Altitude Adjustment

I get a lot of questions about adjusting to altitude. And the answer, as answers usually are, is it depends. Typically though, it takes around 2 weeks to make the majority of the adjustments necessary and a full 4-6 weeks to completely adjust at 7500ft. Add a week for every 2000ft or so. But what does that mean for training or racing at altitude? What if I'm only there for a week?

Well if you plan on going to altitude to race, and do not have a week or two to adjust beforehand, try to do it within 24 hours is possible, and 48 at the maximum. Be prepared to maybe even feel a little sick when warming up for the race, and know that if you keep youself calm, it will pass and you will be fine.

From what I've found the 3rd day at altitude is always the worst, but for me, I feel fully adjusted by the 4th or 5th day (which doesn't necessarily mean that I am). If you have big training planned, start out relatively easy, and plan to rest on the 3rd day if possible. Save the big, hard stuff for the tail end of the trip if you can, and try to build into it.

Coming down from altitude is another concern that is often overlooked. Most people will do just fine here, but I've found I have some of the same adjustment problems coming down when I try to race very soon (feeling sick for a few minutes right before the race, for instance). Also, if you are moving down to a hot and humid climate from a dry and cool one, expect to be slower. Heat and humidity will require just as much adjustment as altitude and from my experience, can slow you down even more.

For some more technical information about adjusting and adapting to altitude, good information can be found here: http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/acclimatization-to-altitude.html