Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Central Governor, pace, power, heart rate, lactate musings.
Quote | Reply
Be Central Governor Theory correct or not, whatever goes on in the body when we train is sensed by the unconscious parts of our brain as well as the conscious parts.
The unconscious brain is receiving all sorts of messages and sending all sort of signals back to all our systems. God knows how many factors influence fatigue and how many chemicals and hormones and other substances and electrical signals are being sent back and forth. We can measure very few of them. Heart rate was one, lactate another but these are only two things out of hundreds, thousands, millions of thing s going on in our body when we race or train. We are unaware of all that is going on but our unconscious brain or central governor is doing the job. We, or our conscious brain is only aware of what we feel in our muscles, our breathing, how hot we feel, how much muscles are hurting, how our joints are hurting, and we have the ability to ignore or listen to these signals.

Some of us are better at ignoring pain than others. But no matter how well motivated and how hard we try to override these feelings and pains which tell us to slow down, we all inevitably have to slow down or are unable to increase our pace at some point, even if an Olympic gold medal is at stake.

It doesn't really matter what the heart rate is, or what blood lactate is, or any other physiological measure, all that matters is you are able to sustain the pace or power output or you are not. The conscious mind can't override the unconscious mind by much and certainly not for very long.

So, as far as training goes what is the point of measuring anything other than pace or power?

Suppose I'm running and I have heart rate and blood lactate read outs. Suppose heart rate is drifting upwards over what is normally sustainable and blood lactate is drifting over what I'm usually able to tolerate, but I feel fine, still have my breathing under control and the legs feel ok, should I slow down? Or what if heart rate is lower but lactate higher and pace is normal? Should I ignore how I feel and follow lactate?

Surely you would base any decisions you make upon pace and feel.

Dr Coggan once asked, what actionable intelligence can you gain from measuring heart rate when you know power? Or words to that effect, I can't answer that question and I haven't seen or heard anyone else answer it.

What actionable intelligence can be gained from measuring blood lactate when you have pace or power? I can't answer that, can you?
Last edited by: William Ockham: Sep 28, 14 7:57
Quote Reply
Re: Central Governor, pace, power, heart rate, lactate musings. [William Ockham] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
""""""So, as far as training goes what is the point of measuring anything other than pace or power? ****you want to burden yourself with analysis?

should I slow down? ****If you are racing me in the M40-44, unequivocally the answer is yes. But really only you can answer that

Or what if heart rate is lower but lactate higher and pace is normal? Should I ignore how I feel and follow lactate? *****maybe, but you should be weighing options

what actionable intelligence can you gain from measuring heart rate when you know power? *****We've discussed this <100 times on this board

What actionable intelligence can be gained from measuring blood lactate when you have have pace or power? I can't answer that, can you?"""" ******It's cool to know a number but impractical unless you're going to be training with a portable analyzer. A simple field test is highly correlated with lab testing.

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Quote Reply
Re: Central Governor, pace, power, heart rate, lactate musings. [William Ockham] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
William Ockham wrote:
What actionable intelligence can be gained from measuring blood lactate when you have pace or power? I can't answer that, can you?

Blood lactate or heart rate might be superior to pace in running when the elevation profile isn't flat.

Also a couple of people have caught medical heart related problems early by measuring heart rate. So there is that.



Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter
Last edited by: jackmott: Sep 28, 14 8:02
Quote Reply
Re: Central Governor, pace, power, heart rate, lactate musings. [jackmott] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
jackmott wrote:
William Ockham wrote:
What actionable intelligence can be gained from measuring blood lactate when you have pace or power? I can't answer that, can you?

Blood lactate or heart rate might be superior to pace in running when the elevation profile isn't flat.

Also a couple of people have caught medical heart related problems early by measuring heart rate. So there is that.

But I would know when I'm going up a slope and would regulate effort accordingly, I would always go with feel not heart rate or lactate.
Quote Reply
Re: Central Governor, pace, power, heart rate, lactate musings. [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
All,

Please don't feed the troll.
Quote Reply
Re: Central Governor, pace, power, heart rate, lactate musings. [Andrew Coggan] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
+1

And he's probably stolen his 'name' too!

Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)
Last edited by: PhilipShambrook: Sep 28, 14 11:31
Quote Reply
Post deleted by sharkbait_au [ In reply to ]
Last edited by: sharkbait_au: Sep 28, 14 16:19