Moving to La Paz for altitude training

Hi guys, i slept well and had a walk+a breakfast in Antofagasta. So far food is really good and the Pacific looks brilliant from the city. Spanish might not be that hard to master after all, seems a fluent language. Now i'll rent a car, probably a 4x4 and go to San Pedro de Atacama. Will update after i get there and i'll have a moment to spare.

You could fly to Calama and take a bus to San Pedro de Atacama. Sky airlines is like $45 flights.

Huancayo (in Peru)

many top athletes (Olympians) are from there.

The altitude is 3200 m/above sea level.

dede wrote:

Huancayo (in Peru)

many top athletes (Olympians) are from there.

The altitude is 3200 m/above sea level.

Luis Ostos who is the peruvian record holder of the 10000m(27.53) is from there, he set the record in may, he's only 25 and he start to run in a track club only at 18 years old! The guy has a huge progress margin.

I will take the flight on return. I chose the bus to Antofagasta to see more parts of Chile. I rent a car so that i can go see as many spots as possible near San Pedro de Atacama. I just arrived and checked-in a pension. I will use the remaining daylight time to have a ride around. The landscape is just mesmerizing, almost like you're on the moon, they even have a place called 'Valle dela Luna' . I can feel the altitude already, it might be a wise decision that i chose this place and not a higher one. I can't wait for my run tomorrow.

Hi guys, i'm back from my first training here. It was brilliant, endless trails in Valle della Luna, it's simply stunning and you can basically run forever. 19 miles @ 6:24 pace. It felt like i was working but yet comfortably. Now i'll go see Ruta 27, a road which goes up to 13000 feet next to some huge volcanoes (Licancabur) and Laguna Verde. It's pretty amazing.

I'm back with some thoughts about today. Ruta 27 is an amazing high altitude road, with not that many cars. However some drivers can be really crazy in Chile. The scenery was amazing and i've never been higher than today. Tomorrow i'll go run on some trails near ruta 27 but not higher than 9500 feet. On Wednesday i'll try run near Laguna Verde at near 13000 feet to see how it feels. On Friday i'm leaving, so far i really like it and i might search for a place to rent. Weather is great so far.

How about Cachi, in Salta, Argentina, on the other side of the border where you are right now. The argentinian Olympians train there, at 2300 m. with a similar dry climate. Small town of 7000 with no distractions, worl class synthetic track for workouts, swimming pool, many trails, training partners. It might be the ideal place for you, check it out.

Elhombre and mountainrunnerrr, thank you for the feedback!

Curiouslyseriously, I've bookmarked this thread to keep track of your progress.

You should consider a city in Brazil called Campos do Jordão, state of Sao Paulo, in Brazil.

Maybe it is not what you would consider "altitude training" at 6000 ft, but you have a great running scene and beautiful trails.

Plus it is a much more developed city that most of those that have been discussed here.

Lots of Brazilian elite marathoners train there. Take a look!

Hi guys, i'm back from today's training. I have to get up early every morning as it's summer here and it gets hot. I ran today at 9500 feet and it already felt harder. I ran 17 miles @ 6:31 pace. I felt good throughout the run. Temperature was around 60 and light winds with clear sky. Now i'll rest a bit and search for your suggestions on the internet guys, then drive to see other nearby places. Also i'm going to see a few places that i can rent. I'll update later, tomorrow i'll run at 11500 feet to see how it feels.

this would be the ultimate troll if you weren't legit.

How are you getting internet / cell service?

Please keep this thread updated and seriously consider starting a youtube vlog!

Yes, a few youtube videos would be awesome.

I already stated i might start a youtube vlog after things settle down in Jan or so. Cell reception is decent and the internet is pretty good at the pension. Chile is more developed than i thought.

Interesting move. It is a long eay from 2.19 to 2.07.

How old are you and what are your pb's for 5 and 10?

I know it's a moonshot but i'll only give my best. It's worth trying. 10k - 30:11 5k - 14:20 1 mile - 4:21. I'm in my late 20's but as far as marathoning goes i'm still pretty young.

Hello, i did my run today and had an amazing lunch with some traditional food. I ran at about 11500 feet today at the foot of Licancabur, it was breathtaking and hard too. I ran 18 miles @ 6:52 pace. Tomorrow is the real challenge and then i want to do some intervals lower in Valle dela Luna on thursday. Hope you have a great day, i'll go to the pool now.

It's been a really long day, haven't slept too well last night. I ran at 13-14000 feet today, it was incredibly hard, only managed 13 miles @ 6:28 pace before it got uncomfortable. I'll go rest and hopefully tomorrow will be better.