And what most folks on here are going to try to convince you is that you can do both. Having fun and “training” are one in the same (for amateurs…or they can be).
Quick background: I did a fair bit of lactate testing (had fun, learned a lot). I don’t do it anymore.
There is a thread dedicated to lactate testing and results. It’s fun and enlightening to simply read through it, but don’t think it is in any way compulsory to success. Having said that, don’t be one one of those guys who goes on there and poo-poo’s on the thread because you think “lactate is overkill” or whatever. It’s simple. Just ignore the thread if you’re not going to contribute constructively (of course, that goes for all threads but lactate in particular seems to be one of those hot button topics)
Since this is your first time posting (presumably), you need to read the above comment with context. It is coming from a rider (@sryke) who did lactate, who did ISM Zone 2, who started and is the biggest contributor to the pro training thread. My point is it is not simply a random hot take about lactate because they are parroting Coggan or the general consensus for amateurs, which is: don’t bother. You’ll hear that a lot, mostly from ppl who don’t have first hand experience with it and don’t know what they are talking about.
Many of us have tried it first hand because opinions on the internet (even from high level athletes and coaches) weren’t good enough. I also had a coach at the time who knows his stuff regarding testing protocols, interpretation of the data, etc. So my recommendation is if you’re going to do it, don’t try to go alone. Simply establishing and figuring out where LT1 is located on the curve (assuming you believe that is even a thing) requires a trained eye.
This is a common misconception (maybe THE most common). As long as you’re not seeing wild swings in power for +30secs and are generally in the Zone 2/3 (Coggan) range, you feel like you’re riding basic endurance (even on rolling hills or a little steep terrain), and you’re HR is fairly stable, you’re good. Don’t overthink it. I ride rolling terrain all the time…endurance on flat, tempo on hills.