Best topic title of the day - so far. I think that puking is a variable, not necessarily a threshold. If you get to the point of vomiting, chances are your body is rejecting the level of effort based on any number of conditions - be it fatigue or that spoiled seafood salad you had for lunch. The only time I have consistently gotten to the vomit point is if I'm doing an HRmax test, and that's well beyond the anaerobic threshold. Universal as gravity, the rule of thumb in training is to let your body tell you what it can and cannot do at that point in time.

you people are a hard core bunch! I actually hit exercise-induced asthma threshold way before anything like anaerobic-puke-fests.

My body apparently doesn't go up to 11...

It might not be good because you lose your nutrition or whatever, but I know that I feel better after I puke. Granted, I haven't puked during exercise since high school football, but I always felt a lot better afterwards, provided I had some water to rinse out and what not.

Like most aspects of training, the puke response is highly variable for each individual. I've known people who throw up during any high level effort on the track, while I personally have an iron stomach and rarely lose my lunch. Only twice in my memory have a puked during a hard effort (once in a race and once in practice) and both were at times when I was also suffering an illness. I don't think its an indication that I don't work as hard as the frequent pukers, because I have collapsed/fainted multiple times without puking. I think perhaps my body loves food so much that it is reluctant to send it flying back out. I don't puke during a beer mile and very rarely when I'm sick, so I think I'm just lucky in that regard.

I used to throw up after almost every 400 I raced in HS. I've thrown up a few times after races, including a little bit in my mouth on Saturday at Nationals after hanging on to surges from some CU Boulder kid for the last mile of the race (good thing I did all those 400s in HS and can out-kick pretty much anyone slow enough to be next to me coming into a finish).

I used to eay school lunches in HS, and I guess my body just got used to wanting to get rid of them after going super-anaerobic for 49 seconds. I guess I've just been puke-prone ever since.

Count yourself lucky if you are one of those who doesn't get to the point of vomiting. Its really annoying to have your stomach be the limiting factor in a short race. For me, I think a fair amount of it is mental. Anytime after the midpoint of an oly run, if I even think about my stomach, it starts to rebel. Sometimes I can get it back under control, sometimes not. If I can't get it under control and I end up puking before the finish line, I have a hard time recovering. Whenever I hit that super anaerobic phase in the last mile-half mile of a race if I've pushed hard, my stomach is always a key factor.

When I rowed in college, it was fairly common to see someone, especially in training during winter on the ergs, lose it, but I don't think we ever considered it something to try to achieve. Alas, it did seem to be a hazard of setting a personal best for many.

I never have done that in training, despite some pretty near pass outs, but almost lost it after a crew race in the rain. Scary part was that I was carrying the coxswain at the time (it was a shore landing where we had to get out of the shell in about 3 feet of water and I picked her up so she didn't have to jump in) and she thought I was going to hurl into her lap. I got her to dry land and didn't hurl.

Maybe I'm getting old now, but somehow training to the point where I puke doesn't sound like a goal I'd pursue - maybe just shy of that.

Interesting topic. I have had serious issues with puking and working out. It started lifting weights early in the morning but I realized it has more to do with food in my stomach during working out and less to do with the time of day.

I can not work out too soon after eating. If my stomach is digesting there is a pretty good chance I'll hurl if I work out for 30 minutes or more.

I will be doing my first Olympic distance this summer and am a little concerned that the hurling will become a problem if I ever try to do a half IM as its really hard for me to re-fuel during a race.