Winter is not the only time your running may take you among the clouds. Summer vacations or trips with family might bring you to the mountains. When you need to run at high altitudes, keeping in mind a few simple things can make your experience much more enjoyable and productive.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
At high altitudes, you may not feel sweaty, even after you run. However, that does not mean that you don’t need to replenish your fluids even more so than at sea level. At higher altitudes, there is less air pressure. Evaporation happens more rapidly both off your skin as well as every time you exhale. At an altitude similar to Denver, you perspire about twice as much as at sea level. If you are not being very deliberate about water intake, your running will suffer, and general dehydration may make you feel ill (headaches, nausea, fatigue are common effects) regardless. Carry a water bottle with you, drink throughout the day, and avoid caffeinated beverages. If you are concerned about how much to drink, weigh yourself before and after a run at altitude to get a sense of how much water you have perspired during the session.
Expect to adjust your paces
Running at altitude requires your body to function when your lungs aren’t getting the same concentration of oxygen with each breath. Your body has to fight harder to produce red blood cells and the whole operation makes things more difficult on your muscles to function in the manner to which you may be accustomed. If you can run an eight minute mile at sea level, doing so at an altitude similar to Albuquerque or Reno might leave you the finishing the length of a football field behind your sea level self. For instance, your Vo2 Max pace is adjusted about 3% per 1000 feet, and expect it to still feel pretty tough. Keeping a good humor and realistic expectations is key to successfully managing your schedule when heading to the hills.
It will get better...but it will get a little worse first
There is a lot of discussion about the benefits of training at altitude, but a long weekend at a mountain cabin won’t quite get you there. When you arrive, your body begins to fight the good fight to produce red blood cells, despite the paucity of oxygen. Initially, it will lose this fight, and your red blood cell stores will dwindle a bit over the first few days making these days successively more difficult to a certain extent. After your body figures out that it needs to work a ton harder, it will, and production will ramp up like a toy company at Christmas. However, this takes a about 2-3 weeks before supply can catch demand. Once you return to sea level, this high octane production will dissipate fairly soon as the air pressure yields more oxygen per breath. So, if you are serious about wanting to train at altitude, plan a longer stay, and don’t expect a huge boost months after you return.
Protect your skin
Even a cloudy day in the mountains can result in a sunburn with UV rays over twice as strong at many common mountain heights. Wear hats and sunscreen, reapplying frequently to stay ahead of sun damage.
Keep fueling
At high altitude, your body must work harder to keep up with all the demands listed above and more. A moderate caloric increase is appropriate to keep up with your body’s needs.
While the benefits and challenges of running at altitude are still being researched, a beautiful trail run in the mountains can provide qualitative benefits that go beyond the resultant blood chemistry, and training hard and with friends can plant the psychological seeds for many a goal race campaign. Plan well, take care of your body while in the hills, and enjoy many a mile in the thin air.
Originally written by Dena Evans
Updated by Hiruni Wijayaratne
Written by Jen Van Allen
Updated by Rosie Edwards
While training with us, you'll have a variety of workouts to help you build all-around fitness. Each workout plays a unique role in building your all-around fitness, and helping you reach your goals. It's important to stick to the pace and distance assigned for each workout. On your Schedule & History page, under the "Pace Chart" you'll see the suggested paces for each workout. Below, you'll find more guidance on how to gauge your effort for each run.
MAINTENANCE: Run at a conversational pace, or 65 - 85% of max heart rate. If you’re huffing and puffing, you’re going too fast. These workouts are designed to build your aerobic fitness, without stressing your bones, muscles, and joints. Don’t take your easy runs too fast; save your energy for quality workouts like speed sessions and long runs.
REST: Let your body recover from training stresses, get stronger, and bounce back quickly for your next workout. You may do a low-impact activity: walk, swim, bike, or ride the elliptical. Just take it easy.
LONG RUNS: Long runs are meant to build endurance, and get you comfortable spending hours at a time on your feet. Focus on finishing the distance at your target pace feeling strong. Practice fueling strategies and gear logistics to figure out what will work on race day.
THRESHOLD: This workout, also called a “tempo run,” should feel comfortably hard, but it’s not an all-out sprint. You should be able to say 2 to 3 words while running. Threshold workouts should be done at 85-92% of your maximum heart rate. Threshold workouts will help you develop the ability to hold a faster pace for a longer distance, and they’ll train your legs and your lungs to be more efficient.
SPEED SESSIONS: During speed sessions you’ll alternate between short, fast-bouts of running (typically 800 or 1500-meter repeats) and periods of recovery with walking or easy running. These workouts build cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, stride efficiency, and they get your fast-twitch muscle fibers firing. Those benefits will help you no matter what kind of goal is. Try to complete the assigned workout feeling strong.
To learn more about the purposes of each workout, click here. Have questions? Contact Us.
As with any new adventure, when you are starting off, it can seem dauting to set a goal. To take some that stress off, we’ve asked our coaches for their top tips.
A goal, no matter the caliber is critical to keep you focused. A goal should be ambitious, but not so wild that it will take you an exceedingly long time to reach it. As a beginner, you will see various levels of successes rather quickly. Use this to your advantage and set several personally relevant goals.
(1) Exercise Regularly – Run consistently
This can be simply to run/ walk/ move your body and sweat 2 – 3 times per week, for a month. Building a routine is the first step toward meaningful change in your life. Your body adapts the more times you teach it to do a skill. Continually running/ walking will improve the response within your body
(2) Run a Specific Distance
Be it one kilometer, mile or 5K – marathon, set a distance that you can be proud of completing. Time or pace is not relevant at this point. This is a personal record of the farthest distance you can cover in one-go.
(3) Run Non-Stop
Set yourself a goal to run on-stop over a realistic distance. At first you can even make it a goal to run around your neighborhood without stopping, then move up to a loop around your local park.
(4) Select a Race
Live events are a rare luxury for now, but you can still register to support a race organization which is meaningful to you. Most virtual races will send you a finisher medal, and other awesome swag. These are treats to reward you for reaching the goal.
(5) Weight Loss
Lots of people start running to lose weight. Just like setting your eyes to run a certain distance, you should set a weight loss goal for each week and each month. Experts recommend 0.5-1kg (1-2 lbs) as a safe weekly weight loss goal.
Like the recipe of your favorite dish, your runcoach training plan combines many difference types of ingredients. Each of these ingredients are important, even as some of them come in large quantities and some are just a pinch of salt on top of a mound of flour in the bowl.
Your runcoach pace chart provides a wide array of paces for various types of workouts prescribed on your individualized schedule,. Your marathon, maintenance, 80% and half marathon paces are paces your body should be able to handle for long durations – paces at which your cardiovascular system can keep up with the oxygen demand of your muscles for extended periods of time. Even though you may not be out of breath during this type of running, your muscles are building more extensive and efficient pathways for oxygen and energy delivery. In addition, your mind is preparing for the lengthy race task ahead. If you are using a heart rate monitor, this running is done somewhere in the range of 65-85% of your maximum.
While some “Pace Runs” on your schedule might be prescribed at slower paces, “threshold” running is designed to challenge you at a comfortably hard level. This pace should be sustainable for a shorter period of time, say 20-25 minutes, but should not feel easy to continue much beyond that duration. It should also not feel hard after just a few minutes of running. This area of pacing helps to challenge your body to become more efficient with handling a steadily accumulating blood lactate level (something you will have to do in races shorter than a half marathon). Threshold workouts are ideally executed at about 88-92% of your maximum heart rate.
Crossing the “threshold” literally and figuratively, leads us to paces that can only be performed for shorter, more challenging periods of time. Balancing intervals or repetitions with just enough rest or active recovery allows an athletes to spend a significant cumulative period of time at a quick pace and high heart rate, conditioning the body and mind to operate effectively and efficiently at that level of demand, which is ideally in the mid to high 90s of maximum heart rate percentage. If one ran a series of 800m intervals at 4:00 with 90 seconds recovery, each successive interval would see the athlete’s heart rate shoot up more and more quickly within the 4:00, but ideally not so quickly that the athlete could not complete the interval at the prescribed pace. This effect may result in the first couple intervals of a workout feeling slightly easier than anticipated, tempting the athlete to run faster than the prescribed paces. While this may seem logical – to run harder initially and shoot the heart rate to the moon on the first interval – the workout is designed to create its effect by the end of the session. What may seem like a comfortable pace on the first interval turns out to be a misguided assessment as the athlete slows down precipitously at the end or requires way more rest than assigned.
Some athletes may wonder why an 800m or 1500m pace might even be assigned to them as they train for a half or full marathon. Although the bulk of an endurance race training schedule includes work preparing for the paces, energy efficiency, heart rate demand, and mental effort of the longer races, workouts prescribed with some quicker paces allow an athlete to work on running economy. Workouts or even strides on your schedule at 800m or 1500m pace provide a valuable opportunity for athletes to challenge the fundamentals of their running stride, to teach their legs to have a bit more range of motion in the stride, to strengthen their feet to push off the ground more effectively, quickly, and with strength. Although they may seem inconsequential in the larger picture, even small improvements in this area can result in large gains considering how many thousands of strides we take during the course of our general training.
While it is normal and natural to feel more at home with one type of workout over another, avoid the inclination to slough off the types of workouts that seem unfamiliar or not in your wheelhouse. Each of the paces prescribed in your schedule has a purpose. Commit to executing each workout with mindfulness and a sense of purpose. This is your best chance of turning out a race day “dish” you’ll remember for years.
Updated by Rosie Edwards
While not everyone can be the running equivalent of a Tour de France champion, dancing on your pedals as you climb the Alps and the Pyrenees with the ease of a mountain goat, we all will encounter hills in our running, and probably all could use a periodic refresher on how to get the most out of our efforts on the ascents.
With the climb or descent looming ahead, how should you prepare to for the challenge ahead? Read on for a few simple cues....
1. The basics of general good running form almost all still apply. Keep your arms at 90 degrees (click here to review our column on What To Do With Your Arms) and keep your shoulders low (not hunched) and square to the direction you are heading. Keep your hands relaxed and swinging through your "pockets", and maintain tall posture.
2. Don't lean too far into the hill on the ups or too far back on the downs. Try to maintain a slight lean forward (long lean from the ankle, not the waist) both up and down, just as you would on the flats. Leaning too far forward on the uphill restricts the ability of your knees to drive and can compromise your ability to maximize your inhales if you are hunched over. Stay tall, open up your chest, and give your legs and lungs room to work. On the downhills, braking yourself by leaning backward puts unnecessary stress on your muscles and joints, and often squanders a chance to make up ground in a race. A little forward lean, when not on an area with dangerous footing, can help get you a couple seconds closer to that PR, and leave you a bit less sore the day after.
3. Concentrate on cadence. Resist the urge to overstride on the downhills, and do your best just to maintain your rhythm on the uphills. Yes, you will be going faster than the flats on the downhills and slower than the flats on the uphills if you maintain a similar rhythm and effort level, but you will also most likely arrive at the top of the hill without wasting a bunch of energy for little advancement, and keeping your stride landing underneath your body on the downhills instead of in front will minimize excess pounding.
4. Don't spend a lot of time on the ground. Keep your feet pushing off of the ground quickly, just as you would on the flat. For those used to heelstriking on the flats, hills can be a valuable tool to build foot and calf strength as you land more on your midfoot than you might normally. On the uphills, it should almost feel like your feet are striking the ground behind you. On the downhills try (as we have discussed), to let your feet land underneath you so you do not have to wait to let your body travel over the top before pushing off again.
5. Look ahead. Sure, it is tempting to look at your feet and make sure your legs are doing what we have just been talking about, but looking several steps ahead will help you anticipate any undulations in the hill ahead, any poor footing areas requiring caution, and will keep your posture tall (more air in the lungs!) and your arms at the right angles.
This fall, may you approach every hill with anticipation and crest the top with satisfaction!
Have a suggestion for next month's Personal Best? Email it to us at info@runcoach.com.
Updated by Rosie Edwards
While we have many athletes who have been training with runcoach for years, we also love the constant influx of beginning runners or runners now tackling their first challenging goal race.
On the blog, we talk about all sorts of topics, but we also have an extensive archive of short pieces detailing some of the most fundamental aspects of running. So, whether you could use a quick refresher, or have been anxious to ask these questions but too shy to reach out, here is a sample of some tips we believe can help you reach your full potential!
What to do with your arms while running
What is a taper and how do I do it well
The mechanics of the running stride
Beyond these few topics, there are dozens of articles on our blog covering everything under the sun. We have Q&As about almost every imaginable ache and pain with experienced practitioners, interviews with professional and world class athletes, and even a few profile of fellow runcoach athletes like yourself. Check it out!
Updated by Rosie Edwards.
This month, we touch on a question that comes up over and over with brand new and experienced runners alike.
Form Tip: Arms
Q: What should I do with my arms when I run?
What would happen if you ran the same pace over the same distance every day you went out to run? Many people do it, and you may have even been that person yourself at one time.
You may have also wondered why your Runcoach plan has workouts at various paces and distances on your way to your goal race. We wanted to take a few moments to explain a few objectives to changing pace within workouts and/or running intervals.
What To Do When Your Goal Race Gets Delayed?
Don’t Give Up.
As the global pandemic nears year one, the mass participation road racing scene is still far from normal. The optimist in you hoped 2021 would finally be the year in which live road race returned to its full glory. Still, races are getting postponed (with valid reason) to the second half of the year. How long should you hold out hope? What to do with extra time?
First and foremost, absolutely hold on to that optimism! Your favorite road race, standing among strangers, butterflies in your stomach, and the minty muscle cream scent in the air will return. But I empathize with you, as my own race opportunities dwindle away each month. You’re allowed to feel disappointed. Allow yourself the time to go through the stages of coping using the techniques below.
1) Work On Weaknesses
Life is all about perspective. In any circumstance, the way you frame it allows you to move forward. I encourage you to see the delay as extra time to prepare (different from extra time to wait to start).
We all have areas of opportunities to develop and refine. Whether it’s physical (shin splints, weak glutes, runner’s knee, tendonitis), a target weight-loss goal, or mental (anxiety, mental strength to dig deep when it feels hard) the additional months can be invaluable to prepare your body and mind to have an exceptional race when it’s “go time”.
2) Scale Back
A common topic I discuss with my athletes is over-training. It’s the quickest way to kill your joy for running. If your goal race is a half marathon or longer, and the race is postponed, there is no additional benefit to keep loading up on miles. Instead, shift your focus to maintain fitness and find smaller goals to excite you.
3) Setup Time Trials
If this is a new word for you, think of a “Time Trial” as a practice race. Having a goal that you can chase on your own terms can be a big win (especially given the uncertainty in today’s world). Time trials can help to gauge your fitness, practice pace, try out race tactics, go through race day logistics like type of breakfast, and hone in on the mental side of racing.
Runcoach athlete Jeff is in a similar situation to many BQ athletes. He was hopeful Boston 2021 would go on in April. Most of his preparation in 2020 was done with hope of running a memorable 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston. With the recent news of Boston getting pushed back to the Fall, he’s once again reassessing his training.
Jeff wrote, “I want to chase a half marathon PR, even at altitude I think my old PR is vulnerable”. That’s all a coach needs to hear, a spark of motivation. We decided on a half marathon time trial about a month out from the initial discussion, with training specifically focused on crushing his current personal best.
4) Explore Off-Road
Without a tight timeline to get ready for “race day” you have a free pass to run on trails, grass, packed snow (stay upright though!). Simply do something different to shake up your usual routes.
Doing so will not only help you see some different scenery, but it will challenge your body to activate muscle groups you don’t normally use while running on a flat road.
In short, when things change... don’t quit. Instead adapt and move forward with your running shoes ON!
