Altitude Acclimation

erik.schlanger@gmail.com

Hi All,

I'm going to be doing IMBoulder in Aug 2015 and I'm looking for tips on altitude acclimation. I live in Austin TX which is at less than 1000ft and Boulder is at ~5400ft. Any tips on acclimating to the altitude? I have read various things on the internet some of which contradict each other. The key thing I'm trying to plan now is how early to arrive in Boulder. I think I can swing getting there about 5-7 days before the race... This will be my first IM if that matters in terms of giving advice... Thanks for your help everyone!

 

Erik

Al Truscott

Here are a couple of threads to peruse:

http://members.endurancenation.us/F...fault.aspx

http://members.endurancenation.us/F...fault.aspx; http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/15526/Default.aspx

And here's a Joe Friel blog post on the topic: http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2010/0...mance.html

As to the specific question, there are lots of different physiologic changes which occur going from low to high altitude. Some start to happen within 48 hours, others can take up to three months. My key bullet points are these:

• DONT START THE SWIM AT A HARD PACE. Ease into the the swim. If you start to get a little anaerobic at the beginning of the swim, you may never recover from that.
• Use an FTP about 5% LOWER than your FTP from Austin.
• Fluids needs will be increased due to the altitude. Temps and humidity may be similar to Austin, but the thinner air sucks water out of your system, so hydrating more than usual in the several days leading up to the race is critical.