Altitude: How High?

It is fairly individual from what I have heard, based a lot on how much time you have spent at altitude before and if you were born at altitude.

That said I've heard, from somebody working in a grad program at CU on the effects stride frequency going up and down hills and they were training for the Pikes Peak Ascent, that 10,000ft about as high as you'd want to go. The altitude at that height starts to effect your sleep. You aren't able to sleep as deeply and thus can't recover as quickly and will become more and more tired. That could cut into your training obviously. Otherwise as long as you are cautious at the beginning there shouldn't be much trouble.

I also heard, from a different source, that you are more likely to become anemic at altitude so iron supplements, or lots of raisins, or liver for that matter, can help.

Dr. Robert Chapman gave a USATF presentation this past week which identified roughly 8000 feet as ideal.

But ever since Abebe Bikila the top Ethiopians have driven up from Addis to the forest at 10,000 feet (Haile's biography mentions that). I'm not sure how much of that is wanting the higher altitude and how much is wanting to get out of Addis and run in soft-surface scenery. But obviously it works (although they grew up at about 7,000 or 8,000 feet).

I've spent a little bit of time in Quito and other high-altitude towns in Ecuador, including working in a village at about 11,000 feet. I wasn't training at the time, but except for when doing hard labor I didn't notice the altitude difference. The hard labor was digging a deep trench using a pick and shovel -- that required pacing myself.

Quito is a big city in a valley and on the surrounding hills. I would say that the north end is probably safer than the south end.

I coached a year in Peru (mostly in Lima at sea level, but I had been 6 weeks at 7000 in Colorado about 2 months prior to Quito)and took the Peruvian national team to competition in Quito. Interestingly, I was not in very good shape, but ran a track 1600 in Quito within 5 seconds of my 7000' PB (when in top shape). Maybe they had a short track in Quito, but it was where the Bolivarian Games were held. When I got back to Lima I had to test the 1600 again and it was only 15 seconds faster than the week prior in Quito. 9000' is not bad for training, and the weather there is quite nice, with an afternoon rain you can almost set your watch by. Make sure you get good bottled water to drink and beware of fresh veggies and fruit. I must say I was only sick 30 of the first 90 days in Peru.

I thought this was about the film featuring Method Man and Redman.

I have lived at sea level and have gone up to 9500' and was able to do fairly long runs almost immediately. You can probably still do good volume at that type of elevation, but you are going to have to go slower. As far as true quality training, that is a lot tougher at high altitude. It depends on what you are training for. Marathon; I would say you could do pretty well training up there. 1500/5 K, IMO, would be tougher. It is probably really tough to recover between repeats; I have never tried so I am not sure.

Sean Nunn

Raytown MO

The 8000 figure is probably suitable for most people, but Terrence Mahon said that they somehow determined that Ryan Hall wasn't getting all the "stress" he could handle, so they moved him up to 9000.

I would also like input on this subject as I am looking into a 10 week summer program next year that would be at around 9400 ft. The thing is I can drive to 8000 ft in like 10 minutes (better running anyway) and can drive down to 5500ft in about 40 minutes so I was thinking I would be training at 8000 and 5500 ft as much as my schedule allows, and doing my morning/some easy runs at 9400 ft.

note I have lived and trained for 5 weeks at 8700 ft

does my plan seem pretty reasonable

oh yeah - sounds like Crested Butte, CO......

Sleep high, train low.

actutally near ward, co

where is there 5500ft 40 minutes from crested butte?

I lived just down the road from Quito for four months last year, and found that I adjusted quite well to the altitude, to where I felt absolutely normal going out for a run. The big problem, if you're going to be in Quito, is the pollution, and finding a place to run(Parque Carolina comes to mind as one possibility).

If you're going to be in the countryside, there's plenty of good running on some pretty intensely climbing roads. You will have mountain goat quads by the time you come back. One thing to be aware of...yes it rains everyday, but people walk their cattle on the back roads you'll be running on, so the dung mixes with the mud. You won't really notice the smell because you'll become accustomed to it, but other people might. Oh yeah, carry rocks for the dogs. And when you're really tired of eating chicken with rice and chicken's feet soup, go here:

Rincon Italiano

Av. Los Shyris 41-61 e Isla Floreana

Quito, Ecuador

The seafood ravioli is excellent, and the $7 filet mignon is not so bad either.

Obviously, there's such a thing as too high. For example, Salvador Garcia was never the same after he moved to the mountains outside of LaPaz training at 14,000 ft. He had attained a great deal of success training at 9,000 in the desert de liones (sp?) outside of Mexico City, but the extra 5000 ft was too much. Also, the sherpas, many of whom were raised at 16.000 ft are tough MF'ers but none of them have become a great distance runner, nor is there any evidence they could. It' s not simply a matter of going someplace really high. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's a matter of, though.

wher - I was thinking of Lake City or one of those small towns west on 50. But I could be wrong. Is Crested Butte almost 9,000, and Gunnison almost 8,000?

Those steaks in Quito from Argentina were so, so, so good, and very inexpensive too.