When is the"ideal" time to arrive, will i lose the altitude effect if i show up 2-3 days early? or is it best to show up the night before the race?? My race is at 7am and im coming from 7k ft (Been here for 7-8 months). I'm debating on if i show up a day or 2 earlier if it will effect my performance and ill start losing red blood cells immediately?
You'd be fine getting there 1-2 days before. No difference.
It's best to show up at sea level about a week or two before if you can. If not, try to show up AT LEAST 48 hours before. If not, showing up right before it should still be OK.
I disagree. If you can't be there 2 weeks or more before the race, you should arrive 24-48 hours before your race.
As soon as you leave altitude, your body immediately reduces RBC production. 24-48 is enough time to recover from traveling without diminishing your RBC count too much.
I don't mean to be an ass, but...
Does it really matter that much? Do you expect to finish in the money, and if so , is the money significant? If it is some significant $, than I would think you would be an elite runner who would have a better source for info than this message board. If you are just going for your PR I would not be sweating the miniscule stuff. Just hope your training was solid and let 'er rip. I would think any time change difference would be as significant as the difference in a couple days longer (or shorter) @ sea level.
But good luck. Seriously.