I know. Testing. Everyone’s favorite pastime. The title of my blog may have sent a few of you into a full on panic attack as memories of final exams and cramming for final exams flood your senses. But, stay with me here for just a moment. I want to tell you about a different type of testing. One that won’t give you a Pass or Fail or A, B, C. This type of testing is you triathletes, runners, and cyclists to help make improvements to training!
Below I have listed out my top three reasons for testing and how I believe it can benefit your training. Just like finals, the tests aren’t easy, but they will point your training in the right direction.
Testing Is An Identifier
Testing can show you (and/or your coach) your strengths and weaknesses in each discipline. This will help you properly identify what types of workouts you need to put more emphasis on in training (i.e. speed skills vs. tempo).
Testing Provides Direction
Early season is the perfect time of year to test (the first time!) because it can provide you with a road map of how your season needs to progress in order for you to reach your swim, bike or run goals. If you don’t know where you are now, you won’t really know where to go as the season continues and your A race(s) comes into view.
Testing Monitors Progress
Testing should be done more than once in a training season to help you know if you are making the progress desired in your training. Is your training is in line with your season goals or does something needs to change? The bigger your goals, the more important it is to know where you stand. Testing shouldn’t be a one and done type of tool in your arsenal. Think of it as a powerful tool to help you meet your goals.
Just like tests and quizzes in high school and college, fitness tests are a great tool to measure where you are in your training journey. Even if you don’t love test-taking, chances are you would admit they have their place in your training journey.
When To Test
Ideally it is a good idea to test early on in your winter training. This gives you a starting point of what your base fitness looks like coming into your training cycle. After the initial test it is a good idea to test again several weeks later. If you have set up your training cycle in the standard Base, Build, Peak weeks with recovery weeks every third or fourth week, you should do your testing during those rest weeks. This allows for more accurate testing as your body is recovering from the heavier loads the prior weeks.
How To Test
There are several different tests out there that are used to get different data. Below I have listed the most popular test for swim, bike, and run, respectively, but these are by no means the only tests out there.
- Swim Test -> 1,000 yard/meter Time Trial. Warm up for several hundred yards/meters and then swim 1,000 as hard as possible while still trying to maintain an even pace. Use that time to determine what your pace per hundred yards/meters will be.
- Bike Test –> FTP Test/20 minute Time Trial. After a thorough warm up recover for a moment. Then, perform an all out 20 minute effort. At the end you should feel like you couldn’t have given any more. The power number you finished with is not your FTP (functional threshold power). You now need to determine what you can sustain for an hour -> 0.95 X your average power for the 20 minute TT = your FTP.
- Run Test -> 30 minute Time Trial/LTHR (lactate threshold heart rate). After a thorough warm up, making sure to include some strides and drills, perform a 30 minute run time trial. 10 minutes into the run press your lap button. Your average heart rate for the last 20 minutes will predict your LTHR (lactate threshold heart rate). You can use these numbers to set up your training zones. Be careful not to start out too quickly to avoid a major slowing up by the end of the 30 minutes. You can calculate 95% of your pace for the last 20 minutes of the test as well to find your threshold pace.
If you have any other questions on testing I’m happy to answer them! Send me an email -> sarah@boltonendurance.com
Happy Training!
I Tri Training 