ATC 253: Benefits to Boosting Lactate Threshold, Hills v. Speedwork, Zone 2 and Ironman, Fat Malabsorption Issues, and More

February 2, 2018
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On this episode of Ask The Coaches:

  • No more KPR (points system) for the Ironman World Championships and 70.3 World Championships, after the 2018 races. It is going back to a slot allocation system for pros! Our thoughts, and why we think this is a great thing.
  • Zone 2 and Ironman:
    • Is Z2 the right effort for Ironman?
    • What happens when Z2 ends up being painfully slow on both the bike and run – despite training 10-15 hours a week at 80% Z2?
    • If you’re walking the IM marathon does this mean you’re not aerobically fit? Or is it cardiac drift? Or more training needed? Or what?
    • The importance of the long workouts for Ironman training.
    • How to prep if you know you’ll be close to the cutoff times in an IM.
  • Regaining mental toughness:
    • When you lose the desire to push it – why and how to get it back?
    • Will 20 x 20 milers help? In particular if a BQ is a goal.
    • How to get back the ability to enjoy a little suffering, and why a little suffering is good stuff for all of us.
    • How to overcome the desire to give up and slow down.
  • What is the best way to incorporate hills into speed training?
    • Track and hills: Is there a way to get the best of both worlds in one workout? Or best to do hills on one day speed on another?
    • The benefits of running the downhills on your hill repeats to build fitness.
    • Differences between short hill repeats (less than 1/2 mile) to long hill repeats (up to a few miles) and how to pace each – short = VO2max; long = tempo.
  • Fat malabsorption issues
    • What if you want to go low carb or Paleo but suffer from fat malabsorption?
    • Figure out gut issues that are causing the issues digesting and absorbing fat!
    • Usually FM related to: liver congestion (bile production). gallbladder insufficiency (bile release), or pancreas insufficiency (enzymes in pancreas help digest fat).
    • Tests: GI Effects, GP OAT, and a good functional practitioner to guide you.
    • Podcast with BG on how much fat we can absorb in a given feeding.
  • Does your lactate threshold HR change with increased fitness? Or does LTHR stay fairly constant? And how does this apply to setting marathon HR targets?
    • LTHR will change with increased fitness due to the ability to better handle and clear lactate.
    • But for a marathon, there’s more to setting goal HR and pace than LTHR.
    • Zone 2 & 3 training can benefit LTHR, as can training at LT.

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