High Altitude Running

[BeachRunner]

Hello!
I recently moved to Denver, CO from the east coast. I''ve gained about 4800ft of elevation and can really feel it during my runs. Any runners have experience with elevation running, or know how long it takes to get acclimated to the altitude. If so, any tips to make the transition easier?

thanks!

 

[marcy]

Welcome to the Rocky Mountains! My husband moved to the area after living on the east coast then in California. It really bothered him for about 6 months and he still always noticed it towards the end of his 2 - 3 mile runs.

 

[marcy]

BTW, love your EC ring.

 

[BeachRunner]

Date: 11/22/2009 9:59:09 AM
Author: marcyc
Welcome to the Rocky Mountains! My husband moved to the area after living on the east coast then in California. It really bothered him for about 6 months and he still always noticed it towards the end of his 2 - 3 mile runs.

Thanks for the welcome marcy! Does it bother him during longer runs as well? When I lived on the east coast, 3 miles was an easy day and now I am struggling. My chest hurts and that''s never happened before. I''m sure I''ll get used to it!

And thanks for the EC compliment!

 

[marcy]

He actually doesn''t run anymore but I would say it took him anywhere from 6 months to a year before his lungs adjusted. He was air force for years and they have to run 1 1/2 mi which he always did at low altitudes. Once he switched to the army when he moved here they have them run 2 miles and that last 1/2 mile always killed him. He was really tired for several months once he moved here and tired easily but he got better. I think it just takes time adjusting to the high altitude.

I dug out my EC RHR to wear tomorrow.

 

[FrekeChild]

It just takes a while. Probably depending on how often you run and how long. Here in ABQ, New Mexico, I think we're over a mile high, and my niece who runs track at sea level got her behind handed to her when she got set up with a track coach here. Apparently the dry heat didn't help either.

One fabulous thing about living at a high altitude is that when you go back to a low altitude you feel like you can run/hike/whatever FOREVER. It was awesome to go from playing tennis here to playing in Pepperdine (Malibu, CA) and being able to play for hours longer than other people that were from CA.

We have some pretty famous mixed martial artists who come train here, as well as various Olympic teams from other countries who come just to take advantage of the benefits you can gain from high altitude training. They send some of them up to the peak of our mountains...