How to Adjust Training at Altitude

Audio Transcript

Coach Hayley: Hey Runners Connect fans. Welcome to the Runners Connect Run to the Top Extra Kick podcast. I’m here to answer your running and training questions so you can train smarter, stay healthy and achieve your goals.

Hope you guys are having a great day, and thanks so much for tuning in.

We have a question from Carrie today about training at altitude.

Carrie: I’m vacationing in Colorado in a few weeks. I wonder what I should do about training at elevation.

Should I just keep to my prescribed times and workouts, or make adjustments to accommodate for the altitude? Thanks.

Hayley: That’s a great question, Carrie. Lucky you, I’d love to go on another altitude training trip.

Nearly all elite runners use altitude training and get great benefits. If you approach this smartly, your running will benefit from this trip.

I see it as an opportunity for your running. You’ll be doing something that most elite runners do.

The key is to prepare and plan the training correctly, so you can use it to your advantage, rather than it having a negative effect on your training.

The reduced oxygen pressures at altitude means that your VO2 max will be lower so running will be more difficult.

For every 1,000 feet of elevation above 1,000 ft. above sea level, VO2 max decreases by nearly 2%.

Time to exhaustion on the treadmill test decreases by 4.4% for every 1,000 ft. altitude.

You can see that altitude makes it a lot harder to hit times, so you definitely need to make some adjustments.

Before you go, I’d recommend getting your iron levels checked. I’d specifically ask your doctor to check your ferritin level, which is a measure of your iron stores.

If they’re on the low side, even on the low side for normal, maybe less than 50, I’d suggest taking an iron supplement or boosting your iron through feed before you go. Though it’s important to check this with your doctor first.

Training wise, it’s all about the adjustments, and taking it slowly to let your body adapt to the altitude.

Don’t be afraid to run your easy runs super easy.

You should adjust the paces. Slow your easy pace right down, as slowly as you need to, to keep you feeling comfortable.

Be super cautious on the hills, and don’t be afraid to take walk breaks, or stop to catch your breath at the top if you need it.

I’d keep the training pretty easy for at least the first few days. Leave any interval sessions of tempo runs till later in the week to allow your body to start to adapt.

If you decide to do intervals, I’d suggest increasing the rest in between them.

Increase the exercise to recovery ratio. You might want to take double the rest that you take at sea level.

The same goes for any hill training you might do. Choose a less steep hill than you do back home, and maybe walk down instead of jog.

If you do a tempo run, these will feel a lot harder at altitude.

You need to slow the pace down considerably. How much varies by athlete and there isn’t an exact formula.

Use your breathing or heart rate as a guide. Try to keep this similar to how it is back home, even if you have to slow down the pace quite a bit.

Don’t be overly concerned about a particular pace. If you’re running at a hard effort, and it feels like a tempo run, then it’s fine.

Don’t beat yourself up over slow times. There’s a reason, and once you get back to sea level, you’ll feel like you’re flying.

If you’re doing a long run, don’t forget that these will also be a lot harder than normal.

Similar to an easy run, slow the pace right down as much as you need to, and don’t be afraid to shorten the distance slightly, if you’re struggling at the elevation.

Walk breaks are absolutely fine.

When you’re doing a training at altitude, it’s also important to know that you’ll need to pay extra attention to your hydration.

The thin air leads to more frequent, shallower breathing, so you’ll lose more fluid through your respiratory system.

Try to take a drink with you for an interval session, and drink more than you would at sea level.

A final thing to remember, the body really adapts well to things like this.

The key is to start out the training slowly, keeping it easy, and build things in as you go on.

Don’t be afraid to move the harder longer workouts to later in the week, when you’ve started the adaptation process.

And remember, this adaptation will make running at sea level feel easy. It’s a really great opportunity.

I hope you have a great time. I loved your question, Carrie. Thanks very much for asking.

For those of you listening that want to have your questions answered by one of the Runners Connect coaches, head on over to runnersconnect/daily and click the record button to send your question over.

Finally, I want to thank our sponsor.

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Hope you have a great day, and be sure to tune in next time.