With the upcoming US Classic Chumpionships being held around 7000 feet or so, it seems that one will want to take a little time figuring out how to prepare for running a course at that altitude. Some people have done this before. How do others prepare for that, or is this even really possible? Are there advantages to arriving a day early, or is that a waste of time?

The only thing I can think to do is to train hard (duh!), and perhaps try to do some things while in oxygen debt. Another idea is to train with a sock stuffed in your mouth (to cut down the flow of oxygen), but that may be too unpleasant.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), August 31, 1999

Answers

Well this one is easy. You just quit your job and go climb Mt. McKinley the three weeks before the Champs.

p.s. I think that's this weekend.

-- Dan (daniel.meenehan@umb.com), August 31, 1999.

Another way to prepare for the altitude would be to only take every other breath!

I'm probably not the best qualified to suggest good ways to acclimatize (I've always had trouble at altitude). But, I do have a few thoughts...

I think getting to altitude a day or so early can help. I don't think there are any physiological benefits, but you can get a feeling for how the alitude will affect you. My experience has been that altitude makes it very easy to go too hard. It also seems that when you go too hard at altitude it will take a long time to recover. By getting to altitude a day early you can do a few tests to see how hard you can go before you'll really suffer.

A lot of altitude problems are apparently the effects of dehydration and/or too much sun. So, it is extra important to drink lots of water and to use sunscreen.

-- Spike (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), August 31, 1999.

I've found a couple of websites that talk about this in detail. Things that I remember off hand. Practice drinking LOTS. High altitude tends to dehydrate one more quickly. Either go out just before or long before. In between is when your body is getting acclimatized. Know the symptoms of when you are getting into trouble -- maybe headaches or dizziness and know that you need to go slower then or suffer more intense symptoms. And buy a low oxygen pressure sleep chamber for a mere 12K. Oh, and from what I've been reading, we won't be at really high altitude, nor for very long duration. Not, at least, compared to the Western States 100 miler which is up at altitudes above 10000+ feet. I'll post the web sites that I found interesting (and a bit more of what I can figure out) in the next couple of days.

-- Fritz (fpmenninger@hotmail.com), September 03, 1999.

I seem to have trouble sleeping at altitude. Anyone else have this trouble? Anyone have any solutions or suggestions?

-- Spike (mike_eglinski@juno.com), September 17, 1999.

The U.S. Champs is now over and I had my best-ever high altitude O' experience. The Champs was held at about 7,000 feet and I suffered, but not nearly as much as I have in the past.

I think there are two things that helped me with the altitude this time. First, I took it very easy. As I ran the course I was reminding myself not to push. Second, the weather was not hot and I was able to stay hydrated. In the past, I've had trouble with altitude that is (I think) related to dehydration. But, in Lake Tahoe the temperature was not so bad, so it was easier to stay hydrated.

-- Spike (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), September 28, 1999.

I'm not sure what this site's all about; I used to have to find my way around in the woods at various jobs, though, with just a compass and topo map.

High altitude acclimatization? Why bother? Just chew on a few coca leaves. Worked fine for me in Peru. Hard to find here, though.

-- joj (jump@off.c), October 01, 2002.