Altitude Training Question

6-8 weeks is optimal unless you are planning on moving here for more than a year plus. You have enough time at the beginning to get use to the changes and also enough time for you body to adjust to the benefits. These guys that come here for 2 weeks are getting nothing out of it.

Go there for 3 - 4 days, then leave, return, leave, return. Stress, recover, stress, recover, stress, recover. Following this pattern will boost your RBC. Once you "acclimate" to altitude you get no more benefit. Going up and down numerous times for a 3 - 4 days at a time is best.

also, load up on iron and b vitamins prior.

I would say anything less than 4 weeks is somewhat of a waste.

I do think it depends on the event. For middle distance, I think some time at SL to recover leg speed is needed. For longer distances (marathon), less of an issue.

I think it also depends on the venue.

I have trained at Alberquerque and felt like it was easier to adjust quicker as it isnt too high and therefore you dont neccessarily have to be there too long to get benefit.

I trained at Flagstaff and found it was much tougher to adapt as it is higher still and rising.

If going to Alberquerque you could come for 3-4 weeks and benefit.

At Flagstaff i'd recomend 6-10 weeks.

However, if you have the time 6-10 weeks at Flagstaff would be a vast help.

If you dont have the time you can definatly benefit from 3-4 weeks at alberquerque.

Cant comment on anywhere else I havent been.

Thanks for the info so far. Colorado is too far away from me to do the leave, return, leave, return ... suggestion.

I just wanted to get more info on how long to stay. Any good articles or books on the matter?

It depends on the person, how acclimitized to it they are and a whole bunch of factors.

Someone who does regular stints at altitude can benefit/ get a boost from just a couple days up there.

If you look at it as just an additional stress, you'll get something out of it no matter how short. The question becomes how long will those benefits last.

EPO production tends to max out at about 12 days at high altitude, so that's a good benchmark if your looking at the minimum stay for some prolonged benefits.

Isn't Flagstaff higher than ABQ? If so, why do you think a shorter stay at a lower elevation would be better?

tycobb wrote:

Any good articles or books on the matter?

Altitude Training and Athletic Performance by Randall Wilber.

Flagstaff is higher than Alberquerque and therefore a shorter stay at lower ground is not neccessarilly more beneficial (indeed the higher the better to a certain degree), but it is easier to adjust quicker at abq due to it being lower.

3 weeks at Flagstaff would be tough as you'd take longer to adjust and therefore couldn't get in as good training.

At ABQ it only takes a couple of days to adjust and then you can get some great training in along the river and at the track, then when fully ready get some long runs at higher ground in the foothills of the mountains!

Opin onions wrote:

I think it also depends on the venue.

I have trained at Alberquerque ........

it is Albuquerque....

"In as few as two weeks, altitude performance will be noticeably improved. Within about six weeks of altitude training, acclimatization will be quite complete. However, improvement in altitude performance may continue for much longer as you learn to compete in the unfamiliar environment of altitude."

http://home.nau.edu/highaltitude/scienceofaltitude.asp

The above website is the page for the NAU Center for High Altitude Training center which is operated by Jack Daniels. The site has some pretty good information on altitude training, so I'd check it out if it's something you're interested in.

I would say 3-4 weeks would be a min. amount of time to start getting benefits. It takes a week or two to get use to the altitude. Obviously it depends on the altitude your going to, I would say 6,000-7,000 ft. is about as high as you would need coming from sea level. But its also great training up here in the mountains with the awesome weather.

The OP needs to get the book previously mentioned. It recommends going to 6890ft.-8200ft. for at least 4 weeks, which matches Flagstaff, Los Alamos, Alamosa, Park City, and Mammoth Lake. Make sure to get your ferritin tested BEFORE you go up. If it's low (<50), work on getting it up (liquid iron and orange juice) before you go up and maintain an iron-taking regimen. Also, take it easy the first 2-3 weeks (mileage/intensity). Hydration, sleep more, eat more, lots of meat. If you're training there in the summer and plan to race at sea-level right after, train in layers to prepare for the sea-level heat and humidity. It says the benefits last 3 weeks post-altitude, but when you consider that a RBC has a lifespan of 120 days, the benefits may last much longer. Again, get the book cause it has all the answers.

Jack Daniels claims that a "live high train low" approach works best. You obviously can't do that, but it's something to think about in the future. More on topic I would say you should aim for at least six weeks.

In regards to the "live high train low" apprach I have a question of my own. I know they make altitude tents but do they make altitute masks that hook up to the generator things. Also, to anyone that has used an altitude tent(or mask) how effective are they? and where could I purchase one?

To add to the above-- the live high-train low strategy is recommended to help maintain leg turnover. However, if this isn't feasible for where you live, you can always try to find a good, long downhill and hit sea-level equivalent paces (~esp. for the longer, tempo and marathon-paced runs). The book also recommends a live low-train high strategy (~intermittent hypoxic exposure), which research shows causes a release in EPO. This is what a previous poster was alluding to ("Go up, come down, go up, come down...").

this the main reason i love to stay at 8,236ft and go run at 5,436ft. live high train low, i can drive down the hill in 20min. in the a.m i run @ 5,436ft and @ the p.m i powerwalk @ 8,236ft. make RBC thur the sleep at 8,236ft and run @ 5,436ft to make sure your speed does not fade alway. i spend 4wks in this area. or eles i go to Abq 5,900ft for 2wk then two wk at Alamosa 7,544ft this is also good, the best A'lt to get in shape is 7,000ft.

you need to take naps and eat high iron diet w/ o j, and keep the body wet w/ h2o and eat good and veg's and fruits and ect, very lil sugar.