"How to avoid altitude sickness": Practical advice from Lorraine Moller

Gary,

Lorraine Moller training at
altitude in Boulder
Colorado some time ago

I have a question about altitude sickness.

I've just decided to do the Tour Du Mont Blanc but I'm nervous about some of the climbs which go up to about 2600m.

I have been at 2200m before and never had problems but experienced pretty bad altitude sickness at 3000m.

At what height does altitude sickness become a real possibility and is there any way to manage, minimise or hopefully eliminate the possibility of getting it so my trek doesn't become a nightmare?

Thank you

"D"

_____________________________________

Lorraine Moller replies:

Hi Gary, In reply to D's query about preparing for hikes at high altitude: I have some experience with altitude training but it has been the other way around, train high and race low. 

Since you are training at sea level and your event takes place at quite high altitudes I will attempt to make what I know relevant to your situation. 

 There are two primary limiting factors with regards to any endurance activity, muscular conditioning and oxygenation. The muscular conditioning needed to meet the requirements for your hike can be trained for adequately at sea level. However the ability of your body to meet the specific requirements of high altitude is a little more difficult as this type of training requires specificity that is not most efficiently met by training at sea level. 

The biggest challenge for your body at high altitude is the lower air pressure that makes the breathable air less dense. So for every 500 meters you climb you lose about 4% of your available oxygen and by about 3,000m you are only breathing in about 3/4 of the oxygen that you would have at sea level. However the more developed your oxygenating system is, the better you will fare and most walkers and runners can greatly improve their aerobic capacity at sea level by undertaking a simple conditioning plan of regular and variable intensity hikes, two or three challenging ones a week with hills to get the heart pumping and time on your feet, interspersed with some gentle recovery hikes. 

If you are limited by terrain, I suggest running some of your workouts to get the heart rate up and stimulate the body systems to become efficient oxygen processing units. Don't overdo it; too much has the opposite effect and gets you tired and injured, but a regular weekly cycle of workout/recovery can greatly improve your VO2 max in just a few months. 

Here's some suggestions for you from one of our recent Lydiard Coach graduates, Kathy Pidcock, who has trained many ultra and mountain runners: 

"That's always tough on transitioning from sea level to altitude. My recommendation is to do lots of hiking on as tough a trail as they can find (steep works best) and hike it with gusto. Try to get almost anaerobic for several minutes before resting then repeat the process several times. Climb with full packs, it will get them to AT (Aerobic Threshold) quicker. 

Hopefully they will have at least 2 weeks to train. If they are flying into someplace to do the hiking, I suggest they arrive just before the hike, not a week or 2 before. That's when the body begins to break down and tries to make more red blood cells for oxygen carrying capacity. That whole process can take up to 4 months. They will be more tired if their body is trying to repair AND suffering from lack of oxygen with exertion. 

I also recommend taking in foods/drinks that are high in iron to prep the blood prior to the hike. Tell them to take it very slowly on the hike, enjoy the sights, rest often and take lots of pictures and to have a fabulous time!"

A further comments from Gary: 
I would add in a sauna twice a week in the time left leading up to the expedition, as well as increase your daily intake of multi mineral salt such as Himalayan salt (such an appropriately named product!):  Heat acclimatisation boosts blood volume (meaning you have a greater sink for holding oxygen and nutrients) and you will be better able to handle and avoid dehydration which is usually experienced in the very low humidity of high altitude, even if conditions are freezing.
http://blog.garymoller.com/2009/09/how-to-use-sauna-to-improve-health.html

About Lorraine Moller and the Lydiard Foundation
http://lydiardfoundation.deliriousvisions.com/lorraine-moller-inducted-to-boulder-sports-hall-of-fame/

Become a Certified Lydiard Coach: http://www.lydiardfoundation.org/

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Here is your opportunity to become a Lydiard Foundation, Level I or II Certified Coach

Lydiard Foundation, Level I or II Certified Coach

Peter Snell: Lydiard Coaching in action

Did you know that anybody can call themselves an expert in middle and long distance running; but how do you know they are any better than the rest?  Well, you have no way of knowing, even if they have a university degree in exercise science.  There are no standards, no uniformity and it shows in our inconsistent, hit or miss results in competition.

Well, this is all about to change.  If you hire a Lydiard Foundation Certified Coach, then you will at the least know that this coach has a good understanding of the principles of athletic conditioning that were developed by the most successful running coach of all time - the late Arthur Lydiard.

If you are interested in becoming a Lydiard Foundation, Level I or II Certified Coach, then here is your opportunity!  This is the opportunity to gain a unique coaching qualification that may never come around again - unless you have the time and the money to head over the the United States.

http://www.lydiardfoundation.org/

Like so much of our best talent and ideas, such as Arthur Lydiard's medal-winning training system, we have squandered the opportunity to domicile it in New Zealand, instead exporting it to places afar where it is recognised for what it is - a winning formula!  I think this ongoing habit of shunning and ignoring the best we produce is shameful.  Why isn't the Lydiard Foundation headquartered in New Zealand?  (I know why but I am not about to tell you!).

Fortunately, all is not quite lost, with a few expat Kiwis, including Peter Snell and Lorraine Moller,

Pekka Vasala and Kip Keino running with real style

having key roles in the USA-based Lydiard Foundation which is setting about producing a set of uniform coaching standards within the USA for middle and long distance running.

Lorraine will be running two courses through Massey University (details below) and your attendance will help ensure their success.  Perhaps Massey University will leverage the success of these courses to establish a permanent presence of the Lydiard Foundation in the country where it all began.

April Coaching Courses

Ms Moller will be presenting at two Lydiard Foundation Coaching Certification courses Level I and II in April. Both are hosted by Massey University, with the Palmerston North courses running from

April 4-6 and the Albany courses from April 11-13.

Both coaching courses run from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. Fees apply and reservations are essential, so contact the School of Sport and Exercise by email: sport@massey.ac.nz or call (06) 359 5099 ext 81585 to reserve your place.

Lorraine Moller: Boston Marathon winner 1984

It’s a timely topic as athletes these days navigate a labyrinth of information in their search to become better, and as widespread lifestyle diseases contribute to declining fitness levels in the general public.
Massey University national events and sponsorship director Denise Armstrong says hosting the talk and the coaching courses is a perfect match for the University.

"Massey is the leading sports university in New Zealand and the home of more high-performance athletes than any other tertiary institution," she says. "Lorraine Moller is an amazing role model and someone that New Zealand athletes at any stage, and their coaches, can learn valuable lessons from."
Ms Moller had an unprecedented 28-year international running career, and was the only women in the world to have completed all of the first four Olympic marathons for women. She won a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the women’s marathon. She won the Boston Marathon in 1984, was a triple winner of the Osaka Ladies Marathon, and has won three Commonwealth Games medals. Ms Moller was also a forerunner for equality in women’s athletics and an activist for professionalism in distance running.

The Lydiard system, developed by the late Arthur Lydiard, is recognised as the gold standard of endurance systems worldwide and has produced more champions and made more lifetime runners out of beginners than any other system. Ms Moller will discuss whether the system is still relevant in this high-tech age.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/running-legend-lorraine-moller-speak-albany/5/185285

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Announcing Massey University Lecture: Lorraine Moller, Fri 21st March 2014

If you are interested in marathon running, running in general, the Olympic Tradition and the relevance of Lydiard Training today, then RSVP asap to attend this public lecture by Lorraine Moller, co-founder of the USA-Based Lydiard Foundation.

Massey University Lecture: Lorraine Moller Fri 21st March 2014

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Lorraine Moller replies to a question about Lydiard training for longevity and ultras

Hi Gary
My names Gary also from NZ!  I've been a dedicated long distance runner since October 2004 and loving it.
I've been pretty lucky with injuries and had very few of them(except a plantar faciistis which I have recovered from).Because of my job I'm pretty busy and I can't train and race the way I want to, but still manage every day to get out and do a run. My peak milage gets up to about 190km-200km .I'm planning to do 1 or 2 races April or May next year which is the peak season here in Japan for road racing and athletics in general.
After that I want to focus more on my job for the next 3 years ,doing a reduced schedule of around 100-120km per week then 3 years later get back into the long miles and competition again ,by that time I'll be 42 .I believe that my best running will be between 42-46 in marathons and especially the ultras.
I saw on U-TUBE an interesting comment that Lorraine made about the japanese runners in their first year of a 4 year build up for the olympics they do a lot of back pack hiking.
My question is - How much running are they doing during this period of their training?

Here it is at last - the Lydiard Foundation is up and running

At last! While it should be based in New Zealand I guess it could never be. We are so good at exporting our best talent and best ideas and Lydiard is no exception.


Thankfully, the Lydiard Foundation has a strong Kiwi connection in the form of my sister Lorraine. Please visit the brand new Lydiard Foundation website and please sign on as a supporter. We want to keep a strong Kiwi connection. Lydiard is the most innovative and successful running coach in history. Let's not lose his legacy for good!

Talk to Gary Moller (First 5 minutes are free):

Lorraine Moller talks about Athlete Conditioning based upon the Lydiard Method

When I was recently in New Zealand as a guest of the Lovelock/Davies Foundation, sponsored by Powerade, to speak of the work of The Lydiard Foundation I was both surprised and pleased. I had been concerned that New Zealand had lost the way and athletes had moved away from the Lydiard way of training, that it was seen as outdated and the public might not be interested.
There was an outstanding attendance at both lectures in Wanganui and Auckland. The packed audiences included many great and experienced coaches with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the subject that far exceeds mine - coaches such as Barry Magee, Arch Jelley, Chris Pilone, Gary Little and my co-presenter and long-time mentor, Dick Quax.
Almost every runner I knew trained 'Lydiard' when I was young. We ran cross country and road in the winter during our build-ups. We called people who went to the track and did speed work in the winter idiots. The strength building of the winter set us up for the track racing of the summer. The elders of our clubs explained that miles were like putting sand in your bucket and racing emptied the sand out again. (I would have preferred a 'money in the bank' analogy but the image of sand has stuck.)
New Zealand runners were at the top then. I grew up in the wake of the golden era of Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, John Davies, Marise Chamberlain, Barry Magee, and Mike Ryan. The trio Dick Quax, Rod Dixon and John Walker emulated their medal winning legacy. We women were soon to come into our own, in both parity of events and public and media recognition of accomplishment. All of us were coloured by the Lydiard brush. I was coached by John Davies, Ron Daws, and Dick Quax, all Lydiard aficionados.
Lydiardism had its own lore and lingo: we didn't periodise, we pyramidised; we didn't have heart-rate monitors, we gauged by effort; and our coaches were always mindful of how much sand was in our buckets. The Lydiard method was not a theoretical construct borne of lab formulae but a work in progress over the lifetime of Arthur (and others), trialed and tested on thousands if not millions of runners. What worked stuck to become an impressively sound and successful methodology, applicable to all endurance events in all sports over more than a few minutes in duration.
Why is Lydiardism so successful? Because it is a pyramid, solid from the ground up to its peak, it shape defined by the principles it embodies.
These principles are:
1. Maximum Aerobic Efficiency. The body is an oxygen dependant machine for movement. The better we are at utilizing oxygen, the faster and longer we can move at any degree of intensity. The bigger the base of the pyramid the higher the peak.
2. Progressive Development of Energy Transport Systems. Aerobic development precedes anaerobic development. The ascent up the pyramid is a movement from endurance to strength to speed, each stage building on and supporting the next stage.
3. Response Regulation. This is a fancy way of saying that everyone is different and each individual needs to keep an eye on their bucket and adjust their training so that they arrive at the peak of their pyramid with it filled to maximum.
4. Peaking. The pyramid focuses the efforts both physically and mentally so that the chances of performing well on the day that counts are greatest.
There are many such fine coaches scattered throughout New Zealand, coaches who long ago embraced Lydiard in principle and now carry a wealth of expertise. These are New Zealand's best asset for sport and I believe that support of these people at administrative level to teach and inspire our next generation of coaches and athletes is our best bet for a new golden era. Coaches are so often overlooked, especially in a sport that has become professional. As bucket-fillers they too need their buckets filled.
For more information on The Lydiard Foundation or to participate in our training forums with your training question, answers or comments log onto www.lydiardfoundation.org

Talk to Gary Moller (First 5 minutes are free):