Of altitudes and cardio

[Mrs. Funk]

Having grown up in the pacific northwest, this tissue-thin substance you Utah people call air is my cardio nemesis.

While living in Portland, OR I could freely run 5 miles without coming to too much of a pant. Walking up three flights of stairs in Utah leaves me winded. The effect that I notice going from altitude to sea level is immediate.

Any advice?

[Pheidippides]

Supposedly, one acclimates after a week of living at altitude. I'm not sure I believe that completely, but that's what I've been told. I suspect it's not true because there actually is less oxygen per breath at altitude, no?

[Mrs. Funk]

Supposedly, one acclimates after a week of living at altitude. I'm not sure I believe that completely, but that's what I've been told. I suspect it's not true because there actually is less oxygen per breath at altitude, no?

I can't believe that's true. Even at Spokane, WA--1843 feet above sea level--I immediately notice a huge difference in the how deep my breaths feel and how much activity I can do before feeling winded. Utah ranges from 4200 to 5200 feet in altitude, btw.

I don't know if it has to do with growing up at a lower altitude or what. In Utah, I have to watch how quickly I push physical activity before becoming lightheaded and breathless.

[Sea Chicken]

I regularly go from 2,000 ft. in Boise to 3,000 ft. in Utah to 4,000+ in Colorado besides running at sea level at times and have never felt the difference. Maybe I'm just not aware of my lung capacity, or lack thereof, but I think altitude is overrated.

[Mrs. Funk]

I regularly go from 2,000 ft. in Boise to 3,000 ft. in Utah to 4,000+ in Colorado besides running at sea level at times and have never felt the difference. Maybe I'm just not aware of my lung capacity, or lack thereof, but I think altitude is overrated.

Perhaps overrated, but a factor certainly for me, at least.

[Sea Chicken]

I regularly go from 2,000 ft. in Boise to 3,000 ft. in Utah to 4,000+ in Colorado besides running at sea level at times and have never felt the difference. Maybe I'm just not aware of my lung capacity, or lack thereof, but I think altitude is overrated.

OK, my numbers are off, but the point still stands.

[cowboy]

I live at 4,000 and travel a good bit. My lung capacity is substantially different at sea level. I have adjusted for this in my VO2 spreadsheet, though I don't know how accurate it is.

We run some cattle as high as 10,000 feet, and have a cabin at 9,300. Working up there in the summers sucks the air out of you in a hurry. It goes away in a few days, but I've found that you acclimate faster if you do more physical work than if you are just sitting around.

[Teenage Dirtbag]

I think there's definitely something to the altitude factor. Many world class runners purposely live and train at high altitude. Deena Kastor and Ryan and Sara Hall all live in Mammoth Lakes, CA, 7900 feet above sea level.

[creekster]

I looked into this a few years ago and it appeared to me that the effect of altitude did nto begin to hamper athletic perfromance signfiicatnly (as in a measureable amount) until it was above 5,000'. Below that level the diffrence was not significatn. The curve became very steep as you go higher, which comports with cowboy's observede fatigue at 9,000 or 10000 feet. Your body acclimates by increasing the amount of hematocrit in your blood, which is the stuff that carries oxygen, as I understand it. Thus going from altitude to sea level can provide a big advantage, but onyl temporarily. This is the same thing that EPO does, btw.

A lot of what people feel in utah is likely the veryt dry air as opposed ot the altitude change.

[bluegoose]

I don't know what the answer is. No question you can raise your hematocrit by living or visiting high altitudes or sleeping in altitude tents, but I'm not totally sure how that translates to performance for the regular, non-world class athlete.

I've had varying experiences with altitude and exercise over the past decade or so. I live and train at 500 feet above sea level where the air is thick and rich (with pollutants, that is). Awhile back I hiked Clouds Peak in WY which tops out at just a shade under 14,000 feet. I was hit very badly with altitude sickness - nausea, vomiting, headache, the whole bit. Took me several days to recover.

On the other hand, I've done the Death Ride several times which starts at 5,500 feet and climbs 5 peaks up to about 9,000 feet each. I didn't feel the altitude effect at all on any of these rides. Same with climbing Lassen Peak in our area of Nor Cal. 10,453 feet and no altitude problems at all.

On the other OTHER hand, last week while visiting Utah, I became winded climbing 2 flights of stairs in the condo and while riding the mountain bike above Sundance had my HR spike to max within minutes of starting to ride.

Maybe for you and I its just a Utah thing. Allergic to the state or the people???

hope that helps answer your question, Hermana Funk.

[bluegoose]

I looked into this a few years ago and it appeared to me that the effect of altitude did nto begin to hamper athletic perfromance signfiicatnly (as in a measureable amount) until it was above 5,000'. Below that level the diffrence was not significatn. The curve became very steep as you go higher, which comports with cowboy's observede fatigue at 9,000 or 10000 feet. Your body acclimates by increasing the amount of meatocrit in your blood, which is the stuff that carries oxygen, as I understand it. Thus going from altitude to sea level can provide a big advantage, but onyl temporarily. This is the same thing that EPO does, btw.

A lot of what people feel in utah is likely the veryt dry air as opposed ot the altitude change.

Quick creek! Edit before CardiacCoug has a stroke!

I actually think you may be onto something with your last statement. I did notice more asthma symptoms while in Utah. Whether it was due to the dry air or allergens, I don't know, but it probably did make a difference.

[creekster]

Quick creek! Edit before CardiacCoug has a stroke!

I actually think you may be onto something with your last statement. I did notice more asthma symptoms while in Utah. Whether it was due to the dry air or allergens, I don't know, but it probably did make a difference.

Lol. I did edit.

I guess I really should take the time to make these things comprehensible, but I am afraid if I do you will realize just how boring and thick-skulled I really am; with typos there remains the possibility that I am actually saying somehting in there that is worthwhile.

When I exercise in utah in the summer my lungs always burn, but I am convinced it is the arid climate, not the altitutde.

[TripletDaddy]

if altitude hampers running and other athletic performance, someone should have informed Reggie Bush and LenDale White before they both rushed for over 100 yards against the Y in Provo.

[creekster]

if altitude hampers running and other athletic performance, someone should have informed Reggie Bush and LenDale White before they both rushed for over 100 yards against the Y in Provo.

That was why I looked into the issue, actually, to see if there was nay evidecne that supported the idea that sea level football teaqms would be jampered by the 'thin air' in Provo. I couldnt find any evidence supporting it and did find a number of article contradciting it.

[Babs]

I regularly go from 2,000 ft. in Boise to 3,000 ft. in Utah to 4,000+ in Colorado besides running at sea level at times and have never felt the difference. Maybe I'm just not aware of my lung capacity, or lack thereof, but I think altitude is overrated.

Don't be a dork. There's a bit of a difference between going from 2 to 3k and going from 0 to 6.

My husband was born and raised at 6500 feet, and even he has to re-acclimate when swims and rides when he goes back to Montana every year. It takes him a couple of weeks to adjust.

Ms. Funk, to answer your question, as I think the others have already done, I feel your pain and the only thing you can do is tough it out when you're at altitude. I kinda think that people like you and I will never be as strong as Flash at altitude, just because he grew up there. But I don't have any evidence for that.