performance, says researcher Leena Paavolainen. "Because the improvement took place without significant changes in the athletes’ VO2 max or lactate threshold, endurance performance must be limited not only by central factors relating to VO2 max but also

. For example, one great session for improving lactate threshold is two sessions of 15 minutes at 85 per cent of your maximum effort. Try doing this on the roads and you will soon become frustrated by the number of times you are forced to ease off the power

The tempo turbo sessionThis time-saving indoor bike session is aimed at improving lactate threshold, without over-tiring you. It should be progressed every month by increasing the duration of each repetition by five minutes, or increasing the wattage by five

as hard as you can go.Olympic distanceOver-distance brick: Completing some over-distance bricks in training will give you the confidence that you can tackle an Olympic-distance triathlon as well as training your body to burn fat and raising your lactate

), 1.5 miles (3-4 reps) and 2 miles (2-3 reps) are also important, as are tempo runs, both at target race pace and half-marathon pace. The latter improves your lactate threshold, which is of great importance.See full threadKeep speedwork simple #3

of intervals that up your lactate threshold also improve your pain tolerance, because they teach your brain what it feels like to approach your limit and keep going, he says. This is both a physical and psychological process – your body adapts to the exercise