Anyone have altitude experience?
I live at sea level, and I've got a 50k coming up on the 17th. The race is in Utah and the altitude there is about 4,000 feet. I'll be on vacation the week before the race which, from my understanding, isn't great because I will probably be feeling the affects of altitude at that point. Usually, they recommend racing within 48 hours to negate the effects of altitude. The first few days of my vacation will be in Colorado Springs at 6,000 feet, then I'll drive over to Utah.
So I'm going to go from 6,000 to 4,000 feet in that week. Will I still feel the effects of altitude at the end of the week, or will my body have be happy that it's stepping down from 6,000 to 4,000 feet at the end of the week? Can I expect my race to be heavily impacted?
Thanks.
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You probably won't even notice being at only 4,000 feet. I think being at altitude the week before will help you acclimate a lot more than it will harm you. I would guess though that you probably won't notice the altitude the week before if you aren't doing anything too strenuous.
In short, I wouldn't worry about it, you'll probably have more of a positive effect being at altitude than any negatives.
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That sounds good. I can afford to be optimistic.
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I will agree with nOOky on the altitude. But also consider humidity. It's typically more humid at sea level, and while that's usually not good, at higher altitude the dryer air can really sap the moisture from your body quicker and you can become dehydrated faster than you realize. So during the race, still drink plenty of fluids, even if you don't think you're sweating a lot. Good luck in the race!
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I live at about 400 ft above sea level. I've raced several trail races that reached 7-8,000 feet at their highest elevation. That had a definite adverse effect, but I didn't really notice it at elevations below 4,000 ft. I've done more hiking at higher elevations and while I can't pinpoint a specific elevation where I can say it started to affect me, I'd probably guess effects first became noticeable above 5,000 ft.
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You may notice it at the start of your race. Just back off a little until your body adjusts. Pre-race just drink extra fluids and avoid booze, even though the beer is excellent in Colorado. Avoid heavy meals in the evening, you will sleep better.
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Thanks for the answers and tips. This ultra stuff is all so new.
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Which 50k are you doing in Utah?
I know of 2 that weekend. Dead horse point and antelope Island. I am run Antelope Island 50k.
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I live at sea level, and did a race that went over 7000', didn't really notice it at all, I wasn't at that elevation long. I spent some time in South America between 11-14k feet, noticed that even walking
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Which 50k are you doing in Utah? I know of 2 that weekend. Dead horse point and antelope Island. I am run Antelope Island 50k.
I'm doing Dead Horse.
Darn it. Best of luck. Can't wait to hear how it goes. You got this.
Thanks! We'll see. Good luck to you!