V02 Max and Lactate Acid Test.. ROCK ON!

The SUN WAS Shining, and my bike was on the back of my car for the first time in a LONG LONG TIME!

This weekend was just awesome! I am loving this journey to IMKY, and learning so much with it... I was honored that Mary Mary invited me back with Dr. Bruce Jayne up at UC to crank out on a bike to find my V02 Max, and levels of Lactate Acid in my body...

Even though my background is in Exercise Phys, it was cool to see this all work.. I have never had a stress test, and this is what I thought it would be like... well kinda...

From his website... VO2 , it states the following:

" What results will you get? See the links on this site with previous tests and the explanation of Vo2 max tests to get an idea of what you will receive. We are able to measure heart rate, oxygen consumption, Co2 production, ventilatory rates and volumes, mechanical power output, metabolic rates, efficiency and blood lactate levels. If somebody simply wants to perform a stepped effort test that measures power and heart rate without the respiratory measurements, then that is super easy to do and more comfortable for the rider, and even adding lactate to this is not a big deal. The really labor intensive data on our end is all of the stuff having to do with the gas analysis. Especially for repeated testing, you may strongly want to consider this latter more economical option. For these simpler tests we could have your results completed and ready for you about 10 minutes after your test.
How much time should I allow for the test? If we are doing your resting metabolic rate as well as performing an analysis of gases for your stepped effort test, I recommend allowing at least an hour for the whole procedure. Determining resting metabolic rate, calibrating the gas analyzers and setting up the bike will take a total of about 20-30 minutes. The stepped effort test has 3 minute increments beginning at 100 Watts and increasing by 20 Watt increments until power can no longer be maintained. Thus, depending on the power you can sustain, this portion of testing will usually take 15-40 minutes. If you want information on recovery after the test allow another 10 minutes.

I arrived with butterflies for yet another first about an hour early to my test to watch my hero take on her's... Here you can see Mary as she was getting her test done.... Yes, the mask is the worse part... Just hard to get used to wearing it...

Mary is a beast on the bike... and I mean a lady beast... she always tears it up, and she inspires me to be faster, and get stronger... I was watching her numbers, and in all honesty, had NO idea what any of it meant... and funny, I still don't... but that is the learning part.. I tried to keep her postive, and trucking along until her test was complete. She had mentioned that she did better than last time, and I think that is amazing.. she always looks so comfortable on the bike.. even with a huge plastic thing glued to her face.

And then.. I signed off my papers, and got ready for my test... Here is Dr. Bruce setting up my test bike... I brought mine just incase I needed to take off pedals, and what not, but their bike worked out... Before everything I do. I always say my mantra's.. I WILL, and IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING... here I am getting my Ipod ready, and saying these over and over and over :)

You have to love a mentor like Mary who has your Lady Who-Who in mind, and she brought me a new saddle.. I put on the saddle, and I laughed at that I felt like I was sitting on a tinnnny saddle...

I soon got back off and started the process... sitting here, I was to breath normal, and not move, or talk.. funny.. me not move, or talk :) K. Wright showed up at this moment, and had a chuckel at me in my new face gear. I would love to see his outcomes considering he always tears it up on the bike. The machine setting my normal base line of my resting heart rates and breathing patterns. I think.?.

And here I go... at this picture, I am really smiling, but I was nervous as hell.. I have never done this before like I said, and I had no idea what to expect, or what numbers I should be around, or where I would want to be, or what is poor, what is good, all these questions... oh well.. just ride I thought!

Throughout the test, you maintain a speed for 3 mins, change gears, and then up your watts go, then they take a sample. We started at 10mph, increasing by 2 mph, and every three mins. I thought the hardest part was finding that sweet speed and HOLDING that speed...

Here is a picture of the great worker grabbing some blood sample to test for the lactate acid level.. I really don't know how this works, but it was similiar to a diabetes reader, but it read my lactate level.. I will have to get back to my school books to find what levels people should be around.. especially an endurance athlete like myself..

Throughout this ride, like I said early, we just kept it up, and moving along. Thanks to Mary, I have these awesome pictures of the action as it was happening... this was right before I was to maintain 20 mph, at whatever watts, and just ride, ride, ride..

And finally here I am.. I actually could hold on to the 22mph for the first set, and then was able to hold it on for one more set...I love that Mary was right there the hole time, assisting positive energy.. I WILL HOLD 22... I WILL she kept saying... I think this is pay back from when I kept positive energy yelling.. I WILL GET UP THIS HILL WITHOUT COMING OUT OF THE SADDLE... OH memories.. Anyway... If there was another way to breath, or get used to the breathing, I think I would have done a little better.. but I did it.. and that, I can say, was pretty cool I am excited to see what the outcome data looks like, and see where I need to improve...

Thanks again to all the great workers there, Mary for introducing me to Dr. Bruce, and Dr. Bruce, for making all this happen!! TOO COOL!

I had a swim clinic this morning, and Seth from CE informed me that I am the new Social Chair Director Person with J. Quinn.. Pretty Fun to be apart of something like this!

This weeks goals: oh Yeah, that lovely 15 mile run is there, and I really can't wait to meet with Mercy to discuss the future letters to send out for fundraising. Mary wrote a kind word on her blog: Jessica Lee Leonard...even her name sounds like a rockstar... cranked out the watts in the VO2Max and LT testing! I'm so proud of her! Check out her blog and help cheer her on as she trains for IMLOU--raising money for Girls On the Run.

That to me is like a little a Miny Mike basketball player meeting Michael Jordan after a basketball game, and MJ telling Miny Mike.. Great game.. PRETTY COOL!

Cheers!