Discussion: HR monitor

Based on what we were talking about at the track - trying to figure out your HR at aerobic threshold - the fourth loop looks about right, but I'm not sure why the fifth's average would be that much lower. Make sure you've got gotten those sensors good and wet before putting the HR monitor on; helps with transmission.

I'm not sure our thresholds are that similar - my aerobic threshold is 187 bpm, and I am guessing yours is closer to 175ish. But, for a progressive workout like that, as long as you're seeing an increasing effort, that's good. My averages were L1, L2, L2, L3, L3 for the loops.

Yeah, I'm sometimes not very careful about putting it on.
And what do L1, L2, and L3 mean? The different paces we used for college workouts were LT, CV, and various race paces.

right, runners. L1 is like easy/long pace, ~<75% HRmax. L2 is junk mile pace, slightly harder than aerobic easy pace, ~75-85% HRmax. L3 is LT pace, tempo, all below actual lactate threshold, ~85-90% HRmax. L4 is pushing your threshold, 90-95ish % HRmax, I guess your interval pace, but still below LT. L5 is above your LT, race pace for <800m, sprints, etc.

What's CV?

I think it's about 12k pace, and we did a lot of them towards the beginning of the season. For rest, we did about 90 seconds of jogging for CV miles.

I haven't read this, but it looks like it's describing the same thing: http://www.championshipproductions.com/files/xc-02...

Perhaps my understanding of physiology is inadequate, but I don't follow this part of the argument:

Critical velocity ...[is] the highest intensity of exercise
you could exert indefinitely without fatigue.

It has also been noted that once you begin exercising at a pace faster than your critical velocity, you will reach VO2MAX over time. By training at the critical velocity, then, you can maintain a high percentage of your VO2 MAX and a lactate steady state for the duration of the individual reps of your workout, thereby initiating both VO2 MAX and lactate threshold improvements.

Where has it been noted and how does it follow that activity faster than critical velocity will eventually reach VO2MAX? By definition, it seems to me that "CV" will be slower than lactate threshold; while the "lactate steady state" will be attained - in the sense that lactate will not be increasing, it will very nearly be zero. I question the last sentence, on which much of the argument is premised.

I guess I'm most dissatisfied with the definition of CV and with the assertion that VO2 will converge to VO2_max for a vaguely defined speed which apparently is faster than lactate threshold but not really.

CV basically sounds like a magical velocity that is:
1) faster than LT but maintains a lactate steady state
2) sustainable for 45 minutes but the slowest speed you can maintain without hitting VO2 max