my teammate & i might be goin out to boulder this summer to train. how long does it take to get adjusted to the altitude there? i heard it takes a while. also, do u think there are usually small or great results if any from being there for a few months and then heading back down to sea-level running (or does it just depend on the type of runner).
also-if anyone knows of any decent places that aren't taken up already, please respond to this. thanks!
It depends whether you are talking about adjusting for a race at altitude or just adjusting to the day-to-day living. Also keep in mind that everyone does not adjust in the same fashion. The normal rule is that you'll sleep a bunch for the first 48 hours. After that you'll gradually improve for 2 weeks and level off for your daily routine. For racing, you'll need at least 8 weeks. This is a problem for kids who move to altitude for school and move home for the summer. When parents send a kid off to school at altitude, and the kid wants to do well in CC, say goodbye for 5 years.
A couple of hints to make your stay more enjoyable; start each run slower than what you normally do and ease into your pace, do not do any speed work for 2 weeks, drink tons of water as you lose fluids rapidly in the dry climate.
Altitude isn't magic. Although I generally prefer to live and train at high altitude, I also recognize that, for a developing distance runner, training volume and intensity are far more important parameters than ambient air pressure. If you see any great improvements in performance following a stay of several months at high altitude, it will be because of the volume and intensity of your training during those months, not because of the altitude.
What's with the all-caps and excessive punctuation?
It's lame, knock it off.
I agree. Quit using so many damn question marks EVERY time you post.
it'll take you 6 months to see the full appreciation of the additional red blood cells. after spending 2 weeks at altitude your body will break down and then start to build itself back up. if you spend less than 4 months at altitude don't expect there to be any long lasting benefits
So much depends on what shape you are in upon going to alt. I've seen positive results after no more than 2 weeks at altitude. I believe you can do fast running right away. Not sure why you are being advised not to do any speed work for awhile. I guess it depends on how speed work is defined. 200s and even 400s are often easier at altitude, but you may want to take longer recoveries between reps. Extra fluid is a good suggestion. You'll probably notice a drop in weight, but it's mostly a change in body water. Make sure to keep doing rep 200s and 400s to maintain normal sea level training and racing velocities Sleep when you feel the need. Run by feel and yuo will have a good time. Don't plan on big sea level improvements, but they may come (mostly depending upon the shape you arrived at alt in)
As jtupper mentioned ... much depends on what shape you are in upon going to alt. Basically, this means don't show up out of shape and expect to whip yourself into shape ... it ain't gonna happen.
Mikeswift wrote:
it'll take you 6 months to see the full appreciation of the additional red blood cells. after spending 2 weeks at altitude your body will break down and then start to build itself back up. if you spend less than 4 months at altitude don't expect there to be any long lasting benefits
Funny, the Levine studies on live high, train low show a much shorter time course for hematological changes. In fact, EPO production by the kidney increases almost immediately and after about 72 hours return to sea level values. Red cell production after a few weeks looks like it tops out.
Altitude has its uses. I would argue that the camp mentality of doing nothing but running and RESTING between runs is far more important. Also running with other good runners has got to help in most cases.
Many runners that come up here and start the speed get tendon injuries. Why would you do this anyway?
the difference here is train high, live high... assuming he intends to live and train at altitude. Red blood cell production isn't the only thing that is affected. Your whole body must work harder in order to compensate for the lack of O2. I wouldn't argue because I'm no Doctor I just know what I've read and what i've seen happen to myself and to friends who have moved to CO permanently and what has been advised to them by doctors and Coaches.
Vigil on adapting for summer/non-race altitude:
Run easy aerobic miles the first week to ten days, nothing that will generate lactic acid, which will put you into a hole it will take weeks of unpleasant fatigue to climb out of. Run a little less mileage the first week, and run it a little slower, to let internal things like the phosphate levels stabilize so you don't shock them beyond into a traumatic panic.
Srides are okay to maintain foot-speed, just make sure to do them at 150 meters (or so) or less, with full recovery to avoid lactic acid kicking in.
Then train like normal.
There are other ways, of course, but I and several others have done this transition, and done well with it.
Good luck.
My teammate and I are just looking to get some solid miles in this summer, at a place that is known to be very runner friendly. We aren't going to race up there, just get miles and enjoy everything that the area has to offer.
Just watch out for that "One-Keg" fella. ;-)
Adjusting is relatively easy. You will notice it a bit on hilly
runs but it's nothing too ugly. The one BIG issue is that you must train smart at altitude. Too many miles at a pace similar to what you would do st sea level and it will fry your zip. A 10 miler at 6000ft is very different than at sea level....it may feel the same but on a deep metabolic level your system has been worked......rest is very important.
When I trained seriously at altitude for the first time in 10 years (last year in Kunming) it took me about a week to really adjust to the altitude here (6,200 feet).
When I went from Kunming to Zhongdian overnight, it took me about 24 hours to adjust to the altitude of 10,500 feet. Your first run in Zhongdian feels like someone strapped a 100 pound sack on your back!
Of course I am going to tell you to skip Boulder and come on out to Kunming/Zhongdian!
(1) Cooler weather in Kunming than in Boulder.
(2) Nice clean hotels for US$11 a night.
(3) No SARS present in Yunnan province.
(4) Zhongdian is a US$60 flight north, 10,500 feet that will send your hematocrit to obscene levels! (mine went to 49 last year).
(5) Great food, very natural and healthy stuff, US$5.00 feeds you per day.
(6) NO YUPPIES IN YUNNAN.
1) If you can't take Boulder in the summer, you're a total pussy.
2) Who wants to stay in a hotel?
3) No sexist, racist perverted losers named Mayeroff in Boulder County.
4) Yet the flight TO China probably costs about the same as two months' rent in Boulder and must take 24+ hours to complete. Each way.
5) Yeah, like there's no healthy, natural food available in granola Boulder.
6) NO ANYTHING IN YUNNAN! How many people there speak English? Pack the X-Box.
Is it so hard to simply answer the question without all this needless yellow-fever induced yammering? It's lame and it's really tired at this point. Let it go. You cannot make China enticing to real Americans, and the fact that you're also there can't help the cause any.
Altitiude training is good in Pakistan
JasonInKunming wrote:
(6) NO YUPPIES IN YUNNAN.
Ahhmmmm ... aren't you forgetting someone?
There's at least one in Yunnan.
Me a yuppie? I have no car, no credit cards, I drink cold black coffee with milk, not latte. I have no mortgage payment due to no home, no cell phone (except a el cheapo for Thailand so that I can stay in touch with my ladies). You won't find me driving an SUV or BMW!
Yunnan Province China is much much better than Boulder.
(1) If you don't like a beautiful hotel room for US$11 a night, (200 meters from the track) that is cleaned daily by cute Chinese maids, you can get an apt. for US$100 a month.
(2) Altitude of Kunming is higher than Boulder (6,200 feet).
(3) Weather is better. You can run at 2pm in July without sweating 2 gallons of fluid. In the wintertime, it rarely snows, and the weather is not so cold that you need gloves.
(4) Your granola breakfast is going to cost you about $10.00 in Boulder. Right now I am eating delicious crepe-like pancakes stuffed with eggs and potatoes. Cost me about 20 CENTS US.
(5) Bring the X-box because no one can speak English? Hell with that! There are so many beautiful Chinese ladies here who want YOU to practice their English! Their English is not great, but hell BRING THE CONDOMS AND THE LUBE!!!
Getting a date here is as simple as going outside your hotel and smiling and saying "Ni Hao!" (Hello!) This happened to me 3 times in the last week.
(6) Yeah, the plane ticket is about US$1000 round trip, but it sure is hella fun here.