Lactate Threshold Test- Bike

When I did the lactate threshold test for the run, it went well.  My body doesn't produce alot of lactic acid and is able to quickly get rid of what it does produce.  Eventually (within a year, or maybe even later this year), I should be able to BQ (Boston Qualify)!  The people that were testing me kept saying that my body was "awesome" and that they hadn't see results like mine in a very long time.  I was excited by the news!

I was expecting similar results when I signed up for the bike test... but I should have known that wasn't going to happen.  At this point, I'd only rode the bike 2x.  I was advised by my coach to go ahead and take the test anyways.  My original plan was to wait until I had at least a month or two of rides under my belt, then take the test.

So I go and get the test done early (1 week after the run test).  It was the same drill... they took blood samples over and over again to determine the amount of lactate my body was producing as I rode at increasingly higher levels.  When I did the run test, it really seemed like I could run forever.  They kept making me go faster and faster, but physically, I couldn't feel the difference.  I honestly didn't feel like they were increasing the speed at all. 

On the bike... I WAS DYING!!  Every time they increased it, I definitely felt it.  I was sweating profusely and felt like I wasn't going to be able to keep it up for long.  For the run test, I did 12 iterations of increases and hit my lactate threshold at the 11th iteration.  For the bike test, I did 7 iterations of increases and hit my lactate threshold at the 5th iteration!  BIG DIFFERENCE, but it's to be expected since I just started biking.  This time, they weren't impressed.  It's cool though, cause next time I go back, they will be!  Anyways, because of this test, I now know the heart zones that I should be working in for my spin classes and road rides:

Zone 1:    101-123  Recovery
Zone 2:    124-137  Extensive Endurance
Zone 3:    138-143  Intensive Endurance
Zone 4:    144-153  SubThreshold
Zone 5a:  154-157  Super Threshold
Zone 5b:  158-162  Anaerobic Capacity
Zone 5c:  163-168  Power