Training - how to up lactate threshold over 1st km

I'm looking for help from some more seasoned racers out there.

After a lifetime of triathlon sports I am struggling with the idea of going out sooo hard in races then easing back.

On Sunday I was really happy with an overall 18km race result but now I want to know how to stay with the really fast starters.

My Garmin shows that we took off at around 16km/hr for the first 100m, edged back to around 14.1 for the next 100m then bounced around in the 12.8-13.5 zone until at the 700m mark I dropped off the top 3 paddlers, forming a second group which ended up with an avg of 12.2.

One of the first 3 paddlers was generous enough to post his garmin file up for me and I could see that although they did ease off around at around 1.2 -1.6km to where we were matching them they racheted the speed back up again and finished with a 12.7 avg

I know there is a huge gap between our two groups avg times over the 18km but I'd love a shot at seeing if I could hang with them at least to the point where they back off and then see how I go hanging on from there


Interestingly my heart rate didnt reach maximum in the initial sprint, I am thinking this maybe due to not using my core as much as I should be, because as the race went on I was actually able to lower my heart rate as I concentrated on rotation.

Apart from the obvious variables such as technique, boat type etc etc, what training do others suggest for being able to maintain this high speed longer for the start of a race?

Your HR never reached it's max because you were anaerobic.
IE, without oxygen.
So all that extra power came without using oxygen.

As you found, you can only do that for so long until you have to pay the penalty.

So you either have to lift your overall speed, so that you are not far over threshold or do training to increase your lactate tolerance to be able to hold that speed longer and to be able to come out of that high acidosis without too much loss of speed later on.

Obviously the best way is to increase you threshold, but that takes time and steady improvement (unless your training is so hopeless in structure as to not facilitate this)or to go the short term route and do lactate tolerance sessions get quick results and risk injury, sickness and a premature leveling out of your improvement an total overall development.

Tough choice, do you have short term goals or long term goals?



Now the biggest problem here stems from the nature of water.
It's tough stuff to paddle through and to go even a little faster requires huge extra amounts of power.

So the slap in the face is that you really are not as close to those faster guys as you need to be to hang with them.

Patience may be the best strategy.


Now that assumes that your being beat by fitness and not some god that can out paddle you with the paddle above his head and just a supreme reading of the water.

.

Quite often I come to conclusions myself when I get thoughts out on paper, or in this case a forum post. I already suspected quite a bit of what you said RAB. .5km/hr is a big gap! I have been improving by about .3-.5 km/hr each year over the past 4 years to this point.

I have just decided to invest a lot more time in paddling now just focussing on paddling and cycling.

So my plans are longer term, I am after tips ideas for training to increase speed over that first km, I can already grind all day, and I hope with gym sessions my avg speed will improve too?!

As for your last comment that's why I'm enjoying marathon racing, it rewards hard work, I will still enjoy downwind ocean racing over summer but remain philosophical when being beaten by those who can 'read' the water better than I.

Try modifying your training to incorporate some high intensity as indicated with this journal article. Increase in VO2 max and stroke volume.

Trouble posting pdf file.

Thanks Dudley, they were some pretty impressive Vo2 max improvements.

So I should make sure I do interval sets around 90-95% of Max HR. I have been doing these every so often (maybe once every 2-3 weeks, but maybe need to make it a weekly session.

Types of sessions I have done are pyramids, 1 min on, 1 off; 2 on, 1 off; 3 on, 2 off; 4 on, 3 off then back down. Or just set a distance of 300, 500 or up to 1000m and do 10 reps or so with around 1 min rest in between.

Any others thoughts on this training, examples of training programs are very welcome, I'm used to only training in the ski 2 maybe 3 times a week so need to start to formulate a sustainable training regime.

AR, having done a lot of this type of training for exactly what you are talking about, doing intervals like the ones you posted are good. What also makes a difference (and in my opinion a greater one) was regular racing.

I raced my spec ski at the local weekly kayak club races of distances from 5 - 20km. The starts regardless of distance were always frantic and you quickly gained anaerobic fitness and a good deal of power in the first 3 - 5 strokes (which was often race changing in a hot field). Along with that you had to be able to wash ride.

My goal was always to break as many of the other ski paddlers in the first 100m, a boat length was important, and then find a wash of a K1 (often to find kayak paddlers didn't like skis wash riding them and having to counter the 30 stroke surges).

However if you can tough out the first 5 minutes you are set and sleeker craft will end up sitting on your wash as it tends to be bigger and you control the pace, and the surges. The good thing about weekly club races is that you can put your race tactics to the test and find a good strategy, or even the ability to vary it to the competition. That said, the 'go to you blow' strategy tended to be a favourite.

I was going to post up quite a considerable expansion to this topic, but apparently I'm crap, know nothing and talk too much.

If Tony H ever mellows out I may come back to it. Not that anything I say would be worth listening to.......

I'm interested RAB, I can't understand why people have to come onto forums with personal attacks which only turns people away from posting their thoughts and weakens the information base. I suggest you, like me, ignore people like that.

don't play the victim RAB, on the contrary you are very knowledgeable. All I tried to say was you were being overzealous (866 posts) & inappropriate (intrusive on the topic of honouring Oscars 12 wins).......my impressions were these were not only forum issues for you & your knowledge would be better served if you were more considerate.
lets leave it at that, as I realise truth is a highly subjective issue & I am certainly not short of faults.

I always enjoy checking out your results AR. The interesting thing is noting how your flatwater results are starting to improve. I wonder how you know when you've reached your boats full potential, because a Vault averaging 12.2 over 18kms is impressive (drafting aside). What sort of craft were you competing against in the last race? Is the new flash up and running yet and has anyone got any feedback?

I agree, when I think back to that video you posted a year ago with all that hair resistance, and now your able to paddle 12.2 over 18kms in a Vault, thats very impressive to me.

The Vault is a great ski to paddle and will more than hold its own speed wise with the elite ski's. I suspect it accelerates quickly and probably has a similar top speed to the elite ski's but it doesn't have the same glide that the Uno, v12, red 7 have. Consequently you can accelerate and wash ride ok, but have to work harder to keep there, especially on the flat. Mind you I reckon they wash ride better than the longer skis. Add to that the fact you're not in a full carbon boat and the results are impressive.
Next race borrow a lighter boat and see how you go. We Vault owners, especially the less talented ones, live vicariously through your results.
PS the hair is shorter......maybe get a crew cut.

Agree with Dicko's impressions about Vault performance .

In addition to my vault, I have an atom - would guess on flat water the atom is 0.3-0.5km.hr quicker! Certainly would be over 18km flat water race.

So AR, your already impressive performances in the vault may improve that extra 0.5km.hr in an elite boat provided the balance issues don't retard your efforts.

Dicko wrote: . What sort of craft were you competing against in the last race? Is the new flash up and running yet and has anyone got any feedback?

Thanks Greg & Dicko, I don't want this to go off topic as I really want to stick to training programs now that I am concentrating more on paddling.

The two guys I finished with were in a Think UNO and Fenn Elite and of the group of 3 ahead of us I know one was on a Fenn Elite and the other a Carbonology Atom.

The Flash looks to have landed in Europe, the Aussie shipment is still a few weeks away. Been sitting on my hands waiting patiently, at this stage I'm thinking a Think UNO or Atom from the testing I've done. Though I'm quietly hoping someone may take on DD3 skis in WA from what I've heard of thier flat water performance.

Okay.....back on topic , spoke to the local boys last night and we are going to start interv training Monday, please keep throwing ideas for training my way!

AR, I think I need to clarify. Paddle in your ski with K1s in training and racing in flatwater to make you faster on your ski. There are some great Kayak clubs and paddlers in WA. It will make a difference. Paddle with people who are faster than you.

I'm interested in how other paddlers structure their 90%-95%hr intervals. I've only done them one season and basically did 1x day a week of 4x500m intervals with 10minutes easy in between. Also did 1x day of full out 7x20 second sprints. And a day of 3x10 mins at lactate threshold and a day of easier endurance level paddling. This year I'm thinking of doing things a little different, structure the intervals differently, still do the sprints, less of the lactic threshold training once I'm doing the full quota of high intensity intervals and replace the threshold training day with a days sea kayaking which is almost a bit like resistance training but is mentally much more enjoyable.

So last year I did a bit more training time wise but this year I'm cutting down a bit on time on the water but still trying to do quality.
Eg:
Tues: 7x20 sec max effort sprints easy technique in between, 1hr
Thurs: High Intensity intervals, 1 hour
Sat: Easy endurance pace ski paddle 1 1/2-2 hours
Sun: Sea kayak 40km plus

When racing the High Intensity intervals will be dropped.

Thoughts?

Red wrote: . Paddle with people who are faster than you.

As I live by the ocean and am about an hour from the river based clubs I do almost all the training in the ocean. Fortunately I am able to train quite regarly with some quite good paddlers from the local surf club and the mandurah ocean club. Other days I train with some strong paddlers in a double ski, those sessions with the double ski really stretch me! It certainly does pay to train with people better than yourself.

That being said, I would like to join in a squad in Perth if anyone can recommend one early Saturday mornings.