{"id":3948,"date":"2016-07-05T07:58:02","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T14:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/silversagecenter.com\/staging\/?p=3948"},"modified":"2016-12-03T09:29:47","modified_gmt":"2016-12-03T17:29:47","slug":"going-with-your-strengths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/silversagecenter.com\/staging\/going-with-your-strengths\/","title":{"rendered":"Going with Your Strengths"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"teal_stetson_lee\"<\/a>Teal Stetson-Lee has been an athlete for most of her life, growing up as a Nordic ski racer in Durango, Colorado and participating in three Junior Olympics.<\/p>\n

At the age of 20, she discovered mountain biking and cyclocross. She won the 2009 Collegiate Cyclocross Nationals for Fort Lewis College and then joined the Professional Cal Giant Cyclocross team in the fall of 2010 for her first year of elite racing. After that, she rode for the prestigious Luna Pro Team for three years. She now rides for Scott Sports and won the Pro Enduro at the Sea Otter Bicycle Classic in April 2016.<\/p>\n

Much of Stetson-Lee\u2019s professional success has been based on dedication, hard work and listening to her body. In the last two years, she decided to migrate from cross-country mountain bike racing to enduro mountain bike racing and cyclocross because she realized she was most talented in short power efforts and technical riding.<\/p>\n

Working with Julie Young at Silver Sage Sports & Fitness Lab<\/a> confirmed the science behind that decision. Young conducted a lactate threshold test on Stetson-Lee earlier this year, which helped her identify Stetson-Lee as a power athlete. \u201cThe test made it clear that she\u2019s very good at putting out intense bursts of power for short periods of time,\u201d Young explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of knew that, but the test confirmed it,\u201d Stetson-Lee said. \u201cBeing an athlete can be kind of crazy as we\u2019re always working really hard to try to be the best we can but if we don\u2019t know what our natural strengths are, it makes it even more challenging. When you go with your strengths, instead of against them, it makes the path to success so much more attainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young shares that threshold testing is arguably the most important predictor of performance in endurance events (cycling, running, cross country skiing). \u201cTraining allows us to effectively improve our body\u2019s ability to metabolize (for energy) and buffer the lactate, and as a result, we push the lactate curve to the right,\u201d she says. \u201cWhile much of VO2 value is genetically determined, your lactate threshold and your lactate threshold as a percentage of your VO2 Max is very responsive to the proper training.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Teal<\/a>

Teal Stetson-Lee learning her lactate threshold levels.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to get a baseline as it gives me a point for understanding what it takes \u2013 power-wise and heart rate \u2013 to get into that zone where I can start producing lactate acid,\u201d Stetson-Lee said.<\/p>\n

The Silver Sage lactate threshold protocol provides athletes with critical pieces of information to help improve training:<\/p>\n