altitude

Quoted message said:

Just out of curiosity, how much do you think altitude affects your
running times? I'm at 6000 feet above sea level, and I'm having
trouble breaking 8 minutes a mile. I keep getting out of breath.

Try running on your knees, and see if that helps...

Altitude has nothing to do with your problem. You're just a pansy.

Quoted message said:

Just out of curiosity, how much do you think altitude affects your
running times? I'm at 6000 feet above sea level, and I'm having
trouble breaking 8 minutes a mile. I keep getting out of breath.

Are you a new runner? Have you just recently moved to that altitude
(Denver)?

as a new runner you should stay with a conversational pace. You may be
running too fast for your current conditioning.

If you recently moved, there might be some influence. I'd expect if
there is, that it takes about the same amount of time to acclimate to
it as it does to start running, ie, a few months. But that's just my
impression, no medical facts to back it up.

If you grew up at that altitude, maybe 8minute pace is your current
limit. Adjust your training accordingly.

maybe an experiment: Any nearby races at lower altitudes to try?

maybe some of the ultra runners have a perspective on this?

ed.

I don't think altitude has any effect. I live on the East Coast, near
sea level, and I used to have a job that required some extended trips
to Denver. After acclimating to the thinner air, which took maybe 4 or
5 days, my pace, distances and other variables were no different at 5K
feet than at 500 feet.

How long have you been running at altitude?
Most people adjust in a few days,
though peak racing/endurance may take
up to two months to fully adapt.
It is the almost the same adjustment as
after a blood donation.

I have been running at altitude for a few days.

I did break 8 minutes on the mile today though.
On an aside, I keep getting stomachaches after running. Any ideas on
this?

rick++ said:

How long have you been running at altitude?
Most people adjust in a few days,
though peak racing/endurance may take
up to two months to fully adapt.

Dammit, I'm not inspired to get off my ass and google for it again, but
I've read that in fact people tend to perform their *worst* after
having been at altitude for 24 to 48 hours. Best acclimatization is
after some weeks (your two months sounds like the right order of
magnitude) but failing that, athletes prefer to arrive at high-altitude
starting lines immediately prior to the starting gun. A source claimed
that pro sports teams, for instance, will fly into Denver as close to
game time as possible.

Even after one adapts, there *is* a penalty for running at significant
altitude. The air is simply less dense so one gets less oxygen per
breath, period. This is not controversial. Noakes has a page or two
of tables citing this sort of thing, I think it's altitude-adjusted
times for world record runs of various distances vs. world cities of
various altitudes.

"Charlie Pendejo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

rick++ said:

How long have you been running at altitude?
Most people adjust in a few days,
though peak racing/endurance may take
up to two months to fully adapt.

Dammit, I'm not inspired to get off my ass and google for it again, but
I've read that in fact people tend to perform their *worst* after
having been at altitude for 24 to 48 hours. Best acclimatization is
after some weeks (your two months sounds like the right order of
magnitude) but failing that, athletes prefer to arrive at high-altitude
starting lines immediately prior to the starting gun. A source claimed
that pro sports teams, for instance, will fly into Denver as close to
game time as possible.

Even after one adapts, there *is* a penalty for running at significant
altitude. The air is simply less dense so one gets less oxygen per
breath, period. This is not controversial.

Ask anyone who's attempted to summit a mountain exceeding 20000ft. Air gets
thinner the higher you go, and it's almost a perfectly linear decrease in
aerobic performance.

Dave

how do you measure aerobic performance?

Quoted message said:

how do you measure aerobic performance?

Go away troll.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

how do you measure aerobic performance?

VO2 max uptake is the best lab test, and 10k race performance is a
decent field test.

Dave

"David Geesaman" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Ask anyone who's attempted to summit a mountain exceeding 20000ft. Air
gets thinner the higher you go, and it's almost a perfectly linear
decrease in aerobic performance.

I think the rule of thumb is 1% decrease in performance for every thousand
feet above 2000'.

Dan Stumpus said:

I think the rule of thumb is 1% decrease in performance for every thousand
feet above 2000'.

The air pressure drops by half (roughly) in the first 6,000 feet
above sea level. So, the O2 pressure also drops at that same rate.

For "standard" pressure numbers, see:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wstdatmo.htm

So, Denver has only about half the pressure of the coastal regions.
And, for the same amount of breathing, you get just half the
amount of O2.

I'm not sure how O2 availability tranlates to aerobic performance,
though. The body is bound to be able to make some adjustments.

Steve

Steve Hansen said:

Dan Stumpus said:

I think the rule of thumb is 1% decrease in performance for every
thousand feet above 2000'.

The air pressure drops by half (roughly) in the first 6,000 feet
above sea level. So, the O2 pressure also drops at that same rate.

I think you mean 6,000 metres. In Denver the air pressure is nearer 80% of
the pressure at sea level.

Tim

6,000 feet.
gee not to worry with the global warming sure you might be at ground
zero soon...

well Not inpress with you ether W.

then as I know. it is not you.
Jesus Christ†

I don't evan know why I try.

just so you can denide me again
FORGET IT.

I am going back into the wildrness
were the fruit is real.........

Biking the year thru.

Hi Googles
hay as long as you get paid.
well I am....no thanks to you.
denide
no replies
no responce.
no return messages
no help.
butt I know I am Why because so you all can Not do anything
butt say why I am.....

so there it is I M......

Biking the year thru.

sorrydude.
run on. 8 minute. not bad.

Biking the year thru.

Tim Downie said:

Steve Hansen said:

The air pressure drops by half (roughly) in the first 6,000 feet
above sea level. So, the O2 pressure also drops at that same rate.

I think you mean 6,000 metres. In Denver the air pressure is nearer
80% of the pressure at sea level.

And the more apposite measure would be the air's density, which is also
listed in the tables at http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wstdatmo.htm (a
second table uses feet and slugs - yes, slugs - * ft-3), and which
drops a hair less drastically than pressure.

Pendejo: pedantic

Quoted message said:

So, Denver has only about half the pressure of the coastal regions.
And, for the same amount of breathing, you get just half the

amount of O2.

Those are METERS. Denver is at 1600 meters or 85% sea level pressure.
I climb 14'ers all summer. At 4300 meters this about 2/3rd pressure.
Everest at 8800 meters is about 1/3rd.
Mammals can live up to about 4500 meters. In Andean mines the highest
they put worker dorms is about 15,000 ft, or the worker's bodies would
gradually
degenerate.