Lactate Kinetics in Real-Time: Pacing Protocols for Supramaximal Output
You have a 400-meter repeat session on the track, or a 2000-meter erg test, and you want to hold the highest possible power without crashing early. Traditional pacing advice—'start at threshold and try not to fade'—ignores the real-time lactate dynamics that determine whether you sustain supramaximal output or decelerate into failure. This article is for athletes and coaches who already understand lactate threshold concepts and need a framework for choosing and executing a real-time pacing protocol. We will walk through three distinct approaches to using lactate data during a single effort or repeated intervals: fixed-blood-lactate targets, rate-of-change thresholds, and hybrid models that blend both. Each has strengths and weaknesses depending on your event duration, available technology, and tolerance for complexity. By the end, you should be able to select a protocol, implement it in training, and adjust based on what the meter tells you.