Mike Ricci's LT TT Test... (Page 2)

Hi there,

I don't really understand the question - how does LT correlate to Avg HR? We are looking for avg HR during an LT test to get your training zones.

What were you heart rates for the 5k and for the test? Thanks.

Thanks for posting the summary. I honestly don't have time to look at links or read logs - that type of attention is definitely in the 'personal coaching' arena.

I think you can go with a number around 160-162 until you get the LT test done with the proper protocol.

I've been reading "Daniel's Running Formula" recently and Jack suggests that a your average HR for a 5k race is approximately 105% of your LT.  If that's the case then your LT would be about 185bpm.  That's a right on target with what Mike is suggesting as well as your LT test

186! Good job!

Sorry, I would go with 188. You are comparing apples and oranges. One was a 5k with competition against others, and one was solo. Did you eat, sleep, and rest EXACTLY the same for the two tests? Did you run the same exact course? IF you follow the protocol that I use, and warm exactly the same each time (15-20' wu, and 4x20" strides), then run 30 minutes all out, taking the average of the last 20', you are then using a PROVEN protocol that works and gets results. Right now, you are taking two random runs and trying to see which is better and they probably aren't even close to being alike.

So - my opinion its 188 - I wouldn't worry about 1-2 beats. Re-test again in 4 weeks. Pick a course, time of day, and rest protocol you can repeat each time and see what happens over time. It's not that hard.

Keep in mind these are estimates we're talking about here. So you've got data suggesting somewhere in the 186-188 range. I'd say that anything in that range is realistic and you can't really pick a specific number as being exactly your LT. Personally, I'd go with the lower end to be conservative. Training at a slightly lower level than optimum will give you better results than training a a level slightly higher than optimum. Think of it like this...you're better off being a little short of the edge than pushing over it and falling off the cliff.

EDIT

Mike beat me with his response.   I think we're essentially saying the same thing here though.  You need to use a consistent protocol to test each time if you want to make comparisons and 1-2bpm is nothing to lose sleep over.  Either way it's not like you're going to blow your training.