Threshold Training
Lactate threshold – What is it?
Your lactate threshold is the point at which lactate is produced and accumulates in the blood at a faster rate than it can be removed, which leads to fatigue. Threshold training is designed to raise this point and subsequently helping you to build faster running speeds and greater endurance.
What does lactate threshold mean?
When we exercise, we break down glucose to create energy. Lactate and hydrogen ions are produced as a part of this process and enter the bloodstream. When you run or move at slower paces your body clears these by-products with ease and uses lactate as an energy source. When you run harder, these by-products increase in your blood above their baseline – and at this point, you hit what is called your lactate threshold.
Confusing or what?
But to break it down further you can simply go by feel. Controlled discomfort is a good way to think of running a lactate turnpoint – a 7 to 8 out of 10, or a level at which you could still speak two or three words. This may be a less accurate way of measuring it but for recreational runners it’s probably an easier way of working it out and is possibly more sustainable. Sometimes, we can get too caught up in the numbers and neglect trying to get a true feel of the run.
A few ideas of how this can work –
1. Straight threshold sessions
- Do a food warm up and include 15 to 25 minutes of running at threshold effort before doing a gentle cool down.
- If you are feeling in good form you can try adding a surge of 30 to 60 seconds every five minutes, up to your 5K or 10K pace. This will improve your ability to clear the lactate. (You would need to have an idea of what pace you run a 5k or 10k and sometimes this is difficult to gauge so check previous race times to work these out).
2. Progression runs
- Start easy and gradually build to include a block of threshold running nearer the end of a continuous run. For example, run 15 minutes easy, then 15 minutes steady, then 15 minutes at threshold effort.
- Alternatively on a good day you might want to choose a flat or rolling route and run out for 22 minutes, building to a steady effort. Then, turn around and run the same route back, aiming to finish your run in 40 minutes. You could try this on a Monday night club session and just pick the speed up once you have turned at 10/20 minutes depending on the session.
3. Split threshold sessions
- Splitting threshold sessions into long efforts with short, easy or steady recoveries can help you to extend the amount of time you spend at threshold effort, or run slightly quicker while keeping your intensity under control.
e.g. – run 6 x 5 minutes with 60-second easy recoveries,
or 3 x 10-15 minutes with 2-minute easy-to-steady recoveries.
- Split threshold sessions allow you to vary your paces. Try running efforts of 12 minutes, 10 minutes, 8 minutes and 4 minutes, with 90-second recoveries between each. Start at a pace you could hold for 60 to 70 minutes in a race, then work down to a race pace you could hold for 30 to 45 minutes.
Source: Various