I do not have a clue really but i would be guessing at least3000m?
I do not have a clue really but i would be guessing at least3000m?
Depends on the person as different individuals respond differently at different altitudes, but 3000m is about right
2000m to 2200m is plenty for most people.
3000m and you are going to run into problems sleeping most likely and the training intensity will be pretty low.
Of course, sleeping high and training low is the real way to go.
Read "Altitude Training and Athletic Performance" by Randy Wilber.
The real key is to lower the oxygen content in your system so that your kidneys stimulate the production of red blood cells.
This happens as the partial pressure of oxygen in the air decreases enough so that your ability to load oxygen is decreased, thereby decreasing your blood saturation of O2.
As you go up in altitude partial pressures are decreasing, but saturation still stays up until about 1100-1200 meters. Then saturations are dropping. The higher you go, the lower the saturation. Your body compensates by stimulating the production of RBC's among other things that are good for endurance athletes.
However, as already stated, at altitude you will likely lose intensity in workouts, at least the intensity associated with speed.
If all you want to do is stimulate more RBC's, then go over 1500m, if training is still a major part of things, especially being able to run at race pace speeds or faster you may actually hurt your future performances unless you are compensating in some way.
Just my 2 cents....
Just for comparison: Ethiopians train in Addis Abeba at 2,600 Meters - about 7,800 ft.
i think any decent altitude is effective....
i know since i have asthma i had trouble even at regionals when west virginia hosted at canaan valley country club. i had difficulty even running the course with the boys, and that was before i got fat and out of shape!! i think if you are going to train at altitude you need to devote yourself to being intelligent in doing so. the higher you're going, the more time you should devote to recovery and to running, including patience. the higher you are, the more time on your feet you should expect initially, to cover distances... be patient and be smart.