What Runners Should Know About Altitude Training

What Runners Should Know About Altitude Training

Article by Chelsea Ho

A summary of the ideas presented by Dr David Martin and Peter Coe in their bestselling classic “Better Training For Distance Runners”.

Altitude training is a complex topic which has garnered substantial attention in the modern running era. Most athletes are aware of the basic mechanism by which altitude training ought to enhance performance. But the real issue lies in how exactly should we approach this without, in the authors’ words, “disrupting all the other facets of lifestyle that contribute to the well-being of a healthy athlete”.

Here are six frequently asked questions about altitude training:

1) Can we quantify the extent to which a certain altitude slows down a marathoner’s performance?

Take two altitude-dwelling Mexican marathon runners racing at sea level and altitude in the year of 1993:

Another general indication of the effect of altitude is seen by a past policy of a United States’ athletics governing body which used to accept a 3% “altitude allowance” handicap for middle and long-distance races done above 1219m. However recent research suggests that decreases in performance have been evident at altitudes as low as 700m.

2) What causes this 3-4% reduced performance with increased altitude?
It is the relative deprivation of oxygen, that is, hypoxia. We know that distance running is primarily an aerobic (oxygen-requiring) event. As we ascend to altitude, the concentration of oxygen in the air decreases. Thus, less oxygen is supplied to our cardiac and skeletal muscles.

3) How does the body adapt to the hypoxia by training at altitude?

There are several physiological changes which occur, including:

• A greater concentration of oxidative enzymes in skeletal mitochondria to generate more energy (ATP);
• A greater reliance on fat utilisation (instead of glycogen) which produces less acidosis that would otherwise damage muscle fibres;
• Stimulation of erythropoietin (EPO) hormone production, which in turn encourages more red blood cell production, leading to a greater oxygen-carrying capacity.

4) Is there evidence to show that altitude training is actually effective for improving sea-level performance?

Given that many of our top runners today live in high-altitude areas (take Kenya, Ethiopia, etc.), we can make an educated guess that this is likely the case. However, this is confounded by genetics and their culture which places a heavy emphasis on running.

However, to be technical, the evidence is far from clear. It is virtually impossible to specifically isolate and assess the role of altitude training to their performance. We cannot ignore contributory factors associated with temporarily moving to a new training location like having more free time and sleep, better nutrition, reduced stress due to being away from a job or family, and more time for recoveries (e.g. massage).

5) What are some risks associated with altitude training?

Almost all sea-level-dwelling elite athletes find that prolonged training above 2750m is stressful for predictably consistent benefits. Cons that must be weighed against the benefits include:

• Skeletal muscle wasting
• Running at a slower pace
• Tendency towards dehydration

(However, occasional day trips to such altitudes continue to be practised.)

Middle-distance runners might especially find it frustrating and difficult to maintain a rapid leg turnover at altitude. This may place their neuromuscular quickness (the ability of nerves to fire quickly and activate the leg muscles) at risk.

6) What is the optimal period of altitude residence and return to sea-level for competition?

A general recommendation is 4 weeks of living at altitude and training near sea level whenever maintaining fast leg turnover. For example, California’s South Lake Tahoe (1909m) and Orangevale (120m) are separated by only a 132km driving distance. The 4 weeks is sufficient for increasing red blood cell concentration and permits and unhurried training block.

 The optimal time for return to lower altitudes and racing is roughly 2-3 weeks. This allows enough time to:

• return to normal breathing and blood acidity levels,
• permit recovery from the fatigue of hard training at altitude, and
• allow sufficient opportunity for middle distance runners to run faster and refine racing skills.

[Sweat Elite are holding a training camp at high altitude this January (2020) in Kenya. The 2 week trip will include everything you need at an altitude training camp including planned training sessions, runs with elite athletes, talks with elite athletes, accommodation, all meals and transfers. Learn more here.]

Key takeaways by the authors:

• Altitude training is only one – but nevertheless significant – facet of an individual’s multidimensional approach to their preparation.
• Don’t go so high or train so hard that the risks incurred by altitude stress outweighs the benefits.
• Use laboratory physiological testing before going and after returning to quantify any improvement in terms of VO₂ max, anerobic threshold, haemoglobin, etc.
• Thoroughly plan your stay in advance (e.g. including a prior ‘tourist trip’) to develop personal contacts and help create a homelike lifestyle in the interests of emotional wellbeing
• Stay long enough to acquire sufficient adaptation to make the effort worthwhile, at least 3-4 weeks
• If the important competitions following altitude training are planned for sea level, return home early enough (between 2-3 weeks) to permit appropriate sea-level ventilatory and neuromuscular adaptation before racing begins.

Source: Martin, D. E., & Coe, P. N. (1997). Better training for distance runners. Human Kinetics 1.