Lactate Threshold Test 5s-Not Working/Op Error?

Excited about my new 5s. I'm 6'0" 185 lbs dude and the 5s is the perfect size for me. Although found it someone annoying to use after leaving the simplicity of the FR620, also the bezel already looks awful (scratches v. easily)...

Anyway, I got up super early last week, excited to take the lactate threshold test on the local high school track and with appropriate distance from my upcoming marathon. I was able to begin the test "warm up," but when I hit the lap button to leave the warm up phase and enter the next, it just displayed the clock face (also, strangely not the clock face I have currently set for the watch). I went absolutely bonkers trying to fix this, including warming up for a full 20+ minutes, trying to find some instruction online from garmin, watching some fat guys on youtube accomplish it with an earlier garmin watch, but all to no avail. I was not able to move into the higher intensity sections of the test. Has anyone else been able to do a LTHR Test on their fenix 5s? If so, what am I missing? Thanks in advance!

0 hskagerlind over 8 years ago

I do believe that Lactate threshold requires the use of a HR chest strap, not the built in OHR.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

The Lactate threshold requires to calculate the heart rate variability, which can be done only with a strap, not the optic sensor.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

OP. I too struggled to run the test, and mindful of when you posted this and have likely solved it by now, I post for others

1st outing it never exited Warm Up Mode so I just ran 5k at increasing pace and saved the run. I expected to be automatically prompted at 10-15 mins to increase pace etc. [HR must be fitted naturally]. But no joy.

2nd outing today I re-read the initial screen on the test and realised that in very poor wording it essentially means ?Hit Start then [manually] run a warm up [of 10-15 mins], at that point hit Lap to commence the automatic lactate test?. Having realised this I then noted that my lap button had no effect and diagnosed that you need to set the Lap Key ON. This fixed the issue for me. However post test, and despite having sat in the middle of each Heart Rate Zone, I did not achieve a lactate reading :-(. Hey ho day off then try again!

Walk through (pun intended)

Prerequisites:

- Must have HR Chest strap fitted.
- Must have Lap Key On enabled. To do so from your main clock screen Select Run (Top right) then Menu (Middle left long depress), then Run Settings, Lap Key ON.

To initiate test:

- Then from Run Screen/Menu lactate test - click down 3 Times to read the poor instructions. Hit Start (top right) and manually run a warm up 10-15mins slow pace, you will be presented with the Warm Up watch face you referred to so you can manually track your warm up time.

- At 15 mins or so, hit Lap (bottom right) and the test will then commence and the onscreen instructions from that point in are very clear.

The test:

- My example I was directed to run 4 mins at a HR that matched my HR at warm up, then 3 mins or so at a Higher HR, then 2.45 at Higher HR before test completed. I then ran a 4 min warm down before hitting Stop and saving the run.
- In my case despite hitting 170 HR (my Max HR from previous runs) on final push, I failed to achieve a lactate reading - I suspect because I was anticipating 1 further segment at higher HR therefore did not run flat out in what was evidently the final HR diagnostic.

Hope this helps someone, as I found nothing elsewhere.

mack