Ultra Runners

1

Leadville 100 - training for a flat lander (Read 282 times)

    So, I'm in for Leadville this year. I'd like to see from the group what specific hill or altitude training has worked for you if you've done races like this at altitude.

     

    I've done a fair amount of mountaineering & a lot of backpacking in the past up to 18k' (Himalayas) and I've done longer runs 8k - 10k (Montana) with no issues. However, I have never raced 100 friggan miles above 10k'.

     

    I've asked a number of people what works, and I know there is no single golden answer. But, I have been making hill repeats a regular part of my weekly regimen. This is the one constant I have heard, hill repeats work.

     

    I will be flying in on Thursday, making mandatory check-in Friday, race Sat/Sun, then fly home Monday.This way, if there is any altitude sickness, it will hit me on the way home...or not at all.

     

    So, what's worked? Please note,  I do not have access to an altitude tent, I will not be in the Rocky Mountains before the race, I can not travel to Colorado for a month prior to the race. I have great access to Northeast Ohio trails and parks and so forth......

     

    Discuss.....please.

    DoppleBock


      I failed -

       

      I ran too hard the 1st leg and too hard down Hope Pass.  Then I proceeded to push too hard back up Hope Pass and called it @ 70 miles.  I was 30# over weight - But the real problem was proper pacing. 

       

      The other thing I have not had to deal with is not being in control of my effort level - I have never raced, hiked etc where to make forward motion (even slow forward motion) it meant max effort (Over readline)

       

      To combat this I think I would have blocked up my TM and went at 25% inclice or even 15% but running very hard for 5 -15 minute intervals followed by recovery then again then recovery.  Basically runners tend to try and stay below the red line and so we do not always recover as quickly from time spent above the readline.  Where bikers routinely train to go above the readline and recover ... repeat.

       

      Thats all this failure has to offer

      Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

       

       


      You'll ruin your knees!

        You will absolutely not be able to perform at 10/11,000 feet like you perform at your normal altitude... just know that and don't panic when you are on a nice, runnable section of trail but you simply cannot run because some a'hole sucked all the oxygen off the mountain!  Also, don't think for a minute that you won't experience altitude sickness before you begin your return trip. 

         

        That said, familarize yourself with the key symptoms of pulmonary edema and know what to do if you experience the symptoms (head downhill).  Now, given you have basically no acclamation period, just take it easy and take what your body/the mountain gives you.  I would imagine your prep should be no different than what you do for your mountaineering adventures.  Hill repeats will prove quite valuable once you hit the mountain.  For me, I found that high volume in the Texas heat actually prepared me for the climbs/altitude of the mountain races in which I participated (Bighorn, Cascade, Bear as runner, Hardrock and Western as pacer). 

         

        Best of luck to you!

        ""...the truth that someday, you will go for your last run. But not today—today you got to run." - Matt Crownover (after Western States)

          @dopplebock, weekly I've been doing Tmill repeats at 15% where I run progressively longer intervals (1min, 2, 4, 8, 4) then finish with 5x1min at maximum effort and wait to puke or fall off the mill. If I don't do it on the mill, i run repeats on singletrack trails 15-20 times for 30-90sec each, depending on time available. I havent done specific longer intervals beyond 8 mins, unless just in my normal runs where the climbing may last longer. I'd like to get to a point where I am on the tmill for virtually the entire time at 15% to simulate climbs.

           

          @jlynnbob, thanks for the comments. I'd like to hope that I won't get it....but if there is an issue, I'd rather it be on the return trip than during the event! I read an interview from an elite runner (forget name) from my old stomping grounds in Tennessee who had won a high altitude 100 race...in the interview he made the comment that the next best thing to training at altitude is training in heat.

           

          Btw, what are the trails like? In the photos, it looks like it's a lot of dirt roads....what did you guys do for your shoe(s) choice?

          DoppleBock


            I saw a lot of hokas - But reality is with the exception of a couple of spots up and down Hope Pass it is not all that technical - I wore my normal trainers and did not have issues with my feet.

             

            One of my issues living in WI - I can attack any hill and not red-line and recover after that 5 minute effort.  I should have taken much more time on Hope Pass ~ So again it is all about pacing.  1st mile and last mile on pavement.  Next coupe on gravel roads, then a nice single track around the lake - it is really hard pass around the lake - As much as you want to, just relax and fall in line - conserve energy. 

             

            Overall it has a fair amount of roads ~ not a lot of rocks and roots and some very runable sections.  Make sure at some point to take a few minutes in the middle of nowhere on the trail to turn off the headlamps and just stare at the stars!

             

            @jlynnbob, thanks for the comments. I'd like to hope that I won't get it....but if there is an issue, I'd rather it be on the return trip than during the event! I read an interview from an elite runner (forget name) from my old stomping grounds in Tennessee who had won a high altitude 100 race...in the interview he made the comment that the next best thing to training at altitude is training in heat.

             

            Btw, what are the trails like? In the photos, it looks like it's a lot of dirt roads....what did you guys do for your shoe(s) choice?

            Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

             

             


            Kalsarikännit

              You may want to look at last year's Pb thread for some advice.  I think some good snippets may have been thrown in there.

               

              I pointed it out last year, but the altolab is relatively cheap (compared to a tent), and I think it worked wonders.  I felt great on Hope Pass and when climbing Mt Massive (Colorado's highpoint) the next day.  I also used it last year before hitting a bunch of 14ers and I was flying up them with no problem.

              I want to do it because I want to do it.  -Amelia Earhart