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Foreword by Ben Greenfield There are those who talk the talk, and there are those who walk the walk. Some are the former. Some are the latter. But Jeff Meador, the author of this book you’re about to dive into, is both. See, Jeff lives at altitude and Jeff trains at altitude, in the Colorado mountains. In his triathlon and cycling training, he experiences the things he is going to teach you on a daily basis – and he has developed truly useful strategies based on what he’s learned in the trenches (or rather, in the mountains!). Whether you live at altitude or want to, train at altitude or want to, or just need some tips for your next race or event that may be taking place at altitude, Jeff gives you everything you need in this book – from nutrition, to fueling, to pacing, to gear strategies. Have fun reading, and best of luck in your elevation ventures.

Ben Greenfield Owner, Endurance Planet

P.S. If you enjoy this book, be sure to visit EndurancePlanet.com and check out our other titles, including my nutrition manual “Top 20 Fueling Myths”.

http://www.enduranceplanet.com/

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Endurance Planet’s Guide to Elevation:

Practical Tips for Living, Eating, and Training at Altitude

With Jeff Meador, RPh, PharmD Introduction Each year many athletes spend months training at high altitude to reap performance-enhancing benefits. Many professional athletes make Boulder, Colorado their home because they know how much of an advantage high altitude training can bring them on race day. Boulder has truly become a Mecca for top endurance runners, cyclists and triathletes: including Ironman World Champions Craig Alexander, Chrissie Wellington, and Chris McCormack.

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If you’re looking to raise your current performance level to new heights this year, planning a trip to the mountains may be the boost you need to take your training or racing to higher levels. However, there are many things you need to consider before booking your itinerary in order to gain maximum advantage. In the tips that follow, I’ll show you everything you need to know and wonder about: including travel preparation, how much time you need to spend at high altitude, what type of training is best, and how long those benefits will last after returning to lower elevations. A Little About Jeff Meador After growing up and living in Illinois for 28 years, I moved to Colorado in 1998 to attend the University of Colorado, School of Pharmacy in Denver. I have been passionate about bike racing since the 80’s, especially during the Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain and Lance Armstrong eras of winning the Tour de France. I’ve certainly had some heroes along the way who have motivated me (I still do). Riding 60-100 miles at a time while I lived in Illinois was typical for me. I even scored a first place in Wisconsin in a time trial during a mini-stage race (won by 5 seconds!). After that success I knew I was strong and could climb even higher (literally)

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in the cycling world. However, my first few bike races at altitude went poorly—so I got some pretty quick schooling in the differences between the “flatlands” and thin air. It took some time to get adjusted. In 2008, I made the switch to triathlon and competed in my first Ironman 70.3 race in Sonoma County, CA (Vineman 70.3). During that race I learned another lesson: going from altitude to sea level is another story altogether. Total time: 7 hours and 15 minutes. Ugh, definitely not what I was hoping for. But, I survived my first long distance race. Since then, I’ve skimmed that time down to 5 hours and 42 minutes, placing 4th in my Clydesdale class. And that was at 5,280 ft. I’ve learned a lot from being a member of Rock Star Triathlete Academy, and I owe a great deal of credit to both Ben Greenfield (bengreenfieldfitness.com) and Kerry Sullivan. These guys rock! And if you don’t know who they are, you should check them out. Since living and training in Colorado for the past 14 years, I’ve never looked back. So let’s get ready and head for the mountains. It’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced. --Jeff Meador

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Dedicated to:

My beautiful wife Debbi who loves me despite my triathlon adventures

and my two beautiful daughters—Vivian and

Sabrina—

who make me so happy to be a father, inspire me to do better each day, and remind me to:

“Go faster, Daddy!”

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Table of Contents Chapter 1: Mountain High Experience……………8 Chapter 2: Going to Altitude………………………..15 Chapter 3: Fueling and Hydration………………....21 Chapter 4: High Altitude Training…………………..26 Chapter 5: Racing In Thin Air……….……………….31 Chapter 6: Swimming Tips…………………………...35 Chapter 7: Cycling Tips……………………………....39 Chapter 8: Running Tips……………………………...48 Chapter 9: Going From High Altitude to Sea Level.......................................................52

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Chapter 1: Mountain High Experience Triathletes generally consider “high altitude training” as exercise that occurs at elevations greater than 5,000 ft. above sea level. Mountain air typically has a lower barometric pressure than it would at sea level. This results in a lower concentration of oxygen inhaled with each breath. Therefore, an athlete’s lungs and heart have to work harder to bring in the same amount of oxygen as at sea level to supply the brain, muscles and tissue. The harder your body has to work, the more energy it uses. Your heart beats faster and you breathe more often when at higher elevations to compensate for lower oxygen availability. It is a similar deficit that you experience when you exercise. So for an equivalent training effort at

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sea level, one at altitude uses more energy and cause feelings of fatigue more quickly. Many experienced athletes who have been training for a long time believe they can jump right into hard, physical exercise the minute they reach higher elevation. However, you’ll soon notice this is a huge mistake because living at altitude has many differences to living at sea level Firstly, the minute you step onto “higher ground” your body will encounter extra stress. So you must properly prepare yourself for these new challenges. Proper hydration, nutrition, and sleep play key roles in helping you acclimate and reap the performance-enhancing benefits of high altitude training. Secondly, training and racing at elevation is far different than at sea level (where oxygen is in abundant supply and typical hill climbs don’t go into double-digit percentages of grade). You need to know how to train and be cautious about your limits once you arrive. . Both cycling and running will be much different in Denver than in New York City and vice versa. Lastly, it often is difficult for athletes who have trained at high altitude to go to sea level and battle the heat and humidity. Boulder triathletes are known to arrive at least a week in advance of a sea level Ironman to get used to the conditions and establish realistic expectations.

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Not only will their effort change in the heat, but the added humidity and denser air can reduce speeds as well. In addition, leg muscles can become very efficient at climbing mountain passes on a road or mountain bike, spinning at a high rate like many Tour de France cyclists. But, this doesn’t necessarily translate to fast times on the flats at sea level. Different muscles are used to climb compared to tempo rides in the aero position for hours. Elevations of 5,000 ft or more tend to have very low humidity conditions. After a summer rain, water evaporates very rapidly from the streets because it doesn’t condense as well—it looks like fog rising from the pavement. You’ll be surprised how wet clothes can be left out and dry within hours. These conditions also increase the need for daily skin moisturizers to avoid dry, cracking skin. If you’re planning on trying elevation training yourself, I’ve found any moisturizers will work, but some of the better ones include an SPF factor to protect as well as hydrate the skin. If you plan on doing any swimming, especially in chlorinated pools, make sure to apply plenty of moisturizer afterwards. Even under humid conditions, chlorine can really dry out skin and hair. Imagine the effects without a humid environment! The lower air pressure of high altitude along with lower humidity levels results in less air resistance. This combination has led to numerous world records in cycling for miles in an hour by Tour de

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France greats such as Eddie Merckx and Miguel Indurain in Mexico City at 7,550 ft. However, most people find their first experiences at altitude will not be record-setting ones. In fact, the body needs time to adapt to its new surroundings much like exercise causes your heart and muscles to become stronger over periods of weeks, months and years of training. But these changes don’t occur overnight. First timers to the mountains (and even folks who live at 5,000 ft and travel above 8,000 ft) may begin to experience headaches, nausea, fatigue, and a loss of appetite in as little as a few hours or days of being there. These symptoms are commonly known as “altitude sickness” and can affect even the fittest athlete without proper preparation. Effects can vary depending on the level of elevation and exertion. The factors that can contribute to altitude sickness include going to higher altitude too quickly, a diet high in protein/fat and low in carbohydrates, low fluid intake, and a high level of workout intensity. Between sea level and 1000 ft, you probably won’t notice any decline in performance at speeds less than tempo (i.e. Zones 3-4) effort. If you reach tempo, you’ll quickly go into an anaerobic state (Zones 5-6) due to the relative lack of oxygen. At that point, your body will primarily burn carbohydrates over protein or fat

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as fuel to maintain the effort. As glycogen stores are depleted, you may become more fatigued, experience headaches and nausea. Breathing rates above 5000 ft tend to be higher at the same effort, causing in even more water loss through moist air droplets. Drier air also causes the body to lose more water through evaporation from the skin. This can lead to dehydration a lot more quickly, causing the blood to become thicker and less oxygen delivered overall. All of these effects are amplified in elevations above 8,000 ft., leaving you gasping for air. Sound like a performance-enhancing experience? Hardly. In fact, studies have shown VO2 Max levels typically decrease by 1-2% with every gain of 300 ft over 4500 ft. If you are doing interval training, this means your best efforts will only be at a sub-maximal level. With the lack of oxygen, glycogen depletion and dehydration, you can actually experience a detraining effect and subsequent loss of fitness. When the body is subjected to added stress, a hormone known as cortisol is secreted in excess from the adrenal glands on the kidneys. Cortisol is typically released to help the body react in a “fight or flight” situation. Over prolonged periods

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at elevated levels, this “stress hormone” can cause further inflammation and damage to tissues and organs. So why would anyone want to train at high altitude? The trick is gritting your teeth through the first few days. After 1 week, your red blood cell (RBC) count begins to increase to raise your oxygen carrying capacity. This process may take a while to occur, anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months to reach full potential. But when athletes return to sea level their performance improves due to this increased ability to carry oxygen in the blood. It’s like legal “blood doping”. There professional athletes that use this method to gain an unfair advantage in competition. We’ve all heard the stories of how athletes are suspended and/or lose their titles for “blood doping”. Basically, an athlete either transfuses blood that has a higher red blood cell count to boost performance or injects a substance known as erythropoietin to boost red blood cell production in the body. If it already sounds illegal, it is. But keep in mind this is NOT the same as good old-fashioned training and then racing at a lower altitude for an advantage. That method is NOT

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illegal, though it carries much of the same advantage. But some would want to convince you to reject this practice. Some recent articles refute the benefits of high altitude training, claiming that there are no physiological changes to the blood or body and no improvements to performance. The studies involved were conducted under controlled environments, comparing 3 groups of athletes who either lived and trained at high altitude, “lived high and trained low”, or did no altitude training at all. In essence, they were essentially comparing swimmers in short distances (e.g. 100-200 meters) showing no improvements after being at altitude for 3 weeks. I would argue that there may not have been a noticeable improvement in comparing groups that were tested under such short distances. The debate about the effects of high altitude training is still continuing as groups of athletes and coaches head to the mountains each year. But from my own experience, I’ve seen how much better of an athlete altitude training has made me. Even if you are going for a vacation to simply take in some new sights and enjoy the environment, I believe there are benefits to gain. In the chapters which follow, I will help prepare you and show you what you need in terms of nutrition, hydration, and supplementation. I will also provide workout tips to make your time well-spent and well-prepared.

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Chapter 2: Going to Altitude

Preparation is essential before exposing yourself to a new stressful environment in the mountains. One of the most important things to do is DRINK WATER to avoid even mild dehydration while climbing to altitude. At least 3 to 4 days prior to travel, you need to be drinking plenty of water (at least 2 to 3 liters per day). During the actual trip, you should continue to consume water while in flight or driving across country. I’d recommend bringing about 1 liter of water on a plane so you have access to the water you need. It’s prudent to plan ahead here too so you can get your water if you must pass through security without liquid. You can bring empty reusable bottles to fill at water fountains after you pass the checkpoint. Or you could cave into buying bottled water. Remember one of the leading causes of altitude

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sickness, even if your feet are not on the ground, is dehydration. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Both can lead to excessive water loss through urination and subsequent dehydration if consumed in large quantities. Once at your destination, you should limit your consumption of coffee, teas, and alcoholic beverages for at least 1-2 weeks to allow your body to become acclimated. For instance, switching to decaffeinated coffee may be a good idea for those who want to continue drinking coffee but don't want to give it up entirely. Various supplements can also aid in reducing the risk of altitude sickness. Although more research is needed to be conclusive, two Himalayan studies showed that Gingko Biloba reduced both the incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness. This could be due to Gingko’s ability to inhibit blood thickening and clear up free radicals. If you want to try this approach, try taking 80-120mg twice a day starting 5 days prior to travel. Antioxidants also play a key role in proper acclimatization. Any process in the body that requires oxygen (such as respiration, metabolism, exercise, and energy production) produces particles known as “free radicals”. Free Radicals are essentially charged atoms that steal electrons from other atoms. Thus, the more oxygen we use, the more free radicals are

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produced. The problem with free radicals is that they can attack cells and cause damage to various tissues and organs such as the heart, skin, and eyes. Since heart and respiratory rates increase with higher elevations, the increased presence of free radicals can cause the body further damage. Substances known as antioxidants are excellent defenses against free radicals. They work by essentially rounding up harmful free radicals to prevent cellular damage. One of the most naturally occurring forms antioxidant is glutathione. As more free radicals are produced, any cell in the body can excrete more glutathione to compensate. But with increased time in hypoxic (low oxygen) situations, glutathione can greatly be reduced. This in turn reduces the body’s ability to prevent tissue damage, proper healing and growth. Due to reduced glutathione levels while staying at altitude, you might consider taking a few different supplements to offset the deficiency. N-acetyl cysteine has been shown to result in increased glutathione levels. Glutamine, an amino acid which is readily converted by the body into glutathione, can be taken at 3000mg/day. You can supplement with glutamine itself or many whey protein supplements also contain sufficient quantities of l-glutamine.

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Other excellent antioxidants include Vitamin C (2000-3000 mg per day), Vitamin E (400iu per day), and/or alpha lipoic acid (150-300mg per day). These supplements typically are sold separately in tablet or capsule form and can be taken in combination. Another great option is to take a superfood such as LivingFuel Supergreens or Superberry because they contain all of these antioxidants (www.pacificfit.net/nutritional-supplements/). Above all, the best sources of antioxidants are fresh foods themselves because the body can use them much more efficiently. In fact, fresh foods have the right combinations of antioxidants in the right amounts and prevent you from “overdosing” with supplements (which can cause your body to become dependent on those supplements). In addition, eating a wide variety of foods provides a wider scope of antioxidants and nutrients that your body needs. You also have to be a bit cautious with adding too many antioxidant supplements to your diet from artificial sources. When antioxidants scavenge up free radicals, they can become oxidized and act just like free radicals causing further damage. Again, the best sources are a wide variety of fresh foods. The following is a great list of antioxidant-rich foods:

http://www.pacificfit.net/nutritional-supplements/

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• Artichokes

• Strawberries

• Blueberries

• Raspberries

• Almonds

• Almond butter or almond milk

• Walnuts

• Cherries

• Green Tea

• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

• Black beans

• Green apples Milk thistle also has shown some efficacy to decrease fatigue from free radical damage. Recommended dosage is 120-240mg per day. A more costly alternative called Cataplex E2 ($50) can help you to acclimatize better by improving circulation. The combination of Vitamin E and Selenium lessens the creation of free radicals and the deterioration of cell

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membranes. Take 2 tablets 3 times a day (starting 3 weeks before ascent). As discussed previously, your rate of ascent can lead to further worsening of symptoms. If possible, consider small elevation gains by 1,000 ft per day until your destination is reached. This allows the body to adapt faster to gradual changes and reduce ill effects. However, if you do develop symptoms which do not alleviate after a few days, you should descend to a lower altitude or seek medical attention. This slow ascent approach may not be possible if you are flying from sea level to a mountain for a weekend skiing trip. As a result, you will not have time to gradually ascend and adapt to elevation. Your best plan of defense is to drink plenty of water, eat plenty of good carbs such as sweet potatoes, steel-cut oatmeal, various vegetables and fruits, and avoid salty foods such as pretzels, chips, processed meats, etc. This protocol allows your body to adjust to its new environment with the best internal condition.

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Chapter 3: Fueling and Hydration Want to lose those extra pounds you gained over the off-season? Try going to the mountains on a ski trip rather than the beach for Spring Break. During the first 5 days of being at altitude, your body experiences a shock to the system and has to work harder. Therefore it requires more energy in its normal daily metabolism. If your caloric demands are not met by nutrition, your body will switch to burning fats and proteins, particularly in the form of muscle. While burning the fat may be good for weight loss, this is not ideal during times when you want to improve performance.

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Ironically, you may experience a loss of appetite in part due to altitude sickness because of a rise in blood sugar along with insulin insensitivity. Basically glucose stays in your blood stream longer and causes the body to feel it does not need more energy. The mechanism for this phenomenon is still unknown. The insulin resistance is short-lived and usually goes away after about a week. So, lack of appetite with reduced caloric consumption plus an increased metabolic rate leads to—you guessed it—weight loss. If calories are not increased to meet energy demands, training can be very ineffective. I’m all for getting losing weight if you need to for health. But if you want to improve your exercise performance you need to be careful with your energy levels. How many extra calories you need per day will differ depending on body mass and daily physical requirements. Keep in mind shorter and more intense the effort (i.e. sprints) demand more carbohydrates. Longer, sustained efforts may burn fats and proteins depending on how efficient your body is in using these fuel sources. What if you’re on a low carbohydrate diet? Your body is already used to using fats and proteins first before carbohydrate stores. This will definitely benefit you more than someone who is on a high-carbohydrate, low protein/fat diet as your

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body has larger stores of fat and protein than carbohydrates. It can turn to these for the increased energy demands we discussed earlier. However, even a low carbohydrate diet should be supplemented at least one day a week with a higher carbohydrate meal to help replenish muscle glycogen stores. Without doing this, over the course of time people begin to experience fatigue and depression. Add in altitude stresses and their higher carbohydrate requirements and you‘re creating a recipe for disaster, including altitude sickness and a detraining effect due to lack of peak performance. Prior to travel, you may consider upping your intake of good carbohydrates to supplement your energy stores. Include such things as fruits (e.g. green apples, grapes, oranges), starches like sweet potatoes and white potatoes, and all types of vegetables. I would avoid whole grains (e.g. quinoa, steel-cut oats, brown rice) at altitude unless they are pre-soaked because the body is more susceptible to the intestinal distress that can result from the lectins in the grains. Lectins are enzymes in grains that are designed to prevent them from being eaten until the plant becomes extinct (it’s why some civilizations use the wash from quinoa as a soap for their clothes). Soaking removes many of the lectins, and you can find out how to do this on the internet, but it is time consuming (often needing a full night to be effective).

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Iron is also an important nutrient that helps the body adapt to low oxygen situations. Iron is used in the manufacture of red blood cells and creates the oxygen-carrying capacity in hemoglobin. Therefore, a lack of iron can result in decreased oxygen in the blood and reduced performance. Various conditions can lead to an iron-deficiency, such as a low protein diet, substantial blood loss (females menstrual cycle), and celiac disease (reduced iron absorption in the intestines). Prior to going to altitude, make sure your diet contains iron. Include chicken, fish, lean meats, etc. Or if you’re vegan, soaked lentils or quinoa, and spinach contain substantial amounts of iron. Another great recovery formula is a supplement called Recover-Ease, containing 8 natural nutrients, proteolytic enzymes, and branched-chain amino acids. Recover-Ease can be purchased at www.pacificfit.net/items/recoverease. What about hydration needs while you’re actually at altitude? You should be drinking anywhere between 4 to 6 liters of water each day with at least 1 liter every 3 hours during that protocol to maintain hydration during the day. If you add exercise to your daily routine, continue to drink at least 20 ounces of water per hour.

http://www.pacificfit.net/items/recoverease

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And as much as we’ve all heard how wonderfully clean mountain water is, don’t be fooled and drink out of a stream or lake that you come across. Mountain water can be contaminated with bacteria such as E. Coli and Giardia. If consumed, the end result can be a condition known as giardiasis, a protozoan parasite infection of the small intestine resulting in abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, headache, loss of appetite, a low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting. What if you boil water to eliminate bacterial contamination? That’s an option, but water behaves differently at altitude and will need to boil longer at a lower temperature to be rid of bacteria.

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Chapter 4: High Altitude Training (HAT) When it comes to training at altitude, you need to take the right steps to avoid burnout and exhaustion. If you’re coming from sea level, it’s best to allow 3 weeks of lower level training (e.g. Zones 1-2) before moving on to higher levels. Avoid Zones 3 and above until you’ve allowed your body time to acclimate. Otherwise, you will find yourself exhausted and no desire to train. One method of avoiding high altitude training (HAT) burnout is to “live high/train low”. This method has been utilized by many top

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professionals, but may not be the most practical method for the recreational athlete, as you will see. The live high/train low method involves living at high altitude but training at lower elevations. In doing so, the more-oxygen rich environment at lower elevations allow the athlete to push anaerobic thresholds that could not be accomplished in thinner air. Then, going back to altitude to sleep, eat, etc. allows the hypoxic stress to work harder for respiration and create more red blood cells, thereby enhancing oxygen-carrying capacity. This is great if you have the time to travel and train. But it becomes difficult if you do not have a home in the mountains and then travel to lower elevations to train. Others have tried to simulate this experience with “altitude tents”, which are tents that surround your bed and create a hypoxic environment while you sleep. The effect is similar, but the sleep may not be as good especially if you tend to be a light sleeper. In the “live high/train low” model, the buffering capacity of the blood is changed to accommodate higher levels of lactic acid. When this occurs, the athlete can experience much higher performance and explosive power at sea level because they work harder, for longer.

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One advantage for athletes who frequently do short time interval training at altitude is that their body adapts quicker with each successive effort. Essentially, there is a cumulative effect so that it becomes easier to train at altitude. I currently am experimenting with this method as I live and work in the Denver area (elevation 5,280 ft.) and travel to Estes Park (elevation 7,500-8,000+ ft.) to train on the weekends. I have been structuring my schedule so that I do higher intensity intervals during the week at lower elevations and then use longer, less intense workouts at altitude. Since I’ve been doing this for the past 4 months, I have finally been able to break an indoor trainer bike record while training in Denver that I never could during the past 4 years of triathlon training. My average power increased from 207 to 228 watts and added another ½ mile to my previous record at the same heart rate. If you are a first-timer to the mountains, spend week 1 with shorter, less intense workouts to get your body adapting but not too fatigued. Remember, your body is under a lot of stress already and adding more intensity too early is a recipe for disaster. For week 2, you can begin adding more intensity but still keep workouts short to medium in length. When you get to week 3, your body should be sufficiently adapted to handle the same levels of workout you would do at sea level.

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As discussed previously, hydration and nutrition are key. Increase your consumption of iron and make sure to weigh yourself each morning to make sure you are staying hydrated and not losing too much to evaporation. Another very useful, if not essential tool to use is a heart rate monitor so you can measure intensity. Again, stay in Zones 1-2 during week 1, Zones 2-3 during week 2, and then Zones 3+ starting on week 3. You should monitor your waking heart rate every morning at altitude, which you will notice might be 5-10 beats higher than normal for at least the 1st week. This is normal and usually returns to normal after a week, indicating that acclimatization is taking place. What altitude is best for achieving performance gains? If you are coming from sea level, 5,000 ft can provide an excellent training environment without the added side effects that higher altitudes can cause. The current recommended altitude for making substantial gains in performance is somewhere around 8,000 ft. However, the “best” altitude is still dependent on the individual and what works best. Any altitudes above 10,000 ft, however, will tend to be less effective and more detrimental to a training regimen unless your goal is to summit a 14,000 ft peak. If so, your best bet is still to acclimate slowly by going up 1,000 ft each day

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for 3 days, stay at that altitude for a day, and then resume the climbing process until reaching your intended elevation.

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Chapter 5: Racing In Thin Air If you have planned a race in the mountains, you must realize your experience will be much different than your races at sea level. If your sport involves sprinting, jumping or cycling, you’ll notice an immediate difference at altitude: you go faster. But if you are more into endurance sports such as half or full Ironman triathlons, you’ll experience a negative effect on performance due to the thin air and lack of oxygen. First off, you’ll need at least a week to adapt, so getting there a day or two beforehand is not going to be the best approach. A minimum of three days is necessary to begin acclimatization. Arriving the morning of a marathon to altitude (seriously, does anyone do that?) will certainly lead to a very bad experience. The hypoxic environment will quickly lead you into an anaerobic state and eventually drop your pace

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to a walk or worse a Did-Not-Finish (“DNF”). All that training for nothing! The same tactics used to prepare for training can be used for racing. Keep in mind your performance will tend to not be the best if you haven’t spent sufficient time at altitude. What can you do to prepare your body to take on the challenge? A lot of people I talk to are surprised that weight training is one very important aspect to add to your workout routine in preparation for mountain racing. If your race involves a lot of climbing, you’re going to need power—and a lot of it. Since quadriceps and calves are used primarily to climb in cycling and running, incorporate weight exercises that focus on these muscle groups without neglecting other areas. Such exercises as squats, leg presses, dead-lifts, step-ups, and calf raises will work wonders to improve your ability to move up hills in both cycling and running. Core strength is extremely important to stabilize the body while climbing, especially with cycling. Various core exercises can be found at www.thestrongtriathlete.com. Yoga is also a good core-strengthening exercise to add in. Increasing the flexibility of your lower back and hamstrings is essential in maintaining form during

http://www.thestrongtriathlete.com/

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long climbs in the saddle. The tighter the back of the legs and lower back, the more your body has to work against itself. The harder you have to work, the more energy expenditure occurs, leading to early fatigue and muscle soreness. Remaining injury-free is also of extreme important during your high altitude stay. Remember that your effort will seem like you’re doing twice the work to accomplish the same effect. Accept this fact initially and don’t try to go all out until you’ve had time under your belt, because you could hurt yourself. Recovery is the other side of this injury coin. When I go to high altitude, I sleep like a baby! Normally at lower elevations I get about 7 hours of sleep on average, which is more than some triathletes get nightly. However, when I’m staying at 8,000 ft., it is not uncommon for me to sleep 8 hours or more. I attribute a portion of this to higher energy requirements and therefore producing more fatigue that requires more rest. Thankfully my body does not have many mysterious variables to deal with during sleep because I’ve already acclimated to higher elevations. But this is not the case with most people. When mountain climbers ascend, they typically don’t sleep well. During sleep, the brain goes through stages of sleep which can be detected by measuring electrical activity of the brain and eye movement. The initial stages of sleep are light, allowing one to be awakened easily. The longer

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the person is asleep the deeper the level of sleep occurs. During deeper levels of sleep rapid eye movement (REM) occurs. At altitude, deeper levels of sleep and REM’s are reduced, thus causing the individual to be more easily awakened and not get a good night’s sleep. An interesting phenomenon also occurs with breathing during sleep at altitude. Periodic breathing (aka “Cheyne Stokes”) is common and involves a cycle of rapid breathing followed by slower breaths. When the brain detects the lower levels of oxygen in the blood, it signals the respiratory system to increase breathing rates to supply more oxygen. As a result, carbon dioxide levels in the blood decrease, eventually leading to a decreased respiratory rate. Then this cycle repeats itself over the course of the night. Periodic breathing may continue until red blood cell production is sufficient to carry enough oxygen in the blood at reduced levels. Keep this in mind if you think you’ll be getting lots of rest during your stay in the mountains before your “big event”. These alterations to what your body is used to may make you even more tired and less motivated to race well.

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Chapter 6: Swimming Tips In May, 2010, Lewis Pugh, a 40 year old lawyer whose goal was to draw attention to melting glaciers, swam for 1 km (0.62 miles) in frigid waters across Pumori Lake in the Himalayas. The catch was he was wearing only swim trunks, goggles, and a swim cap. And keep in mind that the lake sits at 17,000 ft under the summit of Mt. Everest, as show in the picture above. Pugh became the first man ever to swim across a glacial lake at Mt Everest. Pugh has done similar feats to help raise awareness for environmentalist causes like glacial warming. He once swam in Antarctica as well as the North Pole. But this swim was like no other.

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Due to the high altitude and frigid temperatures, Pugh had to do the breaststroke across the lake at just the right speed. Too fast and he would have run out of oxygen. Too slow and he would quickly develop hypothermia. Overall, the swim took him 22 minutes and 51 seconds to complete. While you may never attempt the type of feat Pugh did, you may experience similar symptoms if you spend most of your time swimming in plenty of oxygen and nice warm water temperatures. Water temperatures at elevation can vary greatly, especially depending on the time of year. Triathlon season typically opens up in May in Colorado. Most lakes at that time of year have water temperatures in the low 60’s. In 2008 at the Steamboat Springs Triathlon, the water temperature was a nice 68 deg F, although the air temperature was 37º F! The temp later rose to a balmy 51º F but that didn’t help to warm shivering triathletes who were soaking wet on the bike. During the summer, the Boulder Reservoir in Boulder, Colorado, has water temps typically around 70 degrees (topping out around 73 degrees in August for the Boulder Ironman 70.3 triathlon). Many swimming coaches understand the difficulty swimmers experience at altitude. As with other sports, sprinters won’t initially be affected

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as much as long distance swimmers. But fatigue sets in much quicker and doesn’t allow for VO2 max level workouts. However, the increased demand on these swimmers while training at altitude allows for mental toughness to increase, a key aspect of those whose ambition is to race well. Do sprinters or distance swimmers achieve more benefit from altitude training? Initially sprinters see a 8-10% drop in times while distance swimmers only see about a 3-5% decrease. However, when swimmers returned to sea level after training at altitude, coaches saw that distance swimmers’ performance peaked initially around 2 weeks while sprinters peaked at about 1 month after return. So here is where the tips come in. Typically swim coaches have their swimmers work on technique first while getting used to high altitude. Using swim drills is a great way to acclimatize while still maintaining form and not stress the body more than it can handle. But unlike the other arts of triathlon there are things you can do in the pool prior to traveling to altitude in preparation for high altitude swimming.

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Swimming is one of the best exercises for creating a hypoxic environment. Start off by breathing every 3 strokes. By doing so, you are forcing your body to adapt to lower levels of oxygen and higher levels of carbon dioxide. Try to increase the number of strokes you take to improve your ability to function in a low oxygen environment. If you want to gain the benefits of a head start like this, you should be doing hypoxic training at least weeks to months prior to going to altitude. Although we can’t see ourselves sweat while swimming, we do sweat—meaning we lose salt and water. The body does have an incredible ability to maintain salt balance, but fluids do need to be replaced to maintain hydration. This is no exception when swimming at high elevations and even more of a consideration. Maintain drinking at least 1 water bottle per hour of training in the pool. For some individuals, you may increase this amount to 1 and ½ bottles per hour depending on thirst.

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Chapter 7: Cycling Tips

If you are preparing for your mountain cycling event at gentler gradients, you can simulate hill

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climbing by putting your bike into a big gear (such as a 53X15, 14 or 13 gear). Your cadence will be slower but you will be involving (and strengthening) your back and quadriceps used in climbing. Considering that many climbs on mountains are long, continuous efforts, incorporating a good deal of threshold training will also help to prepare you for the mountains. One good method is to ride long into a headwind to simulate long climbs. Gearing can be a consideration when climbing on mountainous roads. If you look at the climbing styles of many Tour de France riders, you’ll see a wide spectrum of techniques. Greg LeMond had a rather lower cadence for climbing, often incorporating the use of his upper body to keep going over long mountain passes. Miguel Indurain, 5-time Tour de France champion, discovered that keeping a lower gear and having a higher cadence allowed him to move his large 6’2” frame rapidly to keep up with cyclists of much lower body weight and stature. Another cyclist who perfected this type of racing was a certain Texan who went on to win 7 Tour de France races: Lance Armstrong. During his battle with testicular cancer, Lance lost 10 lbs. and improved his cadence into the 90-110 range. Because of his weight loss, Lance

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essentially increased his strength to weight ratio, a very key method to achieving better climbing performance. The higher the strength and the lower the body weight, the more power can be generated with less energy expenditure. Having a higher cadence is not always ideal for every cyclist. The expense of higher cadence can lead to an anaerobic state very quickly and burn out their glycogen stores if the cyclist is not properly trained. Also, the athlete’s muscle composition can be a limiting factor as well because it determines how the athlete exerts themselves. To explain, the body has 2 particular types of muscle fibers: fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch muscle fibers can contract very rapidly and produce explosive speeds especially during sprints. Slow twitch require less energy to contract, and do so with less force, but are twice as efficient as fast twitch fibers. Thus, they are more ideal towards endurance sports such as a marathon or an Ironman. The ratio of fast to slow twitch muscle fibers differs in many people. Some folks have a higher ratio of fast to slow twitch and therefore are more suited to short, sprint-type events such as a 400-meter track specialist. In others, that ratio could be the opposite, producing a Dean Karnazes who is perfect for running ultra marathons.

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There is a possibility that fast twitch fibers can become slow twitch, depending on the type of training that you’re doing. This is what was suspected in Lance’s case. When he was in his early twenty’s, he had an average muscle efficiency rate, somewhere around 21%. After a few years of training, that ratio made a jump to 23%, which has a huge impact when applied to a long bike race. With more slow twitch fibers and increased power, Lance was able to go from a cadence of 85 rpm’s to 100+ rpm’s, allowing him to use less force and energy with each pedal stroke but to go as fast (or faster) than his counterparts who were slogging away on big gears up hills. While it is possible to have your muscle fiber type tested (muscle biopsy), there is an easier quick way to determine your predominant muscle type form. Simply perform a one-rep maximum weight you can lift in a squat or a bench press. Then take 80% of that weight and see how many repetitions you can do. If you can do less than 7 reps, you are predominantly fast twitch muscle fiber type. If you can lift between 7-12 repetitions, you have relatively an equal balance of fast to slow twitch fibers. Lastly, if you can do greater than 12 reps, you have mostly slow twitch muscle fibers, allowing you to perform well in endurance sports. After determining your muscle fiber type, you can then understand your body and what types of exercise are better suited for you.

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If you have a higher percentage of slow twitch muscles, you’ll do better with a higher cadence since slow types require less energy and produce less force but have high endurance. On the other hand, a higher percentage of fast twitch fibers will have a cyclist pushing higher gears but only for a shorter period of time. At that point when the fast twitch muscles fail, the slow twitch muscles will take over to continue the effort. For someone with a lower percentage of slow twitch fibers, this may mean reduced speeds. So how do you increase slow muscle fibers and climb hills like Lance? Regardless of natural muscle composition, most triathletes have a cadence that lies somewhere between 80 to 90 rpm’s. To go from 80 rpm’s to 95-100 rpm’s for hills may take some time. You’ll need to perform interval training sessions in which you boost your cadence for anywhere between 30-90 seconds with at least 90 seconds rest in between. Repeat this 8-12 times. This training method will not only help your pedaling efficiency but will also help you adapt to changing terrain and different cadences. When applying a range of low to high cadences you recruit different types of muscle fibers: increasing your ability to handle a variety of conditions. With lower cadences, you tend to

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develop your slow twitch muscle fibers and increase power. On the other hand, higher cadences involve more fast twitch muscle fibers allowing you to sprint away from the pack faster. Plus it will also help smooth out your pedal stroke so you won’t have “dead” spots. Many cyclists tend to push down and pull up on the pedal stroke and miss everything in between. Your stroke essentially should be as round as possible. To accomplish this, you need to focus on pulling through the bottom of the pedal stroke (like scraping mud off your heels) and across the top, thereby eliminating those points where no pressure is being applied to the pedals. When you do this, you will immediately notice you are no longer losing power during those portions. The more hill training you do, the more power you will develop. Hill training is speed work in disguise. But don’t do so much that you become a “gear masher” and lose that smooth, round pedal stroke. Other things to consider include any modifications you need to do to your bike. When you go to high altitude, there is no doubt you will be climbing. The weight of the bike and rider can be detrimental to the power output you’ve worked hard to improve. Shedding any extra pounds on your bike before hitting the slopes might be more beneficial than trying to get one last training session in on your heavier set-up.

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Crank length and appropriate gearing can also play important roles in climbing with the bike. Some cyclists have found that shorter crank arms allow them to spin a faster cadence and achieve the “Lance Effect”. Shorter crank arms also open up the hip angle, which is the angle created by your torso and leg when at the top of the pedal stroke. In general, a reduced hip angle will cause you to lose power. There has been a recent push to drop a size on crankarms to increase cadences and open up hip angles. For those who typically ride with 175mm cranks, for example, this means dropping to a 172.5mm. Choosing the right gearing is also important. If you have a 11-23 cassette on your rear wheel and a 53x42 crankset, you may not be able to gear low enough to handle long mountain passes. A good cassette size for handling the hills is a 12-27. Changing your crankset can make “the mountains into a molehill”. And you have choices here. You can choose a triple-crankset instead of double to give you more gearing options. Many mountain bikers already have this type of crankset to allow them to easily get over rough terrain and keep a good cadence. Another option is a compact crankset, which typically has 50X34 chainrings. These also come in a carbon version to lighten your bike up while providing amazing stiffness. And you could always choose to make both changes to give you even more of a hip angle range.

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And don’t forget about carrying water. If you need, keep at least 2 bottles of water with you while riding to keep hydrated. Maintain consumption of a gel or some other form of carbohydrate every 30 minutes during exercise. Fasting workouts should not be done in the early stages of elevation training to avoid bonking and/or altitude sickness. But I’m sure you’re still asking “what’s the best climbing style?” There are pure climbers who are smaller, lighter and can blast away on a climb, often standing a majority of the effort. There are larger cyclists who sit in the saddle and grind away. Jan Ullrich was famous for this style of climbing, moving his way up a mountain like an eighteen-wheeler. His counterpart Lance Armstrong however spent a great deal of time out of the saddle on climbs along with a high cadence. By keeping a faster cadence, Lance was able to respond better and faster with accelerations to eliminate his contenders. Typically, most riders stay seated for the majority of a climb. When you get out of the saddle and stand for extended periods, you are using many more muscle groups to move up the hill. In doing so, you are creating more of a demand from glycogen stores, increasing your heart rate and energy expenditure.

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Of course there are times to get out of the saddle to either stretch away from the competition or accelerate from the pack and breakaway. But these should be limited and used infrequently to avoid blowing up. When staying seated, move back on the saddle to give your legs more leverage. If you have aerobars on a tri-bike, you should consider moving to the base bar to put yourself in an upright position. Both of these allow you to open up your chest and breathe more easily. Even if you feel more aerodynamic, staying in the aero position on a long 8-10% grade is not the most efficient or best way to climb. When you stand your cadence does drop. So shifting up a gear will help you to maintain speed. Having a strong (but light) upper body and core will also help when standing because they stabilize your body and take the stress off your legs. Wheels can also make a difference. If a race involves a lot of hills or climbs, you should choose wheels that are lighter and maybe less aerodynamic. Having a deep dish aero wheelset (or even a full disc for the rear wheel) is great for flat less windy and hilly courses. But deeper discs are also heavier and make it harder to handle the hills. A great size of disc wheel for climbs is a 50mm rim. Using a Zipp 808 front and rear wheelset is not advisable because it adds weight.

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Chapter 8: Running Tips When running at altitude you would use much of the same precautions as cycling, swimming, or other endurance events. Proper training at sea level can lead to better performances at altitude but don’t expect to mimic your race times. But there are some differences. Since running involves moving your own body weight, your heart rates tend to be higher than in swimming or cycling. Breathing requirements also increase as a result of reduced oxygen. So your lungs simply will not allow you to train or race at maximum effort. So what should you do if you signed up for a fall marathon in Denver?

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Your first goal should be to complete the marathon, or whatever distance you’ve decided to run. Due to the oxygen demands you should not expect to “break your record”. But with excitement of the event you might get close if you train right! In terms of personal records (PR’s), your second goal should be to set a “high altitude” PR so that you won’t be tempted to compare your race times to sea level. After all, you are racing in a totally different environment than what you are used to. You can’t compare it to what you can do at sea level, nor should you. To do so and to expect the same times will ultimately lead you to frustration and a disappointing race. I’m telling you right now: you won’t reach those goals despite how well trained you are. To prepare to run or race at altitude, you need to focus on all aspects of training that you normally would. This includes long runs, intervals, hills (short and long), strength training, and tempo runs. Make sure to dial in your nutrition and hydration needs too. They will certainly increase or change during high altitude racing depending on what your stomach can handle in new conditions. Drink plenty of water weeks prior to your race to ensure proper hydration and avoid altitude sickness. Get plenty of rest. And make sure you spend the time to examine the race course profile. Many race websites provide this altitude profile, showing you what elevation gains to expect. This is very important in

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any type of race, but especially if you will be combining hills with low oxygen. You will want to simulate racing conditions as much as possible to properly prepare your body—and your mind—when race day comes. If you can only afford a minimum amount of travel time, plan to arrive to your event at least 24 to 36 hours prior to the race. This will allow you to get somewhat used to the effects of high altitude in terms of fatigue, nausea, and sleep. Ideally, you should arrive at least 1 to 3 weeks prior to the event to allow yourself plenty of time to acclimate. Continue to hydrate before, during and after the event. The higher altitude will cause you to lose more water due sweat evaporation and increased breathing rates. Drink at aid stations and don’t be afraid to walk. Runners who do this find that they can maintain a higher pace between aid stations, thereby eliminating the difference or lead to faster times. Also, drinking water every other aid station is a great way to avoid hyponatremia: a very serious condition in which the concentration of salt in the blood is decreased. Typically there is no need to consume extra salt tablets during an event. Your body does an exceptional job of regulating the concentration of sodium in your body. Your daily diet typically contains a lot of sodium to meet the body’s needs. But in the week prior to the event, you

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may increase your sodium intake moderately to ensure you’ve “topped off the tanks”. Also, with increased oxygen demands, maintain proper nutrition during the race. Taking in 300-400 calories per hour is a good rule of thumb (perhaps a gel every 20-30 minutes), but you may increase this by 100 calories depending on the level of exertion. Remember, your higher heart rate will also have a higher caloric demand on your body.

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Chapter 9: Going from High Altitude to Sea Level

If you’ve spend some significant time living and training at altitude, your body has undergone numerous changes to adapt. But the reaction to altitude that would influences athletes’ performance the most is an increase in their number of red blood cells. Using this concept, professional athletes train high to gain increased oxygen-carrying capacity and then race at low altitude to gain an advantage. However, there is not an overwhelming amount of evidence to support this approach. In fact, high altitude training compared to sea level training does very little to

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significantly improve VO2 max levels or endurance performance at sea level. Training at altitude carries one disadvantage, namely a reduction in intensity and therefore speed. If you train high and want to race low, you will need to add speed workouts that will train your body (especially your legs) to perform at the pace you plan on maintaining at sea level. Remember, high altitude training can lead to a detraining effect. To counter this, you must get your body used to higher speeds without overtraining by maintaining similar intensity at lower speeds in elevated conditions. In other words, utilize tempo efforts (Zones 4-5+) but realize that your sea level speeds should not be your goal. However, you will occasionally need to incorporate interval sessions that are near equivalent race pace at sea level. To prepare for sea level race pace at altitude, increase your speed by 10-20 seconds for running or swimming and 0.5-1 mph for cycling. Pushing any further too soon could lead you to exhaustion faster and eventually overtraining. When traveling to sea level, make sure to arrive at least a week prior to your event. As much as acclimatization occurs when going from sea level to high altitude, the reverse is also true. Most people think that someone who has trained at altitude will excel when racing at sea level.

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However, consider that the two environments are very different. High altitude air is less dense and therefore has less resistant. Contrast that against sea level air which is denser and requires more effort to cut through. Humidity is also a factor which increases at lower altitudes that athletes trained at high-altitude may not be used to. You will not lose any of the physiological changes gained while training at altitude if you arrive at sea level at least 1 week prior to an event. In fact, training effects will be retained up to three months after returning to sea level. However, you need to get used to a different environment before competing. Adaptation will vary from individual to individual depending on level of fitness, age, etc. Also keep in mind that the detraining effect that can occur while training at high altitude may result in lower levels of performance at sea level. Because your pace is lower at high altitude during sustained periods of low power output, it may be reduced at sea level as well. So, should you travel to high altitude to boost your performance at sea level? The answer is yes and no. The change in environment can force the body to adapt in physiological ways that can benefit performance depending on the type of exposure. The best

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training approach involves living at high altitude while training at lower altitudes. While this is ideal, it may not be a feasible method. Increased blood volume and oxygen-carrying capacity truly are benefits that can improve performance. However, these adaptations have not been proven consistently in studies to say high altitude training is perfect method for being your best. The bottom line is: train in the type of environment that you will be racing. If that involves long climbs over 10,000 ft mountain passes, you will need to spend time training in this type of environment. However, if you plan on racing Ironman Arizona, you may find that your time is better spent swimming, biking and running on courses that simulate race conditions. You want your body used to the environment that you will race in. Only then will you achieve the goals you’ve trained so hard to accomplish.

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