AustrAliAn triAthlete | 71to blather below in a paper examining the
five best predictors of triathlon race time
in 2000^1. In summary these were: LT at
steady state wattage of four watts/
kilogram on the bike; lactate at 15
kilometres/hour running; cycling peak
power output; peak running velocity, and
cycling VO2 maximum - you can’t
measure all of these without a lab. But he
doesn’t mention normalised
power anywhere!
So, in homage to Danger and my chats,
usually about Hawley/Jeukendrup or
Noakes papers, let’s address the more
important measures versus the time
wasters, with the goal of spending more
time training effectively, and less time in
front of a screen trying to understand
what the numbers mean. Or, in other words,
how others are simply ‘Instagram training’!
VO2max: This is a useful number to have
measured once, in the context of finding
out a total number in litres per minute.
Knowing your maximum heart rate is
valuable, and the deflection point of
ventilatory threshold gives a solid guide
for LT. Note that bike VO2 is usually 10%
lower than a running test, because you
utilise less muscle mass (thus less
oxygen). Would I spend money on running
out and getting this testing done?
Negative. But if you’re interested in doing
this test, I’d recommend volunteering in a
study at a university or you could perform
the Hawley test described under ‘power’.Lactate threshold: When partnered with
power, this is a valuable tool. By way of
illustration, Derek Clayton ran 2:08:33 for
the marathon in Antwerp in 1969.
This stood as a world best for 12 years. It
still stacks up today as a fast time. He had
a VO2max of 70ml.min.kg - elite, but not
that elite in comparison to many who get
a VO2max into the 80’s (Cadel Evans) or
even 90’s (Bjorn Daehlie). But he could
hold ~99% of this maximum for over two
hours (i.e. Antwerp marathon). Takingblood is a drag and measuring lactate is
also costly, which is why FTP (Functional
Threshold Power) is so often used as a
20-minute test of training performance.
It’s a functional and meaningful test of
your ability to hold power, therefore a
steady state lactate.Heart rate: This is a great measure to get
to know. It is simple and easy to measure.
It is a little prone to drift and is variable
according to weather etc, but you can still
look at it with confidence once you build
experience. Danger has 20 years of Excel
spreadsheets of heart rates and uses
them to benchmark his form, year on year.
But it’s a powerful tool that he understands,
and it allows him to guide effort and
nutrition by knowing his limits. Add power,
and you have a useful data set.With the glut of information
we now try to understand on a daily
basis, are we over complicating things
just a little? — Dr Mitch