I used to be on the swim team at Western State in Gunnison. Elevation at the pool was 7,702'. When we went to nationals in Cleveland or Springfield, MA, we felt supercharged! You should get faster splits at a lower HR than you are used to. But, don't go too early, as some of the effect will wear off as your extra red blood cells die off and do not get replaced.



"Uh, we don't have a cow...we have a bull."

Thanks. I'll be getting there on Friday afternoon and the race is Sunday morning. Considering I have trained at a certain HR, if I race at that HR I should go much faster - correct? Or will I have a difficult time maintaining the HR I trained at due to the lower elevation?

I don't know if I would say "much" faster, but just faster. Remember, there are other offsetting effects, such as humidity, that may affect you too.

I am not a physiologist, but as I understand it, people living at higher altitudes have more red blood cells to enable them to carry oxygen from the rarified air more efficiently. When you go to a lower altitude, this gives you a benefit similar to blood doping. In other words, you are able to carry oxygen more efficiently than the other competitors, so at a given level of effort, you feel less tired. So, theoretically, you should be able to increase your normal output (speed/rpm/whatever) and still maintain the HR you are used to. As your entire red blood cell supply is replaced every few days or so, this benefit is temporary.

As I grew up in Colorado, but now live in Florida, I cannot overemphasize the effect of the higher humidity at sea level. Your sweating mechanisms will not work as efficiently, and you may begin to feel overheated, which will have an impact on your performance. Also, there may be some increased drag on the bike leg. So, your net time effect may be a wash. Obviously, when I swam, humidity and aerodynamic drag were not as much of a factor as they may be in a tri.

Tri2HaveFun, in theory you will go faster. If it was a sport such as biking or XC skiing, I would say for sure (despite greater wind resistance at sea level at speed). For a marathon though, your engine will let you go faster due to higher red blood cell count, but your joints and muscles may not be ready for the increased speed over an extended time. You may suffer from "marathon quads" earlier than expected because things will seem much easier. This is similar to the problem that marathoners face in "predominantly downhill courses" such as Boston. Since the aerobic load is less, athletes can take it out faster. They pay for the really fast opening 16 miles, with a slow final 10, not because of aerobic issues, but because they are limited by their quads.



I would recommend a once a week session of downhill running if you can find a long gradual grade of ~ 1K to 1mile. Barring that, get a treadmill and jack up the back end with around 1 inch of books or plywood and do a set of 5x1 mile at a speed that exceeds your planned race pace by up to 5%. You should be able to sustain this workout aerobically, while still going faster than race pace. This will get you ready for running faster than normal at sea level.

"I would recommend a once a week session of downhill running if you can find a long gradual grade of ~ 1K to 1mile."

No problem there. The route where I do most of my long runs is generally uphill on the way out, downhill back. Last weekend I did a 20 miler. It was 10 uphill with the wind at my back, 10 downhill with the wind in my face. The route I do many of my shorter runs is also quite hilly.

It would appear I should guard against going out too fast. Much of the race course is flat and the few hills should be nothing compared to what I usually do here in Colorado.

As long as your downhill running is faster than race speed, then you will be OK when you go to sea level. That being said, it is better to work in this "speed" in a shorter 8-10 mile run, rather than during something that is longer. This is why 5x1mile on the treadmill is good since you don't have to waste energy running back uphill and can take a short 1-2 min rest at slow speed and get into your next one immediately.