Altitude Running - Why it’s different and what to do

Saturday morning I was beyond excited to spend some time running in Park City, Utah because the scenery was for this mid-western, now Florida girl…breath taking.

Part of the reason I am so in love with running is it provides me with an excuse to be outside where I feel simultaneously peaceful and energized.

I spent most of each day saying something along the lines of “It’s so pretty”, followed by a contented sigh (yes even though it was gray and cloudy!). I even started apologizing for saying it out loud so frequently, but I really couldn’t help myself! The green landscape, the mountains and the fresh air were outstanding…David is probably reading this and cringing as he knows a thought provoking maybe we should move discussion is probably hatching in my mind.Park City has these amazing paved paths running all over the city! There were bikers or walkers or runners on it every time we passed. You can see the Olympic ski slopes in the distance.
This is the view from the airport!! I wonder how many people get there and decide not to leave?!

ALTITUDE TRAINING
Coming from sea level, I remembered feeling a little short of breath a few months ago in Snowbird, Utah when trying to run…so it was no surprise to me that I noticed it here at 8,000 feet as well.  Yet oddly enough with the altitude, the cold and RAIN I enjoyed every step of our 9 mile run…even if I was huffing to catch up with the speedsters Bonnie, Bobbie and Taylor.

There was apparently a 41 mile relay happening sometime while we were there…we just thought it was nice they put up signs for us!

Why is altitude training so different? Running at high altitudes decreases the amount of oxygen getting to the muscles and there is an increased risk of dehydration. “At 6000 feet above sea level, you exhale and perspire twice as much moisture as you do at sea level.” - From High Altitude Life.

Many elite athletes prefer to train for a portion of the year above 5,000 feet because it allows their body to produce more red blood cells and enhance their oxygen capacity. However, the downside for many is they can’t train quite as fast…hence the reason they cycle from high to low!

According to Greg McMillan, over 7,000 feet you can expect an easy run to be up to 30 seconds slower per mile to achieve the same easy level of effort.

There is a lot of science you can read on this, but here are some plain English tips for the common runner who is simply ready to enjoy a run on vacation:

• Go as soon as you can upon arrival. Altitude sickness often sets in a day or two after arrival.
• Hydrate - as noted above you need more water here than normal and it’s easy to be dehydrated while traveling anyways. So consciously focus on getting in enough water.
• Slow your pace - This isn’t the time to force a speed work session, instead take advantage of the great views and enjoy a leisurely paced run.
• Consider walk breaks - Even if they are not part of your normal routine, a few pauses throughout the run may allow you to

BLEND RECAPS
I could tell you all about Blend, but so many other women did it already that I’d rather send you to them…I’ll have more about lessons learned but for the nitty gritty they did it so well and now you can meet them too: Love, Life, Surf
A Dash of Meg
Cotter Crunch
Hungry Mother Runner
Eat Move Balance
Talk Less Say More
Purely Twins
Cooking For the Other Half -
TinyNFit
Edible Balance
The Lean Green Bean
Itz Linz 
Mommy Run Fast 
Bonnie Lang Fitness    
Cross Country Cajan

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Gratitude Journal
May 21
I am grateful for a great long chat with my dad while I was on my layover. I miss my parents!

Accountability Monday: Breathing Technique for Runners

A few months ago I reviewed the book Running on Air from Budd Coates. Many of you saw an article about it in either Runner’s World or Men’s Health and were curious to know how it worked {read about it’s injury prevention and speed benefits if you missed it}.  At the time I had only been able to try it for a few weeks and was already able to see how it might help, but it was HARD.

Hard enough that it would be really easy to stop doing it because it takes a lot of thought and previously my thoughts were reserved either for form or for pondering life. However, I particularly noticed that I helped on long runs to increase my pace…so I kept at it.

What I began to realize was that focusing on the breath also ensured that my posture was taller and my abs were pulled in tight. All of this combined makes for faster running, which is exactly what was happening during my training the last few months. Bummer it didn’t come together in Puerto Rico.

Anyhow, what you want to know is does it work? How hard is it to master? Worth the time?
Yes. Medium. Yes.

Tips:
- When starting out I found that it was easiest to start my run without focusing on the technique. This allowed me to get going at my natural pace and then switch my focusing to counting 3:2 (in for 3 steps,out for 2 steps).

- Don’t focus on it for the entire run. Check-in with yourself occasionally, like when you change paces during speed work or when a long run starts to feel tough. I think the mental benefit is as big as the oxygen.

- Considering counting only 3 or only 2. After a few paces, I started to find that if I simply counted my out 2 breathes it was much easier to allow my breath to flow more naturally.

I can’t tell you that it comes 100% naturally to me yet, but now I am able to flow in to it much more quickly and do it without thinking. However, it quickly becomes harder again as I do more yoga because you practice such long inhales and exhales, compared to the very quick exhale of the 3:2 breathing pattern.

A number of Spring Challenge participants also received the book and I know Kat has been seeing that it’s a great help for asthma! Anyone else given it a try?

Checkout the purpose of Accountability Monday’s>>
Want to participate? Fill out this form and I’ll be featuring people each week (see Your Goals below)!

Goal check in: I was really focused early in the week, making it possible to leave for Blend feeling good about where all projects stood and fully enjoy my time.

Goal for Week: Finish all prep for the Clean and Lean challenge - sooo much great stuff and I’m really excited about it. I’ve been putting some of the new stuff in to practice myself for the last few weeks.

Success: My goal for this week was to do speed work and get moving again…but without going back to my full blown schedule. My energy was higher as I started working out, so it took some conscious decision making to hold it back!

Goal for Week: 2 speed sessions, 3 cross training workouts and still lots of focus on recovery after each.

May 13
AM: Meditation, 5 miles with speed play of  3, 2,1 x 2 - goal was for the first run back to be fun but a little fast
PM: 30 min walk with David

May 14
AM: Meditation 20 min yoga, 40 min walk, 20 min yoga
PM: Core workout

May 15
AM: Meditation, Tempo run - 5.5 miles (7:52, 7:48, 8:05) - these are more of a mental workout for me now. I need to allow myself to push and not back away from discomfort. 20 min walk
PM: 30 min walk with David

May 16
AM: Meditation, Kettlebell and core workout, 2.25 mile easy run, 10 min walk
PM: 30 min, Yoga

May 17
AM: Fly to Utah for Blend! - yeah kind of an all day thing with the layovers

May 18
AM: Meditation, 9 mile run with the ladies, hike
-- 8,000 feet elevation, cold and rainy…but beyond pretty and a complete and total blast. This run was a GREAT reminder that while I enjoy my solo runs I get a lot out of running with others and will be pushing myself to get involved with local running clubs here in Orlando.

May 19
AM: Bootcamp
PM: Fly back to Miami (walked in airport for 90 minutes between flights cause my butt hurt from sitting!)
--- I can’t sit down to use the toilet today from all the squats!

After 20 days of consistently doing my exercises, I can say that some days it feels like what is the point?!  Then I do them and the next day my IT Band or back are feeling right as rain and that’s when I understand that doing them may not eliminate all aches and pains from working out, but it does keep them from turning in to sidelining injures.

How are you feeling with PT?

Have you tried the new breathing technique from Running on Air??
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Gratitude Journal
May 20
I am grateful for a girls weekend! I loved them as a child, but as an adult they are such an amazing chance to rejuvenate the spirit.

Stitches

In just the first week of our move to Orlando we’ve already located and visited our nearest Urgent Care. We really like to get to know our city quickly, but I hope we don’t become regular patrons…I should have asked about a frequent visitor punch card.

Our new place has required some handy man work by David, as it did not have a single light fixture. Now 90% of David’s tools are still in Kansas City with my parents so while I used a plastic knife to open all of our boxes, David has been using a box cutter to do pretty much everything.

We’re like MacGyver and a toddler. I didn’t touch the box cutter because I KNEW it would result in me getting injured. I am injury averse. In fact, I have {knock on wood} never broken a bone and only had a couple of tiny stitches due to a knee surgery in high school.

David on the other hand actually broke his arm as a child, but didn’t tell anyone for a WEEK, so that he could continue playing at the lake. I am not sure whether he’s brilliant or insane, but he got what he wanted. This is also to say that he can endure a lot of pain {hmm maybe why he runs faster?!} and rarely complains.

Have I relayed the time where he nearly cut off his finger and left me a voicemail that calmly said “Honey, I’m in an ambulance, when you have a minute call me back.”?!

Thus Saturday when he came hunched over to me as I was unpacking with the statement “this isn’t good”. I was concerned, but knew there were no electrical tools insight and everything still appeared fully in tact. He had however managed to slice his palm open with the box cutter. {you’re welcome that I did not take pictures}

Next he actually called his mom {a nurse}. Seriously he called his mom, he hates the phone so much I often think they wonder if he knows how to use it. Yup this was serious.

We waited another 6 hours before actually going to Urgent Care because who wants to see a doctor when you can bleed to death in your own home. Luckily the place here was clean, quiet and SUPER friendly so within just an hour he had 5 stitches and we were able to head back to our little abode with no light fixtures and no cable… when I said I wanted to simplify our home this wasn’t what I had in mind exactly.

How many times have you had to get stitches? Broken bones? Do you handle pain well? 
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Gratitude Journal
May 18
I am grateful for all of the amazing women I am meeting this weekend and the support of David for me doing these crazy things.

Vega and Lock Laces at Blend Retreat

You’ve probably seen enough tweets and pictures now to know that this weekend is Blend 2013! I promise not to drive you crazy with posts, but had to give a quick shout out to Vega and Lock Laces…so many brands are providing great swag, but I’m working with these two to spread a little extra love this weekend.
You know all about my love affair with Vega, so I promise not to rub it in repeatedly that we got more goodies this weekend and my belly is so happy. Of course this time I am able to share the love with all of the attendees and a fellow ambassador Heather!
Even if you aren’t sure about using Vega, you gotta checkout the free Thrive Forward Sport Edition Videos.  Tony Horton among other trainers and athletes in the videos provide helpful tips about the entire spectrum from endurance athletes to strength training. I believe my nutrition will always be in progress and I love these for keeping me excited about WHY!

Lock Laces was a great sponsor for the Spring Challenge, sending a pair to every participant. Both David and I have been using them in all of our workout shoes since then and I am excited to not only test them out on hike, but get them in the hands of some other crazy workout women to see what they think .

REMINDERS
I’m also super excited to say, the Clean and Lean Challenge sign ups where blowing up, so I may have to cut off registration…don’t wait!  This challenge is all about finding what works for you, in the meantime don’t forget to join the Under Armour Clean and Lean team to start getting feedback and motivation! 

Fingers crossed tomorrow I will be doing a 10 mile run at altitude…hope these ladies are strong enough to carry me back if I drop dead.
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Gratitude Journal
May 17
I am grateful for sponsors who make it possible to keep following my passion and find out where it may lead.

Clean and Lean Challenge

COMBINING YOUR WORK IN THE GYM YOUR WORK IN THE KITCHEN AND YOUR MIND FOR LONG-TERM RESULTS.

Think of this as the previous 30 Day Ab challenge and 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge on steroids!  28 days to re-shape your thinking and get committed!

This challenge is designed to provide support, encouragement, tips and motivation to create habits and a lifestyle that support your goals.

• Discovering YOUR best diet
• Changing thoughts to change your body
• Getting healthy without feeling like it’s a full time job
• Easing in to new habits for lasting change
• Eliminating sugar cravings
• Increasing fruits and veggies with ease
• Core workouts to define those abs
• Conscious selection of the foods we eat

CHALLENGE INCLUDES
June 3 to July 1 -- First email with preparation details June 1

• Daily email with a focus area (i.e. detoxing, core workouts, meals vs snacks)
• Email will include links to tons of resources
• Email will include mantras, recipes, tips
• Private Facebook group for consistent support, daily check ins {lifetime access} 
• What’s Beautiful Clean and Lean Team page to shout your awesomeness to the world
• Group tracking log (what we measure we manage)

OPTIONAL: You can use this plan to discover hidden food sensitivities by removing foods each week. Details for this will be provided.

IT IS NOT: An eating plan. While you will receive recommendations and recipes, this is about creating YOUR best diet to achieve your goals. No single way of eating works for everyone.  It’s not a fast. It’s not a juice cleanse.

HOW TO GET STARTED

• No need to buy a juicer or any other fancy tools to do this challenge.
• Read the daily emails and use the group for support .
• Pay what you want -- You got it, this time around you can simply have it for only the charity donation cost of $2 or if you feel that RTTF has helped support you previously and/or you see the value in this program join for a few bucks to support the ongoing efforts here. Either way I hope it works for you.
  

In 28 days I want you to look in the mirror with confidence. Knowing that you stayed true to your word and have made choices and changes that are moving you in the direction of your goals. When you can answer this you’re ready to enjoy life no matter where you are!

Amanda is a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. Information provided will be from her own weight loss/maintenance experience, experience working with many others over the years and that of many other fitness professionals. For individualized recommendations and nutrition assessments, please see a local RD or ask for a recommendation! I know a few good folks.
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Gratitude Journal
May 15
I am grateful that David has taken to making daily fruit smoothies and always gives me some without me even asking!