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Home > The Conscious Runner Podcast > TCR005 | Coach’s Corner: Lactate Threshold Training & Small Things Mattering Most
Podcast: The Conscious Runner Podcast
Episode:

TCR005 | Coach’s Corner: Lactate Threshold Training & Small Things Mattering Most
Category: Health
Duration: 00:10:43
Publish Date: 2014-02-24 10:30:00
Description:

The Conscious Runner Podcast

Have you ever heard of lactic acid, lactate or lactate threshold training?

Over the years lactic acid has gotten a pretty bad reputation. It’s been blamed for fatigue, sore muscles, cramps and is often thought of as something to avoid at all cost.

The truth is lactic acid isn’t as bad as we thought. At least not the lactate part of it.

Research discovered lactate plays a critical role in generating energy during exercise. Woot! Woot!

Not to get too scientific, but when your body makes lactic acid it actually splits into lactate ion (an intermediate product of carbohydrate metabolism in the muscles) and hydrogen ion.

It is the hydrogen ion (the acid portion of lactic acid) that interferes with electrical signals in your muscles and nerves, slows energy reactions, impairs muscle contractions and ultimately forces you to stop, slow down or blurt out expletives!

Why you care about this

You care about this because the higher your lactate threshold is, the faster you’ll be able to run for longer periods of time.

Your body produces lactate every time you use your muscles, and the lactate in your blood usually stays at a pretty steady level. During intense exercise, though, lactate builds up faster than it can be flushed out of your blood — this is your lactate threshold. When you cross your lactate threshold, you feel tired, and you might even feel a burn in your muscles.

The good news is you can raise the point at which the acid forces you to slow down or stop by performing lactate threshold workouts. That’s why every coach in the universe wants their runners to train at lactate threshold (LT) intensity. It is a powerful and efficient way to build fitness.

What’s in the episode

In this episode I talk about lactate threshold training and three workouts you can do to boost your lactate threshold.

In the inspirational segment of the show, I share a short story about small things mattering most.

If you like the show, be sure to give it a review in iTunes.

Your running will thank you!
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