Today as a guest athlete I took part in an incremental treadmill test in 'The Science Gallery"', Trinity College as part of an experiment to show the difference in fitness levels amongst athletes. As part of the demonstration I ran on a treadmill beside Fiona Friel (one of the best sprinters in the country) in full view of visitors and our test data was displayed on a screen for all to see. The test started out with us running at 10 kph with the speed increased by 1 kph every 3 minutes until we had to stop. Two minutes into every kph increase a small sample of blood was taken and this was analysed for lactate content. This result along with speed and heart rate was plotted on a graph and the result shows essential information for maximising performance and making improvements in your chosen sport.If this test was carried out in a lab we would also be wearing face masks to work out how much oxygen our lungs can absorb from each breath and this would then give us another important reading which is our VO2 Max.
Tomorrow I start thinking about the London Marathon which is now only 24 days until I stand behind the start line.
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