I almost paged Colorado runners, but I realized you guys are used to the altitude so I should ask fellow sea level dwellers who have run at altitude.
We are going to Colorado for 4th of July & there is a 1/3 marathon race that I'm contemplating. Here's my hesitation. We get it at 8pm the night before, so I probably wouldn't get to bed until 10ish. The race is at 8:00. So only 12hrs to acclimate. Usually when I go to Col skiing, that first day I feel kinda crappy, just kind of a low grade headache & sluggishness. Am I going to regret signing up for 8.7mi? Is it just stupid? It just spunds like such a fun race & it's mostly downhill.
Go for it & just drink a ton of water & take ibuprofen? Or sit this one out? I need someone to give it to me straight.
Post by keweenawlove on May 11, 2012 21:27:34 GMT -5
I had a really bad experience with high altitude racing so I probably wouldn't. I skied Junior National in Truckee (~6000 ft) coming from basically sea level. I think my first distance race was 5 days after we got there and I still felt awful.
I was out in Loveland, CO last spring and tried running the first morning I was there. I ended up getting in about 4 or 5 easy miles but I started getting dizzy. Trying to race that fast would make me nervous.
I grew up in Colo Spgs (which I think is where lespaul is at), and though I don't live there anymore, I do still live at altitude (5400). I moved to sea level for two years, & when I would go home to CS, I could never run like I could at sea level. The air is super thin, you can easily dehydrate, & the sun is just different - it's a dry, killer sunburn hot.
If you travel to altitude frequently and don't experience many problems, or if your heart is really set on this race, then go for it. I would just encourage you to reeeeaaallllly listen closely to your body, stay especially hydrated, and don't be heartbroken if you don't have the same time you would at sea level. 12 hrs just isn't much acclimation time, not to mention being tired from travel as it is.
Oh, crap - 6mo? Lol! I'm going from ~500ft to 9400ft. Ok, just typing that scares me. The race profile is ~200ft gain over first 3ish miles then 700ft loss over remaining 5mi. So mostly downhill. It's the overall elevation I'm worried about.
Post by foundmylazybum on May 12, 2012 7:23:14 GMT -5
I'd do it but not expect your pr. In college we would come from 1,000 feet in Phoenix to 7000 in flagstaff and race the same day. Everyone raced just fine. I've come from San Diego, and Phoenix and raced in co ( between 6000 at boulder and 8500 in Georgetown) and run fine.
Just look at it as a fun experience. Everyrace gives you racing experience. You don't always have to go for time. You can go and this race you can set a goal to work on pacing, excellent warm up routine, practice a new fueling strategy or a mental routine you've been wanting to try. Because you know time is most likely not going to be the most important focus here it actually frees you up to set some unique and fipun goals for this race.
Thanks for your responses, everyone! I think I'm going to register for it & mentally just treat it like a long run, not a race. And if I feel too crappy to even start it, it has a pretty low entry fee so I'm only out $25.
Besides drinking a ton of water the night before, are there any other things i can do that might help me feel better?
Get lots of potassium. Also, salty carbs can help with the altitude related headaches/nausea. I would just be sure to take it easy with the race and listen to your body. Start drinking electrolytes before you even get to CO.