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PurpleHaze
02-06-2006, 09:05 PM
I'm going skiing in Colorado in less than two weeks...the place I'm staying has a base elevation around 10,000 ft and I live at 600 ft...is there anything I can/should do to prepare for the altitude change? I'd rather not fall behind in my training on this trip.

I realize that there probably is little I can do but...if there is anything...please tell me.
Dipper
02-07-2006, 06:10 PM
If you running intervals or doing speed work it would be good to do them at the lowest point possible.
PurpleHaze
02-07-2006, 06:43 PM
I'll probably just be doing distance runs. I'm still recovering from an injury so all my runs as of late have been under 8 miles. Very little speed involved at this point.

What's the worst that could happen? I'd pass out or something?
Fanya
02-07-2006, 06:51 PM
I went from 300ft to 7,500 (foothills above santa fe) in a day. I got drymouth, but I really did not notice a difference during my runs because I was just doing base work. I honestly could not determine whether I was going slower than normal or not. However, the end of my run that involved going uphill for more than a half mile always killed me. I was doing runs of approximately 80-90 minutes for roughly 10 days when I was there, and upon getting home I owned my first run back.

Expect drymouth and maybe to be a little sluggish. I wasn't affected as much as I thought I would be, really.
sjm1368
02-07-2006, 07:12 PM
1st three days cut the volume a little and the intensity. Thus all your runs should be distance days. Make sure to drink a lot of water too.
PurpleHaze
02-07-2006, 09:15 PM
Alright, thanks for the advice, guys.
runnerdude2197
02-08-2006, 07:07 PM
HYDRATE!!!! I live in CO, at about 6000 feet and it is pretty easy to get dehydrated. try not to push yourself to hard the first day.
run.for.fun
02-08-2006, 09:55 PM
ive heard your head can explode from the difference in altitude
PurpleHaze
02-08-2006, 10:07 PM
But would that pose any serious long-term problems? I'm trying to get a sense of how this will affect me in the long run (ZOmFG punlol!).
lasseviren
02-08-2006, 10:20 PM
i highly doubt you'll have any long term problems. i'm assuming you're going to be there for 7-10 days (standard ski trip length, in my experience). just do what magness said and you'll be fine. the worst is that you'll feel light-headed and dehydrated because of the arid climate.

oh yeah, don't eat the yellow snow.
PurpleHaze
02-08-2006, 10:24 PM
i highly doubt you'll have any long term problems. i'm assuming you're going to be there for 7-10 days (standard ski trip length, in my experience). just do what magness said and you'll be fine. the worst is that you'll feel light-headed and dehydrated because of the arid climate.

oh yeah, don't eat the yellow snow.

Alright, as long as my head exploding doesn't affect me any...

...

I'll be there for 9 days...I hope to get in a modest amount of running. If all I have to do is drink water and take it easy the first days then it shoukdn't be too bad.
Kostyu
02-09-2006, 05:02 PM
I got nosebleeds from the dry air, can't really do anything to prevent that though.
K.Mart
02-10-2006, 01:06 AM
Gosh, you're all worrying about how you'll adjust, and I'm thinking how cool it would be to get to stay at altitude for a week and a half. Take advantage of that, training-wise, it could really help you out! It only takes around 6,000' to have an impact on your red blood cells. But still, I would stick to aerobic work up there, that's mostly where you'll get the benefits anyway.