A First Lactate Threshold Test

Last week I had the pleasure(?) of heading to CSU's labs at 6am on a Wednesday. Why you ask? I got some Source Endurance testing done through who I am coached. I've never done an LT test before, so I'll admit I was a little apprehensive and just ready to get it over with. After a bit of a warm up on a computrainer sort of set up, the bike was adjusted to a tempo sort of zone. Each zone I held for `10 minutes, while getting my blood taken through a finger prick every 4 minutes or so. It wasn't so bad and definitely helped there was a lot going on in the room to keep from boredom :)

Eventually, my body wasn't able to flush the lactate as well and my threshold was found before I was even suffering too bad. I guess that's why it's called threshold ;-) I'm really excited to have the ability to get tested so close to home (affordable too!) and am eager for it to help really dial in my training this year and to re-test at the peak of my season.

I also opted to conclude the test with a DEXA scan which measures your bone density, lean muscle mass, and is also the most accurate measurement of body fat. From that we were able to determine an optimal race weight for power-to-weight ratio, assuming muscle isn't lost. It turns out, I have some super dense bones...perhaps that's why my shoulder fracture healed so speedily!

Both are definitely a great resource to have and I'd highly recommend it!