The returning runner…
Act 48 – Altitude for Attitude!
Although the grade was already steepening, I didn’t feel too bad. One of those “peppy” days… I had done runs every few weeks throughout the summer with starting elevations around 8,000 feet and which went up from there. This should have been the most challenging – starting at around 9,700 feet at Virginia Lakes, south of Bridgeport, California. I was surprised at how good I was feeling. I started pushing it for stretches, even able to smile at the downhill-headed hikers. Feeling particularly good for a stretch, I bounded up the steps in the rocks formed in a steep incline. A girl hiker was coming downhill. She quipped; “well, now you are just showing off!”. I had to laugh and then, feeling even more energized, pushed it a bit more. She looked like Amy Farrah-Fowler from Big Bang Theory but I don’t think it was her.
After a while, the pretty pine-encompassed lakes that lined the trail above Virginia Lakes faded behind me. Now, the trees were gone, and, despite the August warmth, snow clung to the trail. Slushy enough that it wasn’t icy but had to take more care with my steps now. I kept going. Not quite as “peppy” but pleased with myself that I was still going. The switchbacks ahead sucked it out of me, but I had made it this far – keep going… Backpackers loitered along the trail, filtering the snowmelt for drinking. They smiled and cheered “keep going!”.
I didn’t have a planned destination in mind. Just a good, high altitude, run. Now, I was running out of mountain ahead of me. The trail grew indistinct. All vegetation had disappeared – I was running up a talus slope with scant evidence of human passage. I knew I was very high. But now, I wanted to go as high as possible. Off to my right seemed to be a rounded peak. I kept going… Pushing hard, I realized that I had no more “up” to go. Everything was now downhill. I was at the top. I glanced at my at the run tracker app on my phone. I had run continuously from 9,700 to 12,100 feet elevation. I was 60 years old. A couple of months later I ran a 17:49 5k skipping the 18s entirely as I dropped from the low 19’s.
Altitude training can provide an amazing workout without the pounding of road running or the stresses of track speed work. Plus, there is a huge psychological boost when you start out a race at a pretty durn good pace but then realize you are scarcely breathing due the altitude training. You may not go fast doing altitude training but the benefits are amazing!!
Oh, some things to consider when trail running at high altitude:
· Build up to high altitude training gradually. Abruptly attempting high altitude work can cause altitude sickness (headache, nausea, disorientation, and yes, even death).
· The weather can change very fast, prepare accordingly.
· Have a communication / check-in plan. The current smart phones may provide for emergency calling even when traditional cell service isn’t available but always a good idea to let your “crew” know your route and when you are expected to be back and then stick to it.
· Even with the cool weather that comes with the high altitudes, you need fluids and electrolytes. Wear a camelback or similar.
· You will burn calories much faster than at sea level – a great idea to have some high-carb snacks.
Photo: From the trail above Virginia Lakes