Exercise Testing Part I... VO2max

Earlier this month I underwent some graded exercise testing at Duke University.  The objective was to find my (run) VO2max, lactate threshold, and max heart rate.  VO2max is a measure of aerobic capacity.  Also referred to as maximal oxygen consumption, VO2max is a test of cardiovascular fitness.  In practical terms, your VO2max represents the highest level of 'work' your body can function at for any length of time.  From a well executed VO2max test This is expressed in milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min).  A person's VO2max is found during a graded exercise (in my case, treadmill) test in which exhaled levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide are measured while exercise intensity increases every few minutes until exhaustion.  You may have seen this test depicted before on TV.  A Gatorade commercial comes to mind for me, a person running at near max effort wearing a mask with tubing from a mouthpiece leading to a computer that analyzes the runners expired gases.

The physiologic characteristics that come together to make up a person's VO2max are largely genetic.  Heart size, heart rate, stroke volume (amount of blood pumped with each beat/stroke), muscle fiber composition are some of the more rigid physiological influences of VO2max.  This is not to say that your VO2max can't be increased through training.  Fitness level, muscle capillary/mitochondrial density, and optimal power to body weight ratio (losing excess body fat) are all responses to training that can have a positive impact on your VO2max.  Think of this in terms of exercise efficiency.  As your body adapts and becomes increasingly fit as a response to aerobic training, many of the physiologic characteristics listed above fine tune themselves, making you a more efficient aerobic machine.  This in turn can have a positive impact on your maximal aerobic working capacity (VO2max). 


VO2max is a great indicator of a person's endurance capacity, but not the best indicator of training efficiency or race performance.  (A better indicator of predicted race performance is lactate threshold, which will be discussed in my next post.)  Generally speaking, the more aerobically fit you are, the higher your tested VO2max should be.  That being said, there are documented cases of world class male distance runners with VO2max values hovering around 60 ml/kg/min, and multiple instances of local 10k weekend warriors that have tested in the 75+ mil/kg/min range.  Steve Prefontaine (American distance runner) had a tested VO2max of 84.4 mil/kg/min.  American cyclist Lance Armstrong has tested at 83.8 mil/kg/min.  Norwegian cross country skier Espen Harald Bjerke holds the distinction of having the highest VO2max ever recorded...96.0 mil/kg/min!  If you were wondering, I tested at 70.0 mil/kg/min.  Hardly a Norwegian X-country skier.


Here you can find some age graded VO2max reference norms for men and women.  Check back soon, my next post will deal with lactate threshold/max heart rate values and how they relate to training.  Thanks for reading.


jw

 

 

       

Chickamaunga Battefield Half Marathon Race Report

This past weekend Leigh and I were lucky enough to spend some time in Chattanooga, Tennessee for a short holiday with several of our incredible friends from our time in Birmingham.  While I guess the official reason for the gathering was to be the Chickamaunga Battlefield half and full marathon, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was a little more excited to catch up with friends than for a cold, hilly foot race.

 

I didn't know much about the CBM, other than that it's supposed to be a really pretty course, and that every year it sells out well in advance.  I was really stoked for a three day weekend and a little vacation with Leigh and friends, but I was still 100% committed to turning out a good effort on race morning.  One thing that I've noticed as I (try) to mature as an athlete is that I have the ability to turn on or off my competitive juices fairly quickly.  I've always thought that the ability to keep a level head is an underrated quality for an endurance athlete to possess.  I try to ride emotional highs and lows without letting nervous energy take over.  Fortunately I can stay pretty relaxed and just sort of roll with the punches leading right up to the start of an event, but without exception- when it's time to toe the line I am ready to fight to the death.


This was definitely my approach at Chickamaunga, keeping things light and loose the day before and even the morning of- but as I stood on the starting line I was thinking about what I needed to do to win.  There were certainly unknowns- I wasn't familiar with the course or any of the half dozen or so fast looking dudes on the start line who I assumed would make up the lead pack after the gun (or cannon).  

I forgot to mention, the race is held on an old Civil War battleground, and let me tell you- they take their Civil War history pretty seriously around here.  There were bearded dudes in navy coats and grey coats milling about complete with muskets and sabers, and the these fine characters started the race for us with a blast from a cannon on wheels that looked like it was from Black Beard's pirate ship!


Right from the gun one guy took off out front, separating himself from me and 4 others within the first 200 meters.  He seemed to be daring anyone to run with him, and I was pretty sure he wasn't going to last long in the lead with the pace he was trying to establish.  I ran the first 2 miles on the rolling trail with the chase group, coming through in 12:15.  This was a little off my goal pace of 6 min/mile, so I picked it up just a touch, and the other guys were content to let me slip off the front of the pack.  That is the way it stayed for the next 40 minutes or so- I trailed the leader by about :30 seconds, with 2 or 3 in the chase group another :45 seconds behind me.  I was still having a hard time believing that the rather 'mature' looking dude in the lead was going to hold his sub 6 min pace for the entire 13.1 miles, but at mile 10 I still hadn't closed the gap.  It was right about mile 10 that I hit a rough patch.  I took in a gel and tried to focus on form and economy, and I slowly dragged myself through a minor come apart, but I lost a few more seconds.  I lost sight of the leader at each curve in the path, and picked him up again at the top of each hill.  At mile 12 there was no one in sight behind me, and he was maybe :50 seconds up the road in front.  I fought like hell to reel him in, but it just wasn't my day. 

I finished 2nd in 1:20:56, and although I was :10 seconds/mile off my goal time, I was fairly pleased with the effort.  I try to treat event as a totally new learning experience, and I definitely took something from this race.  In the future if I find myself near the leaders early in a race- I need to suck it up, hang with them and see what happens.  By making assumptions about what would happen later in the race consciously letting dude get away- I effectively took myself out of the race.  I never gave myself a chance, and that's something I won't let happen again.

Race results can be found here:   http://chattanoogatrackclub.org/raceResults/results/raceResults_239.txt       

FFTTP (read: An Epic Weekend)

     This past weekend I fell into the good fortune and great opportunity to be a part of Fast Forward Triathlon's fall training camp in rustic White Lake, North Carolina.  Hosted by Pro Alex McDonald and Elite Coach David Williams, this camp was designed as a last big training block before a fall race for some, but for me this weekend represented the start of offseason base building.  Despite my inclusion, this camp brought together some of the southeast's more serious amateur triathletes, and I was stoked to be rubbing elbows with some very skilled and experienced athletes.


     Good friend and training partner Hallie Blunck made her way over from Birmingham, Alabama, and Friday morning we hit the road for White Lake before sunrise, fired up for a hard bike session upon arriving in White Lake.  The first workout of the day did not disappoint, as 15 eager riders set out for a 55 mile cruise through Singletary Lake State park and the surrounding countryside.  The ride was the key workout of the day, and the tempo was jumpy and quick from the start on a crisp fall morning.  With a rotating paceline of strong riders, the group quickly fractured, and by the second hour it became a 4 or 5 person smashfest with a 2 minute pull off the front.  The most fun I've had riding a time trial bike in a long time.  The rest of the day brought a big lunch, a wetsuit legal drill swim in Singletary lake, and a progressive tempo run with a couple of mates to flush the legs.  After a pasta dinner, I crawled into bed at the late hour of 8pm, crushed from the day. My belly was full and my legs were weary, and I was determined to rest hard so that I could hop right back into the mix the next morning.

Our swimming hole for the weekend, Singletary Lake at the start of another great day.

     Saturday brought an early run with drills on a chilly morning, followed by breakfast- and my new favorite thing in the entire world....pancakes garnished with greek yogurt and strawberry jam.  AMAZING, but maybe not suggested for those counting every last breakfast calorie.  Saturday afternoon was reserved for a another bike bike loop and a strong open water swim in White Lake.  My open water swimming skills leave something to be desired, and the two swims at camp were a huge opportunity to work on this weakness.

    After a long run Sunday morning on the fire roads of Singletary State Park forest (and one more big pancake breakfast), I headed home determined to rest and fully absorb this short, planned overreach.  I met some great people and established a few good contacts.  Most important was that I had a ton of fun.  Crashing in a sleeping bag on a bunk at night, wearing myself out each day and gorging on summer camp style meals.  No cell phones or email and showers were at a premium- It was an incredible weekend.  

A big thanks to Alex McDonald of Fast Forward Triathlon, Dave Williams of Triangle Multisport, and Lawrence Garcia of InsideOut Sports for making everything happen!     

Battle of the Bridges Triathlon- A Family Affair

Earlier this month Leigh and I headed south for visit with our parents, and a little racing in Melbourne, Florida.  As excited as I was to race again, I've gotta say that it was even better to spend a little time with my parents and my in-laws in the sunshine state.  The Health First Battle of the Bridges Triathlon had always been on my radar while I was living in Gainesville, but I never managed to get over to the Atlantic coast for it.  Earlier this summer Leigh decided this race was to be her first crack at an olympic distance tri, and I was immediately stoked for her journey- as well as some flat and fast racing.

Leigh had a great experience, and I'm really proud of her.  Like many triathletes (myself included), running is her first love- but holy smokes can that girl ride a bike!  With rather limited time to train, my wife put together a :30 minute swim, a 1:20 bike split, and a :48 minute run.  She finished in 2:42:26, winning the F25-29 age group.  Did I mention that this was her first Oly tri ever??  My favorite part of the whole day was when I made a left turn on the run course to start the steep trek up the causeway, and I saw Leigh absolutely MASHING down the causeway off ramp to finish the bike.  Down in the drops, teeth gritted, pushing a big gear- an incredible sight to see.  

In case you couldn't quite tell from the tone of this post, I'm a huge fan of my wife- but I really admire anyone who makes the often unnerving decision to step outside themselves to meet a self imposed challenge.  There is nothing more inspiring to me than seeing someone commit to a goal where the outcome is uncertain.  I feel strongly that those are the moments in life that you learn the most about yourself.    


Although Leigh was the star of the day, here's a brief rundown of my experience on race day.  The weather conditions were great on race morning, cool (for central FL) with almost no breeze.  With the swim being held in the Indian river, I was anticipating a calm, fast swim.  I was in a large swim wave, and when the gun went off I fought hard to establish a good position before the first turn in the rectangular swim loop.  Hopping on some feet, I was able to settle into a nice rhythm, and I came out of the water in 6th position.  The 43K bike course was pancake flat- except for the two large causeways that span the Indian River, and give the race it's name.  These bridges were small chain ring climbs for sure.  I was hoping that I'd be able to overtake a few ahead of me on the bike course.  My legs felt great, but I came in off the bike course in the same position I started (6th).  After I rather goofy/slow T2, I was off on the run course to see if I could hunt some dudes down.  The first part of the run course was really pretty, unique looking houses and big oaks along the river.  I was pressing a bit in the first two miles, putting myself out there and hoping to hold off any meltdowns.  Surprisingly, I was rewarded with my aggressive pace out of T2, and I found a pretty good cadence that I was able to hold for the duration of the 10k.  A few of the guys in front of me were paying for their big efforts on the bike, and by the time I crested the Pineda Causeway at mile 5, I had run my way into 2nd place.  That's where I finished- second overall, and somehow I found myself with the days best run split (37:24).

Race results for the Health First Battle of the Bridges Triathlon can be found here:
http://www.racesmith.com/results/2011results/HealthFirstTriathlonOlympic100211ag.html

Staying the Course

"Keep things simple, train hard, and be consistent with what you do."

Short, sweet, and full of truth.  Pound for pound, the above might be one of the more powerful things I have heard- and its something I repeat to myself often when I am tired, in the middle of a big training block, or otherwise lacking motivation.  As a relatively new endurance athlete, one of the harsher truths I have learned during this journey is that triathlon is a sport that rewards consistency over a period of years.  After a (very) small amount of success racing last season, I figured that my ascension in this sport would incremental and fairly rapid.  I couldn't have been more wrong about that, but I am buoyed by the fact that I have been turned on to the formula for athletic improvement.  It happens to be pretty simple.  

1.  Train hard- positive changes in fitness are triggered by progressively and specifically overloading the body system you hope to improve.

2.  Keep things simple- An athlete who adheres to structured daily efforts will always trump the athlete who compensates for sporadic training with crazy complex/hard, yet inconsistent sessions. 

3.  Be consistent-  This is the most important, yet probably the hardest part of the winning formula to adhere to, yet it's as simple as it sounds.  As I said above- athletic success is rewarded by consistency over a period of years, not weeks.  Be the one who shows up daily, and eventually you will experience the fruits of your labor.

Until next time,

jw