4 minutes
8 x 200 - 90 seconds

CYCLING PERFORMANCE TIPS
Riding into a Headwind


A headwind will significantly increase your pedaling effort and affect your cycling performance (particularly if you are riding at competitive speeds). Why? The relationship between your effective air speed (ground speed plus head wind speed) and the resistance to pedaling (energy needs to overcome this resistance) is an exponential one. This means that doubling your air speed will MORE THAN double the Calories expended per mile traveled.(This graph visually demonstrates that relationship.) And the graph also shows us that adding a 5 mile per hour headwind to a ground speed of 20 miles per hour has a much greater affect on you total energy requirements per mile than if you are riding at a recreational pace of 10 mph.

Are there any secrets to dealing with a headwind? A good attitude is probably the best. You can't do anything about it till the road turns, so welcome the wind as an aid to becoming a better rider. Think of it as a form of hill climbing (at slower speeds, each 5 mph of wind speed equals ~1% of grade i.e. a 20-mph headwind would equal a 4% hill). Then it becomes a challenge rather than something to hate for part of your ride. Here are several other ideas:

Get down. Get aero and hone your riding position. When riding into a headwind, watch your computer and notice how small postural changes affect your speed. Get low with your back almost horizontal. Try aligning your head and back, but without keeping your head so low that your back is hunched. In fact, if you try to keep your chin on the stem, it actually increases the turbulence and wind resistance as the air travels over your back.Keep your elbows in to minimize your frontal area instead of splayed outward. Then bend them a little more to see what happens. Hold them in line with your body . A second tip is to eliminate the side to side motion of your head. So keep that head still and your chin 4 to 6 inches above the stem.When you find your most efficient position, it'll give you greater speed with less effort in calm air, too.
Gear down. Pushing your normal gear into a wind is hard on your knees (and your motivation). Just as with a hill, drop down a gear or two to allow you to maintain your normal cadence.
Don't fight to keep a set speed. Remember, to maintain 18 mph into a 10-mph headwind you need about twice the effort as when riding 18 on a calm day. Gear down and work on a fluid spin. If you are riding in a paceline, rotate more often and in slower motion.

Don't wear a loose fitting jacket. A baggy jacket can act like a drogue chute, flapping loudly and slowing you down. An alternative might be a jersey with a wind stopper under it - a piece of wind proof material or even a plastic bag will keep the cold air off your chest.
If possible, start rides into the wind. Do battle while you're fresh, then let the gale blow you home.

Time your ride. Wind is usually lighter in the early morning or in the evening. If you start your ride a little earlier, the headwind could be relatively tame before you're treated to a roaring tailwind on the return trip.

Watch for cross winds., especially on roads with truck traffic. When you're leaning left to maintain a straight line and a passing vehicle momentarily blocks the wind, you might veer into the lane. Fight the tendency by keeping your elbows loose and upper body relaxed.
Pedal downhill. Your bike will be more stable on descents if you're applying even a little power to the rear wheel. But especially on a windy day when you're being buffeted on descents, shifting to a high gear and pedaling will give you a noticeable edge in stability. Coasting lets the wind push you farther off your line.

Get shelter. Pick a route with trees, buildings, stone walls or other wind blockers.
Keep a good mental attitude. Stay positive. Wind, day after day, can beat you down mentally. But head winds actually help improve fitness.

Are there any drills to improve your riding in windy conditions? If you have hills, doing hill work comes the closest. As an alternative, you can find a gear that lets you pedal easily at 80 to 100 rpm, and then shift 2 to 3 cogs harder for 15 to 20 minutes - a simulated hill interval. Then recover for 10 minutes and do it again. And of course focus on keeping your head still, which is a challenge as you slow the rpms and start to use your body to compensate.