There’s nothing quite like running high in the mountains or in a high-altitude town like Denver, the mile-high city. When you’re coming from sea level, though, the low oxygen can be a completely new challenge. Don’t worry, though, here are the best tips to help you prepare:
1. Start hydrating before you workout
At higher altitudes, your body works harder to maintain normal functions. It works even hard when you exercise. This means that you need more water to stay hydrated.
To stay hydrated, start increasing your water intake before your start the workout. Ideally, increase the water intake as soon as you start going up in altitude and keep it going.
2. Drink more during your workout
When you get to the workout, bring an extra soft flask or two than you normally would, and remember to sip more regularly! Your mind and body will thank you.
3. Eat more carbs, if you can
As we mentioned, your body’s working harder just to do what it normally does. Training puts additional strain on it, which means you can use a few extra carbs.
Keep in mind that some people experience more difficulty eating at high altitudes, so if you’re having trouble with your stomach, reach for easy-to-digest carb sources like MUIR Energy Fast Burning gels that are easy on the stomach and give you the boost your body needs.
4. Expect a slower pace
Training at higher altitude means less oxygen for your muscles. This means a 9:00min per mile at 7,000 feet is going to feel way more difficult than at sea level. This is because your body has less oxygen to fire your muscles and shuttle away lactic acid, the stuff that builds up and your legs feel like lead.
The solution is easy: just adjust your workout by adding some time to your pacing.
5. If you start feeling disoriented, get lower
When you’re not acclimated to higher altitudes, altitude sickness can be mild but it can also become severe. If things are feeling more difficult than usual, that’s totally normal. But when you’re head starts to feel it, you should start paying close attention to your body and consider getting lower.
Acute Mountain Sickness: feels like a hangover. You may feel dizzy, get a headache, and/or nauseous. This is the not the most serious, but it can develop into…
High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema: generally feeling of weakness, a persistent cough that may include a frothy white or pink liquid, and/or a blue hue to lips or body. This is very serious and can take days to recovery from. If you experience these symptoms, you need to decend. You may need to seek additional oxygen as well as professional medical care.
6. Take more time to recover
Less oxygen also means slower recovery time. Your body needs oxygen to repair the stress from working out, and less of it just means you’re going to recover more slowly. So take more time between reps, another day between hard efforts, or more if you need it. Altitude is hard on your body!
7. Try to sleep as low as you can
High altitude can get in the way of high quality sleep. While sleep is essential to recovering from training, low oxygen at high altitude can affect your brain’s ability to properly regulate a deep, restful night’s sleep for quality recovery.
If it’s possible, try to sleep as low in altitude as you can to get the best recovery possible.
8. Reach for ginger if your stomach starts to feel woozy
Higher stress on the body from lack of oxygen means less energy to digestion. So, take an extra precaution or two by packing a ginger chew to help ease stomach troubles, or your go-to gut-easing trick.
